When Kelly Padalino was applying to college, her plan was simple: focus on her academics but continue dancing. Her decision to attend Duke set her on a path that combined her love of the arts and public policy, and later, a new understanding of inequality.
Padalino, right, in the How to Study Inequality methods course, Fall 2023
“I definitely chose Duke because I really wanted to do something academically inclined,” she says. “But I also wanted to keep dancing—I’d been dancing since I was 10. I think at first I applied under a different major, but I pretty quickly switched to public policy and dance and just ran with it.”
Now graduating with a double major in Public Policy and Dance and a minor in Inequality Studies, Padalino reflects on how the Inequality Studies minor pushed her to think beyond herself. “Privilege and disadvantage show up in ways you don’t always see,” she says. “That’s something the Inequality Studies minor really challenged me to think about.”
Her introduction to Inequality Studies came through the course, History of the Present, a History department course that explored modern inequality through a historical lens. “I really enjoyed the class and at the end of the semester the professor suggested I look into the minor,” Padalino says. “Once I started taking courses, I was hooked. Thinking about history through an inequality lens was something I’d never really done before, and it opened up so much for me.”
For Padalino, one of the standout moments in the minor was a guest lecture from Cook Center Founding Director Dr. William A. “Sandy” Darity, Jr. “His research really stood out to me,” Padalino says. “His work focuses not only on identifying the problems but on solutions. It’s important to learn history and its impacts, but it’s just as important to ask: what can we do about it?”
Another pivotal experience was the Global Inequality Research Initiative (GIRI) Seminar on Disability Justice, taught by Director of the Inequality Studies Minor and Cook Center Senior Research Associate Dr. Adam Hollowell. “He’s such a great professor because he makes everything feel applicable,” Kelly says. “One of the things we discussed is how disability status is so fluid, you could become disabled at any point in your life. It made me think a lot about how many people experience the world in ways I hadn’t considered before.”
Padalino ’25 presenting her research poster “Accessible Performing Arts: Investigating Accommodations Offered in Theaters Across the United States” at the 2025 GIRI Capstone
For her GIRI capstone project, Padalino was able to bring together her passion for dance with her focus on inequality by studying the accessibility of performing arts centers. Notably, for her dance major, she also completed a capstone project, “The Body Remembers,” that explored women’s bodily autonomy and the emotional weight of losing control over one’s body, particularly in the contexts of abortion rights and sexual assault.
Her biggest takeaway from the minor is the importance of recognizing unseen inequality. “Disability status is a good example,” she says. “Before this, it wasn’t something I thought about much, because I don’t experience it myself. And often, you can’t see it in others. But once you start paying attention, you realize how many examples exist in the world. It’s about recognizing privilege, even when it’s invisible.”
Dr. Hollowell’s teaching style, she added, helped her think more critically. “He really put it on us to dig deeper, to improve our writing and our thinking. So many classes can feel like you’re just cranking out work, but this class made me pause and really reflect on what I was learning.”
Padalino notes that one of the most important lessons she learned through the minor is the ability to think empathetically about experiences beyond her own.
“I feel like the defining feature of my Duke experience has been meeting so many incredible people from different backgrounds,” she reflects. “It made me realize the world is so much bigger than myself, bigger even than Duke.
Outside the classroom, Padalino immersed herself in leadership and service, serving as Chapter President of Delta Gamma Sorority and President of Momentum Dance Company, and volunteering and advocating with Miracle Leagues and in Duke’s Dance Council. Additionally, she has been a Teaching Assistant and Writing Coach with Duke’s introductory Public Policy course and a student researcher in the Technology Policy Lan, where she co-authored research on digital equity that inspired her honors thesis.
Kelly Padalino ’25 receiving Senior Gift at Global Inequality Research Initiative Capstone
Her policy experience extends off campus as well, Kelly interned with the Klien/Johnson Group, the U.S. House of Representatives (for Congressman Jamie Raskin), Vote Smart, and worked on champion for David Trone and Cheri Beasley. After graduation, Padalino will work as a Policy and Communications Consultant at Penta Group in Washington, D.C. and hopes to continue dancing.
Padalino hopes future students in the minor and at Duke continue to engage with inequality. “I hope students take away a sense of how they can make an impact, even if it’s not on some huge, world-changing scale,” she says, recommending Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of inequality. “It’s about being critical of the institutions you’re part of, and thinking beyond your own experience to understand what others are facing.”
“Even if you’re not going into a career directly tied to inequality studies, it’s so important to engage critically with the world around you.”
