Durham, N.C.—GoDuke.com recently sat down with Norwalk, Conn., native and senior rower Alex Stonehill to reflect on her four years at Duke.
GoDuke.com: What is a hidden gem either in Durham or on campus? Why do you like it so much?
Alex Stonehill: Geer Street Garden. I go there so much that I notice when the menu changes slightly. Go there. Get a “pile” (fried chicken, french fries, jalapenos, bacon, melted cheddar cheese with gravy and two sauces). Learn true happiness.
GoDuke.com: What's next in life after Duke?
AS: The goal is eventually medical school. But for right now, I'll be happy with a job (fingers crossed) that is somewhere I can get good coffee and in an apartment that lets me have a cat. It's a big unknown right now. That's the fun part. Ask me again in June.
GoDuke.com: What is your proudest academic achievement at Duke?
AS: If I make it to the end of this fall semester, that will be the hardest thing I've done yet. I hope I'm not jinxing myself here, but I will really be happy with myself if I do well.
GoDuke.com: How did you get started in rowing and what made you fall in love with your sport?
AS: I played soccer for like 8 years and I was awful. So bad. Like, so bad my dad used to offer me an iPhone if I scored a goal because he could be 100 percent positive I never would. But I hated quitting things. Then I tried rowing at the suggestion of my uncle. I wasn't so bad! Haven't stopped since.
GoDuke.com: What does Duke mean to you?
AS: Duke, and especially DWR, is where I've grown up. I've changed a lot since I got here and I think that's a good thing. But more than anything else, this school, this team, these people have made me comfortable with who I am.
GoDuke.com: What is a road trip memory you'll always have with you?
AS: My junior year, our Miami trip. We were doing this exercise called box jumps. If you don't know what those are, bless you and your quads because they're hard. So we were all struggling with them and we finally finished. We were celebrating when Katie Dukovich started the “I believe that we will win” chant and suddenly everyone was chanting and cheering (by ourselves, at the Miami boat house). It felt like a scene out of a movie or a sports movie. I'm part of such an amazing team.
GoDuke.com: What is one lesson Duke rowing, or your teammates, have taught you that you'll carry with you long after you leave Duke?
AS: How to be humble and confident at the same time. I row alongside some strong, crazy and inspirational kids. It's hard not to be humbled by it. But they have also built me up and made me feel strong and crazy inspirational, too.
GoDuke.com: What do you want a team 20 years from now to look back at your career and know?
AS: I want them to know that we wouldn't give up. We wanted it all. We're going to be fast; we're going to be unstoppable. And we're never going to give up what makes us special.
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