Name: Martin Shores
Year: 2014
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Major/Minor/Certificate: Philosophy Major, Economics Minor
Activities on Campus: Club Tennis, Duke Brazilian Association Cultural Chair, Lots of volunteer work with children
When you’re not in class, where can you be found on campus?
Like pretty much everyone else, I spend a lot of my time studying, more to catch up than to stay ahead of the workload. I’ve never been a fan of the library, so I try to find different places to study. When the weather is nice, I can probably be found outdoors–either relaxing, working or playing whichever sport I can (usually tennis). Every day I try to get in a good workout, so I’m usually at the gym in the evenings.
If you could go back to any point in time, what would it be?
In my life or in history? I guess both have the same answer: the 90’s. I would love to experience the time period from the perspective of both an adult and a child. Say what you want about smartphones, modern TV and the Internet: the 90’s was the time to be a kid. As a young adult, it seemed like the world was brimming with opportunities and possibilities. The world was about to change drastically and I would have wanted to see it (rather, realized what I was seeing).
Any hidden talents?
Unfortunately, none that I would consider a talent. I can’t cook very well, but I can make a great omelet, and my singing is slightly above mediocre. I am great with kids though, so I suppose that counts.
What’s your favorite memory at Duke?
On a particularly nice day this past fall, some friends of mine invited me along for some touch football. Being from Brazil, I had only seen it played a few times on TV, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. We went out onto the lawn in front of the gym and, long story short, I had a great time. As it turns out, being relatively tall and quick made me an acceptable wide receiver. We went out to dinner after, still sweaty and muddy from a few slips–but we didn’t really care as people gave us strange looks in the line of the fast-food restaurant. I still can’t throw a football to save my life, but I’m working on it.