Jada Hinds

Favorite spot on campus...

Krafthouse!

Advice I would tell my first-year self...

Take time for myself and develop a work-social life balance. I learned that you can study for hours and hours without breaks; however, it is not good for your mental health or social life. I would also say to find something that you are passionate about early and find ways to incorporate it in your time at Duke.

Resources I love to use at Duke...

The SPIRE program, which is an academic and mentoring support system for students majoring in STEM fields. SPIRE has helped me succeed in my courses and build connections with students and faculty. I also love to use the Academic Resource Center, which helps me create a schedule to help with my time management and provides me with peer tutoring for my challenging courses.

My favorite class(es) at Duke...

My engineering courses, such as EGR 101 and EGR 121. These hands-on courses taught me the engineering design process and exposed me to the problem-solving and creative side of engineering. I also enjoyed the marketing classes that I have taken at Duke that have taught me key marketing principles.

Co-Curricular/Engagement Experiences...

On campus I am involved in the National Society of Black Engineers, where I served as a senator on the Executive Board during my freshman year, and I currently serve as the Public Relations chair. I am a Spire Fellow, which is an academic mentoring support system and living-learning community for students pursuing STEM majors. I am also a TA for EGR 101 and an E-Teamer to help first-year Pratt students transition to Duke!

How I like to spend my free time...

Hanging out with my friends in our dorms, going to various events around campus, and walking to Ninth Street to Pincho Loco (they have the best banana pudding ice cream)!

How I decided on my major ...

When I first applied to Pratt, I thought I wanted to major in Electrical & Computer Engineering due to my love for computer science. However, after my first semester at Duke I realized that I wanted to major in Mechanical Engineering because I learned that it teaches you about different disciplines of engineering. I was not sure what exactly I wanted to do with my engineering degree, so Mechanical Engineering was a great way for me to learn about product design, manufacturing, and problem solving!