Dawson Riggs-Campus Cutie

Dawson Riggs

Major: Philosophy and CompSci with a Neuroscience minor

Year: 2017

1. If you were a Power Ranger, what color would you be?

Blue – not too flashy, so people would underestimate how dangerous I was.

2. What has Duke taught you about yourself?

Duke has taught me that living my life to meet other people’s expectations will never make me happy, and that the things that are most worth doing are those that I truly want to do.

3. If you could have dinner with a historic figure, who would it be and why?

Albert Einstein… not to pick his brain, but hopefully to see that we’re basically no different from each other. If I could see good old Albert as just a regular guy, I would know that genius isn’t reserved only for a select few.

4. What’s been the best part of your Duke experience?

Being a part of the PWILD community. The adventures we have shared are unforgettable!

5. Who from Super Smash Brothers best represents you and why?

Donkey Kong! That dude is handsome and well-dressed. Plus, we’re both playful and enjoy throwing stuff.

6. If you could create a major that Duke doesn’t already have, what would it be?

Mind Control and Hypnosis.

7. Describe a perfect day, start to finish.

Wake up EARLY – 6 am. Make a delicious breakfast spread of eggs, bacon, and coffee. Take a morning hike up a mountain, and take a hang glider to come down. Land in the forest somewhere, and spend the rest of the day building a secret tree fortress. At night, build an irresponsibly large fire and throw aerosol cans in it to make them explode.

8. Would you ever get a tattoo? Why or why not? What would it be?

Absolutely! I used to think the body was sacred and so I wanted to keep mine “natural”, but now I think that my body is only a small and relatively unimportant part of who I am. I’ll probably get a few words on my wrist to remind me of who I am and what I value most – once I figure all of that out.

9. What excites you about 2016?

I’m excited to start playing music again! I haven’t played since high school, but now I’m thinking I’ll start learning to play jazz piano.

10. What is your dream?

My dream is that the first thing kids learn when they go to school is what it means to be a human being who has a mind and can think – that the most basic education will be about the mind and how to use it effectively.

11. What do you most desire?

I want to understand the deepest truths about reality and consciousness and communicate those truths to others.

12. How would you describe the color red to someone who has never seen it before?

It’s like a smack in the face with a hot, wet towel.

13. If you could teleport to anywhere right now, where would it be?

Into a tree on an African plain watching a huge zebra migration.

14. Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Probably a cat person, mostly because I love how predictable they are. When you play with my cat, he always walks away like he’s not interested for a minute, and then suddenly comes running back a minute later. He does the same thing every time and I think that’s hilarious.