Valerie Tan

Articles

OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

It's okay not to be okay

By Valerie Tan | April 18, 2022

The most difficult part of being a Duke student for me isn’t the classic case of being afflicted with imposter syndrome—I have enough confidence in my abilities to know that I deserve to be here. Rather, it is the frustration of not being able to fully leverage the plethora of resources at my disposal, of being hamstrung from reaching my full potential by something as “trivial” as anxiety.

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

Closer, but not too close for comfort

By Valerie Tan | March 21, 2022

Tearing down the walls I had built around me and allowing others to enter the private fortress where my innermost thoughts and emotions resided was exhilarating and unnerving in equal measures.

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

The art of not caring

By Valerie Tan | February 17, 2022

Being alone most of the time meant that I was forced to befriend myself, and as I got to know her a little more, I grew comfortable with her.

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

This is (more than) enough

By Valerie Tan | January 25, 2022

At some point, I got sick and tired of running on this prison of a hamster wheel, of endlessly chasing after this feeling called “happiness” that seemed increasingly nebulous and unattainable.

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

The greatest Christmas gift

By Valerie Tan | January 4, 2022

Santa may not have left a present at the foot of my bed last Christmas, but in many ways, he had already given me the greatest gift of all—a gift that will keep on giving long after he is gone.

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

No regrets

By Valerie Tan | November 29, 2021

I am still struggling and will likely continue to over the next four years. But if I could do it all over again, I would. 

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

My probation list

By Valerie Tan | November 10, 2021

[My probation list] is a safe space where my friendships exist in a state of constant flux, a Goldilocks zone where people can come close but not too close for comfort, a healthy buffer that preserves my sanity in the crucible of college socialization.

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

Food for thought

By Valerie Tan | October 9, 2021

As much as we love (or hate) the food, mealtimes are so much more than just nourishment for the body—especially in a communal environment like college.

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

Peeling the onion of cultural identity

By Valerie Tan | September 24, 2021

In a place as diverse as Duke, each and every individual is a cultural onion like no other. I cannot wait to uncover the stories they have to tell as I peel the layers of their identities over the next four years.

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OPINION  |  STUDENT VOICES COLUMNS

A year is just 365 days

By Valerie Tan | September 11, 2021

If I could go back in time, I would absolutely make the same decision to defer, even if it meant starting college later than everyone else— because I owed it to myself to ensure that I came into college in the pink of mental health.

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