Viviana Santiago, Part Two

Now that I’ve kept you in suspense for a week about the story of the giant banana, it’s only fair that I finish it. Viviana, a few friends, and I recently went to the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, NC. It is truly an experience that each Duke student should have...even if getting there via public transportation is a bit tiring.



It was while walking in awe through the fairgrounds, amidst the cotton candy, rides that will kill you, and fried Oreos, that Viviana spotted it…one of those rip-off fair games with larger than life prizes.

Fortunately for her, it was a gigantic fruit that she instantly fell in love with and had to have. After lending her $20 in pursuit of the prize, she finally won it, then almost got into a fight because she hit a girl with it. It was a stuffed disaster waiting to happen. Luckily, we made it out okay, and even the banana was unharmed. Just a day in the life with Vivz.

Ahem. Now onto serious business. Our dear stuffed-prize lover was born in Caracas, Venezuela but now lives in Gainesville, FL. Her all time favorite things ever are: Law and order, pigeons and penguins, Mean Girls, The Devils Highway, Party in the USA, Halloween and Diet Coke. All of us who go to BDU meetings regularly are privy to the infamous “Awkward Icebreakers,” which begin each of our sessions. I won’t give away the secrets to Viviana’s wonderfully absurd methods of calling order when we’re all speaking at once, but trust me they’re effective. As another teaser, they can involve: moustaches, trumpets, awkward turtles, and exceptionally awkward hand turkeys. You should come to our meetings, and meet other cool people.


One thing I think we’ve all noticed is Viviana’s rise to leadership. I know she is proud of herself for being a leader, and I would agree that she is a shining BDU president. Although she can be soft spoken, and definitely isn’t what one would consider a ‘typical student leader,’ her efforts this semester for our student group have been amazing.

She often speaks with pride of her mother, as well. She tells me about the new English words her mom is learning and employing in conversations. Her mother is also taking classes, has joined a bowling league, and volunteers at the public library. I don’t think talking about parents is trite and I think it’s important to watch how Viviana talks about her own. Clearly, she loves her mother and looks up to her and expresses pride in her mother’s ability to step outside her comfort zone. I know we’ve all seen Viviana do that herself and rise up to lead us in our programming this semester.

Viviana is a self-described 1.5 Latina. I encourage you to ask her yourself what that means to her. This identification has made her feel “in between” but makes it her goal to “[help] people feel like they belong … because [she] never really had a group.” The point of these Thursday bio blogs is not to just give profiles, but to push my readers to really get to know the individuals I feature. I bet you didn’t know that Viviana plays the flute and almost went to a music school before choosing Duke. I also bet you didn’t know that she’s writing a thesis on eco-feminism and spirituality. Ask her about it. Start conversations. There is more that connects us beyond the LGBT Center. We should all step outside our comfort zones and find out what makes other people get up in the morning.



Want your story featured? Would you like to help others see beyond the LGBTQA label? If you would like to volunteer yourself for me to conduct an interview with you, or would like to nominate another individual, please post a comment or contact me at summer.puente@duke.edu or spp12@duke.edu. Thank you!

“Summer, I need the giant banana. I need it.”

So who goes to the LGBT Center anyway? Have you ever been there? Do you want to go, but are scared? It’s ok, I was scared too. My first few times were terrifying. I clung to Chris Purcell, the Program Coordinator, because I didn’t know anyone else. Now I go there all the time.

Sure, sometimes it’s empty and eerily quiet in the morning hours, but as the day passes several people stop in to check their e-mail, try to do homework, eat, and hang out. In all honesty, it’s my haven and there’s no other place I prefer on campus. I keep to myself quite a bit, but the Center is a safe space where I don’t have to worry about anything but being a twenty-year-old Duke student who’s procrastinating just like everyone else.

My Thursday blog entries are developed from interviews I am in the process of conducting and friendships I continue to form through interactions in and out of the center. I want to put a face to our strongest allies. I want to put a story to those LGBTQ-identified students/faculty/staff who remain passionate in their dedication to whatever gets them up in the morning. I will present these tenacious individuals, who do their part in making Duke’s campus a more accepting place, not just a tolerant one, first through their devotion to LGBTQA issues. The following week, I will highlight the other components of their lives that make them who they are and the paths they’ve followed to get here, to show the multidimensionality of our community members.

Welcome to part one of my first victim profile.

There are few people at Duke who make me feel genuine happiness like she does. Perhaps it is her unyielding devotion to Peg, the LGBT Center’s Staff Specialist, or perhaps it is her pet cacti and unmatched sense of humor. She is someone I admire and someone who I look for to change a bad day around. Today and next Thursday’s blog entries will be devoted to her.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Viviana Santiago. Come back next week to learn more about the giant banana.

Aside from her amazing collection of Facebook profile pictures, you should know Viviana because she is the president of Blue Devils United, and quite easily one of the most hilarious people I know. Her leadership this year has brought our undergraduate student group closer together and amused in meetings with her quirky attitude. It is sitting in these meetings, as Viviana tries to use noisemakers to call order and attention, that I feel most connected with our community. She is also part of the Center student staff, and part of her duties place her in charge of planning for the Women Loving Women group.

And this is what Viviana has to say about the Center: “I like the people that come in and work there, they’re funny and have a different perspective that you can’t find anywhere else on campus.” But she also notes some changes she’d like to see, “I wish more people came, and a more diverse group of students on campus would come. I know there are some students who would never come. I wish the president would come visit.” She especially hopes that there would be more Duke women who felt more comfortable being visible and in joining the community.

Coming Out Day is her favorite LGBT event on campus because it reminds people that the community is not invisible and it truly gives allies a chance to show their support. Many who we never see at the Center come out to support our cause.

Now, I have a few more personal comments to make about Viviana, so excuse the sentimentality if that isn’t your cup of tea. I first met Viviana in a House Course she co-taught called Latinos in Durham in the spring of my freshman year. She was incredibly quiet. I’d say we’ve only been friends a short while, but her presence in my life in and out of the Center has already produced a ton of amazing memories. I’d like to share more of my stories about this amazing woman, so please come back next week for the continuation of this article to learn more about her giant banana adventure, her Latina identity, and more.