Willow Kaplan '26: Community, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking

When Willow Kaplan reflects on her time at Duke, one lesson sticks with her: you don’t have to do everything alone. 

“If I could give advice to my 17-year-old self,” she says, “it would be that you don’t have to do everything on your own.” For a long time, Kaplan believed success meant building something entirely by herself and making it look effortless. But over four years at Duke, she says that perspective shifted. “One of the most important things I’ve learned here is that growth comes from community.” 

Kaplan, who will graduate with a B.A. in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (GSF) and Public Policy, and a minor in French, found that lesson reinforced across campus: in classrooms, student organizations and the broader Duke community. 

“Even when it’s difficult, it’s important to learn to ask for help, to show up imperfectly, and to let other people support you,” she says. “You don’t need to prove your worth through constant output or independence.” 

That mindset has shaped much of Kaplan’s involvement at Duke. She found collaboration across all of the organizations she’s been part of, including Duke University Union, SHAPE and Women’s Empowerment at Duke. In those spaces, she says, meaningful work has always been collective. 

“Whether that’s planning large-scale events, managing teams or building spaces for students to connect, none of that happens alone,” she says. 

"Even when it’s difficult, it’s important to learn to ask for help, to show up imperfectly, and to let other people support you."

Kaplan has also experienced that spirit of collaboration in the classroom, particularly through the GSF department. At a time when fields like gender studies are increasingly challenged, she says the department places a strong emphasis on community, dialogue and mutual support. 

“I’ve felt especially supported through the Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies department,” Kaplan says, pointing to professors like Kathi Weeks, Jennifer Nash, Lauren Henschel, Kimberly Lamm and Nikki Lane. “They’ve challenged me to think more critically and intentionally about the world around me.” 

Through her coursework, Kaplan says she developed what she describes as a more active form of critical thinking, like learning to question assumptions, sit with discomfort, and connect personal experiences to broader systems of power. GSF faculty foster an environment that encourages intellectual risk-taking and independent thinking, she says.  

“Their support has shaped how I approach both my academic work and my understanding of the world,” says Kaplan.  

Outside of campus, Kaplan also found meaning in exploring Durham.

“There’s a real emphasis on supporting one another, and that makes Durham feel both grounded and deeply connected.” 

“As a Duke student, I’ve come to appreciate that engaging with Durham requires intention,” she says. “It’s easy to stay within the Duke bubble, but the more you make an effort to explore, the more the city opens up to you.” 

From coffee shops to yoga studios to small gift stores, Kaplan says some of her favorite places in Durham are the ones she discovered by stepping out of her comfort zone and getting off campus. What stands out most to her, though, is the sense of connection among local businesses. 

“There’s a real emphasis on supporting one another,” she says, “and that makes Durham feel both grounded and deeply connected.” 

After graduation, Kaplan will continue her international and academic interests by traveling to France as an English Teaching Assistant. Looking ahead, she hopes to pursue a career in public policy and gender equity, which will continue to draw on the same collaborative spirit she found at Duke.