Love was in the air when Dr. Andy Baldwin, Trinity '99 and former star of The Bachelor, spoke before an intimate crowd of about 30 wide-eyed bachelorettes.
"I'm just talking from the heart in Love Auditorium," Baldwin said.
And the hearts of many lady Blue Devils were aflutter when the ex-Bachelor took center stage to discuss careers with the Navy. Junior Erika Manderscheid said she came to the speech with no hopes of walking away with the former Bachelor's final rose, but she left with a change of heart.
"There was something about his presence," she said. "Seeing him in the uniform, he's kind of like the whole package."
But Baldwin's speech centered on love of country rather than love of the romantic variety. Speaking as part of the Career Center's Expert-in-Residence series, he urged students to sign on for the Navy's Health Professions Scholarship Program.
"That's what we're taught here at Duke-to be leaders as we go out into the world," he said. "I encourage every one of you, no matter what you do, to always ask how you can help."
Though he is still single, Baldwin noted that his stint on TV has provided him with unique opportunities for civic engagement.
"[My celebrity] has given me this ability to reach people," he said. "It would be a travesty not to do something good with it."
Visits to campus-and Krzyzewskiville in particular-stir up fond memories for Baldwin, who tented for the Duke-UNC game as a freshman. Would the reality-TV king of romance sleep on the sidewalk again, this time for a Chapel wedding?
"It would depend how long the line was," Baldwin said with a laugh.
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