Decorative slide that introduces the Career Center Impact Report, 2025-2026 from the Duke Career Center. Three images in the top right are blurred by ombre coloring on the slide. All images show people gathering in various group sizes and locations. The bottom of the slide highlights the Duke Career Center's philosophy of "career everywhere for everyone".
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the guiding principles of the career center. Relevancy: We create and share content in a way that students want to consume it in order to provide specific guidance and resources about related fields and employers current recruitment practices. Visibility: Our resources and tools, programs and events, and communications must be scalable and reach the broadest audiences possible. Our staff should be recognizable and seen as collaborators by students, faculty, our staff colleagues, Duke alumni (and parents), and our employer partners. Inclusivity: We are seen as champions of a campus committed to career readiness, success and inclusivity. As we engage with this Career Everywhere model we focus on creating equitable programs to meet the needs of all Duke students while being inclusive of the Duke community including staff, faculty, alumni and employers. Two images on the bottom right show people gathering at a networking style event and seated under a large screen on a stage as part of a panel.

Relevancy in Action

Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and image. Growing into its second year, the site visit program has provided students the opportunity to explore employers across industries in the Triangle. In September 2025, a group of students spent the day visiting Dimensional Fund Advisors and GEM in Charlotte. Organized in collaboration between Grace Athy, Assistant Director of Career Readiness and manager of the Business, Finance, and Consulting Career Community , and Mariah Jones, Assistant Director in Employer Relations and career community partner. The picture to the right shows a group of people in business casual dress under the Dimensional company logo.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. Four images run along the center of the slide. From left to right: A group of students stand in front of an orange Coca-Cola bus in an atrium. A Delta Airlines airplane sits in a parking lot with students walking toward the plane. A TV screen shows the Atlanta Hawks logo and slogan of "True to You" and "Grow You". Three people sit underneath in a panel style discussion. A group of people at the Alumni Networking event, outside on a patio. These photos highlighted the multi-day career trek to Atlanta, GA. 26 students. 3 companies. Atlanta-area Alumni.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. Over 350 Duke students and alumni attended DEMAN Weekend 2025. This curated creative industry conference was co-hosted by the Duke Career Center, Duke Arts and the Duke Entertainment, Media & Arts Network (DEMAN) and allows participants to meaningfully share in "State of the Industry" conversations and expand professional networks. Picture to the right shows a row of people underneath a large A/V screen that says "DEMAN Weekend 2025".

Visibility in Action

Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. The LinkedIn Committee launched a Duke Career Center LinkedIn Page that promotes job opportunities, events, career fairs, and employer partnerships growing our presence to 1000+ followers. The picture to the right shows a graphic made to announce the launch of the LinkedIn page. It is also blue and yellow and includes the link to the career center LinkedIn page: linkedin.com/company/duke-university-career-center.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. The Duke Career Center curated 44 collections on Handshake which are groupings of employers, jobs, internships, and events that help students discover relevant opportunities without extensive searching. The image to the right highlights four different collections: First-Year and Sophomore Friendly Employers, Duke Entertainment Media & Arts (DEMAN) Employers, Companies Seeking Arts & Humanities Majors, and Business, Finance, and Consulting Employers. In the center of the image is the Handshake logo "H" on lime green background.

Inclusivity in Action

Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images This slide highlights the Internship Funding Program, includes the program's logo, photos from IFP recipients at their summer experience, and data points about the program. 20% of internships were international. 100% are low paid* or unpaid internships *less than $2500 for the Summer. 51 undergraduates received financial support for Summer 2026. $255k total funds distributed.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images This slide highlights the Professional Development Fund and includes the PDF logo along with photos of students in suits and medical scrubs. It also includes data points and information about the program. $10.5k total funds distributed. This is a unique program on Duke's campus as the Career Center is th eonly source of funding for the purpose of purchasing interview and professional attire. 57% of recipients were first generation. 42 students received funding.

More to the Story

Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images Imagine learning about various roles, not by job titles but by the skills, values, and interests they embody. This fresh approach helped 24 students focus on how their strengths align with different career opportunities. The Discovery & Exploration Career Community is known for their creative programming to engage students in new and unique ways. In addition to the Love is Blind: Career Edition event, they also hosted a Career Center Kickoff for First Year Students. Highlighting services and career communities to 131 students. “This event will make me think more about what sort of job environment I'd like and what skills I want to use most often.” -Anonymous Student Attendee Images to the left show students in small groups speaking with one another and industry representatives. Three images across the middle right of the slide show Sh'Maughn Wright, Career Specialist, headshot. The "Love is Blind: Career Edition" flyer, and Alicia Rhodes, Assistant Director, headshot.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images This slide highlights one student's experience at the Spring Break Career Trek in Atlanta, GA. Ziji Jiang, Class of 2029 shared his reflection and photos from the trek. "This experience showed me that there are far more opportunities to apply my skills and interests than I had previously imagined. It encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone even further and explore new clubs, events, and career paths during my time at Duke." “This was one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had at Duke so far.” -Zijie Jiang, ‘29 "One of my biggest takeaways from this trip was the importance of staying open-minded." -Zijie Jiang, '29 Photos across the slide show visits to each employer: Atlanta Hawks, Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola, as well as Zijie in the cockpit of a Delta airplane and his headshot.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. In December 2025, the Career Center staff stuffed backpacks for people experiencing homelessness in Durham. Working with the Duke student founded and run, The Backpack Project of Durham, we packed 50+ backpacks that included winter supplies, food, and hygeine items. The Backpack Project of Durham is a Duke student-run 501©(3) nonprofit organization committed to serving those experiencing homelessness in Durham, North Carolina. Images to the left show Career Center staff around a conference room table stuffing bags with various items like handwarmers, scarves, and hats. Representatives from The Backpack Project stand in front of the a TV screen sharing background on their nonprofit and work in the Durham community.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. This slide highlights data points for employer engagement: 12 employer takeover days, 2358 students who attended a career fair, 403k number of jobs and internships posted, 46k approved employers, 692 employer hosted events, 75 industries represented.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. This slide highlights data points for events and programming: 228 career center hosted events, 19 signature advising programs, 8 site visits to triangle and charlotte employers, 2498 students in career center hosted events.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. This slide highlights data points for student advising: 2330 advising appointments, 653 drop-in appointments, 09/25 the busiest month for advising and drop-in appointments, 2 new advisors, 3 drop-in days a week, 3 resume review days.

Staff Recognition

Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. Our Director of Employer Relations, Jaime Byrd, completed the Duke Management Academy. This rigorous program requires twelve months of professional development and a project. Congratulations, Jaime! The image to the left is a headshot of Jaime Byrd.
Duke blue background with accents of yellow frame the text and images. Two headshots across the middle of this slide highlight Associate Director, Hal Matthews for 5 years of service in the Career Center. The second photo highlights Marcus Shaw, Operations and Logistics Manager, for 10 years of service in the Career Center.