Sarah Xu
Sarah Xu is a junior majoring in economics with a minor in computer science. After college, she’s interested in doing something at the intersection between business and social impact. She loves reading, group karaoke, and long conversations.
L's Taken
16
"Thank you for applying but..."
DukeChronicle opinion column(reapplied the next semester)
DukeEngage Guatemala
NPR Ted Radio Hour internship
DukeEngage Puerto Rico
Story+ climate change podcast internship
Bridgewater
Resident Assistant position(reapplied the next semester)
Center for Public Integrity Stanback internship
League of Conservation Voters Stanback internship
Enotice(journalism start-up) internship
Accenture
McKinsey
Bates White
EY Parthenon
3
Things I thought I'd finish but never did
The opinion columns I planned out but didn’t finish writing
A hackathon project
The You Will Be Able to Draw By The End of this Book I bought (I am currently still unable to draw)
5
Everyday L's of life
Losing so many pairs of headphones
Killing a succulent
Going out without contacts on and not being able to recognize people
Not finishing unpacking until the end of the semester sophomore fall
Having a terrible sense of direction
On the Bright Side
9
Memories I made when I wasn't working/studying
Talking and listening to music with friends on the Alspaugh fire escape
Many conversations on various benches on East campus
Staying up until 3am in the Alspaugh study room with two friends
Making bruschetta
Driving to Mapleview ice cream at sunset!!!
Girls nights in suite 2002
Taking walks and listening to good music by myself
Watching the sunset at the beach with high school friends when we were all back because of COVID
Boardgame nights with my family
4
Things I've learned that will still matter in 10 years
The quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life (a quote from Esther Perel)
If you keep on doing something that makes you nervous but is good for you, it becomes less scary over time
Learning is less about being smart than it is about breaking a problem down, figuring out what you know and don’t know, and putting in time
It’s good to focus less on what people think of you and more on how people feel around you (inspired by this Mari Andrew post)
15
TV shows, movies, and books I've enjoyed
New Girl
The Good Place
Fleabag
Lady Bird
Good Will Hunting
The Half of It
Love Actually
The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
We Learn Nothing by Tim Kreider
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
The Ezra Klein Show
Invisibilia
The Tim Ferriss Show
6
Things I'm proud of that you won't see on my resume
I prioritize my relationships
Phone-banking in the 2020 election
Even though I can get nervous about speaking up or talking to someone new, I usually still go for it anyway
I usually get enough sleep
I used to hate exercising but after a lot of trial and error, I’ve found workouts I like
0
Unconventional skills
0
Quirks that make me who I am
9
Small joys in my life
Playing soft music in the morning
Seeing a friend unexpectedly
Bookstores
Words that make you feel less alone
Sitting in the sun on nice days
Golden hour and the pretty shadows that come with it
Reading tiny love stories
Dancing to good music
Patterns made on the wall from afternoon sunlight coming in through windows
0
Obstacles I have overcome
4
Things I've done that pushed me out of my comfort zone
Talking to strangers for my journalism classes
Publishing opinion columns in The Chronicle
Speaking up in group conversations where I don’t know everyone
Going to a professor’s office hours even when they’re intimidating
5
Failures that seemed like the end of the world back then but don't matter in hindsight
Getting a 48/100 on my first college midterm in Econ 201
Not getting into a DukeEngage program freshman year after someone told me everyone gets in
Getting one of the lowest scores on the midterm in my Development Economics class when I thought I wanted to work in development economics
Not getting an interview from a company I really wanted to intern for
Making a simple math mistake in an interview (I divided by 10 instead of 100)