And the 2025 Duke Time Off Photo Winners Are…
Meet the grand prize winners and check out other amazing photos from staff and faculty
GRAND PRIZE: Angela Brockelsby
Just after sunset on July 4, Angela Brockelsby, the Pratt School of Engineering’s Executive Director for Communications and Marketing, used her iPhone to capture her family’s campsite on Cape Lookout on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina. Using a long exposure, Brockelsby, who enjoys night sky photography, caught the purple hues of the sky and swaying sea oats as the welcoming light from a tent painted an especially peaceful scene.
“We like camping, but we don’t get to do it often, so this was a great opportunity for us to do it,” said Brockelsby, who was joined on the trip by her husband Will Brockelsby, Chief Network Architect for Duke University and Duke University Health System, and their two teenage children. “Even short times off can be enough to recharge you. It doesn’t have to be a long trip to get you re-energized, especially if you’re out in nature.”
Brockelsby earned a “Classic Package for Two” at the Washington Duke Inn. While the energy in the photo is serene, the family’s trip ended up being somewhat hectic.
Originally, the camping trip was going to span four days during the July Fourth long weekend. But not long after arriving on the uninhabited North Carolina barrier island, Brockelsby checked the weather and got an unwelcome surprise.
Tropical Storm Chantal was approaching the coast. Cape Lookout, which is only accessible by boat, was not a wise place to be, so the family packed up their campsite and left a day early.
“Good thing I checked my phone,” Brockelsby said. “Otherwise we would have been stuck.”
GRAND PRIZE: Melissa Hill
After four ankle surgeries to repair an overuse injury sustained from running, Melissa Hill said she was faced with two options: continue with attempts at reconstruction surgeries as she lived in pain with an unstable ankle – or amputate.
In November 2024, Hill, a Clinical Social Worker in Outpatient Pediatrics at Duke’s Creekstone Specialty Clinics, decided the only way to return to the active lifestyle she enjoys with her three kids, ages 12, 14 and 16, was to undergo a below-the-knee amputation.
The recovery has been challenging, but while swimming in her friend’s pool in May – her first time in a bathing suit since the surgery – she grabbed a shark float and posed in mock terror.
“I wanted my best friend’s kids to know everything was OK and bodies can be different,” Hill said. It worked as the kids laughed and, she said, “everyone helped me enjoy myself, even with my ‘shark bite.’”
Hill shared the photo, earning her a tour at the Duke Lemur Center, which she said she’ll enjoy with her three children.
Hill has worked with children and families for more than 20 years, and more than a decade of that in Duke’s Cleft and Craniofacial team where she learned the importance of advocating for body acceptance. That now includes her own new reality.
“My work at Duke doesn't end at the hospital doors, as our patients are out in the world,” Hill said. “I hope that we can all take opportunities that organically present themselves to educate others on how to care for each other.”
EMPLOYEE SHUTTERBUG: Alma Chavez
As a Duke Clinical Research Institute Project Leader and mother of four children ranging in age from 20 to 6, Alma Chavez has plenty of demands on her time. When she’s able to devote time to what she loves to do – especially her family – she tries not to waste any opportunities.
During the Duke Time Off campaign, Chavez was among the most prolific contributors, sharing images and stories from school activities and library trips with her younger children, group fitness activities at a local gym, and family trips to New Jersey and New York.
It was on these trips where Chavez, who earns a soft-sided Duke cooler from Duke University Stores as our Employee Shutterbug, said cherished memories were made, including seeing the play Wicked on Broadway and with hours of in-car family sing-a-longs during long drives.
One of Chavez’ favorite images of the summer was taken during a stop at Niagara Falls. While riding in a boat that got close to the falls, she took a selfie with all four of her children.
“We try take road trips whenever we can get all four of them together,” Chavez said. “So I think it’s really important to value our time off. Spending time with your family can help you when work gets stressful.”
DUKE ARTS PRESENTS: Six Winners
Andy Rivas
Andy Rivas, a Duke Physical Therapist, had a full summer of travel with a highlight being a personal “Top-Five Best Sunrise” captured in this photo atop Acatenango Volcano in Guatemala.
Rivas snapped the moment at 3 a.m. after a one-day hike up the 13,045-foot volcano to glimpse the neighboring active Fuego Volcano. Unsure if he might witness Fuego erupting, Rivas hoped for the best as he camped overnight. At 2 a.m., he awoke to the sound of the eruption, summitted Acatenango and captured the moment.
“We got really lucky,” Rivas said.
His trip also included homemade Guatemalan food; a coffee tour and tasting; and visit to Lake Atitlan, the deepest lake in Central America.
“Traveling is my favorite hobby and it’s been great to take time off to explore the world and appreciate nature,” Rivas said.
Kasey Decosimo
Kasey Decosimo went to Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings and Sweets in Durham on a hot Saturday in June for their summer sausage dinner.
While there, Decosimo, a Research Program Lead in the Department of Population Health Sciences, noticed another family order ice cream sandwiches that looked “amazing.” She, her husband and 3-year-old son decided to followed suit with a Neapolitan version.
That meant her son’s very first bite of an ice cream sandwich – and the ensuing delight captured in Decosimo’s picture.
“He took one bite and was like, ‘Whoa!’” Decosimo said. “He was in heaven and enjoyed every bite.”
Joe Ricci
This summer, Joe Ricci bought an old Rollei 35 analog camera made in the 1970s. Carrying it encourages him to be more aware of what he might use the precious film on.
“It forces you to be more discerning and sensitive to the most beautiful moments,” he said.
Ricci, a Web Developer for Duke Enterprise Systems and Support, caught this otherworldly image during a brief tranquil moment aboard a ferry from Denmark to Iceland via the Faroe Islands. Before Ricci boarded the boat, he imagined the trip would be beautiful and tranquil.
He didn’t imagine the 30-foot waves for most of the two-day journey.
“I cannot say there were many tranquil moments,” Ricci said.
There was one, though. When the ferry passed through the wave-breaking fjords of the Faroe Islands, he ventured to the deck to snap a few photos.
“It did give me a deeper appreciation for the journeys the original Icelandic settlers made a few hundred years ago,” Ricci said.
Adriane Louard Brown
Adriane Louard Brown, a Senior International Student & Scholar Advisor in Duke Visa Services, planned an adventure in June to celebrate the 60th birthday of her husband, Donald.
Brown’s entire family, including her two sons, DJ and Darian, her “daughter-in-love” Kiyania and her mother, Lauradine Thorne spent a week in Scottsdale, Arizona. They visited the Grand Canyon, took in a Phoenix Mercury WNBA game and sampled some of the best restaurants in Arizona.
But the highlight was a sunrise hot air balloon ride. This photo captures DJ, Darian, Adriane and Donald before the balloon lifted up – and after they arrived for the experience at 4:30 a.m.
Brown said nine other balloons launched at sunrise, providing a stunning sight. But the unforgettable part was the way it felt and sounded when she was 4,200 feet up in the sky.
“You really did not feel as if you were moving,” Brown said. “It was so quiet. There was a peace that cannot be described – the true sound of silence.”
And the very best part, Brown said, was experiencing that peace with her husband and sons.
“We have memories that will last a lifetime,” she said.
Xavier Mela
Xavier Mela, a Lecturing Fellow in Duke’s Department of Mathematics, has long-standing family ties with the Mediterranean island of Corsica. He spent many childhood summers in the small mountainous village of L’Ospedale, and he continues to visit whenever he can to enjoy the fresh air, vivid nighttime stars and nourishing quiet.
One evening during a visit in July, Mela noticed a cow wandering the streets of the village and snapped a photo from his balcony.
“Occasionally, you will see cows crossing the street at night, they wander in the village in hope of finding some ivy that has overgrown,” Mela said. “These scenes, although ordinary for the people of the village, still appear to me as surrealistic. When I saw the shadow of the cow made by the streetlights, I knew I had to take the shot.”
Chelsea Zhu
Before this summer, it had been six long years since Dr. Chelsea Zhu had seen her grandparents. In June, Zhu, an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, finally was able to hug them after she traveled to Hong Kong.
With her partner, Brad Kotecki, and her sister, Jenna, Zhu spent quality time with her grandfather, Fusheng, and grandmother, Guangkui Xian.
Highlights included sightseeing tours around the city as her 93-year-old grandfather proudly wore a Duke cap, and taking her grandparents out to dinner.
“My grandpa loves hot pot!” Zhu said.
Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.
Follow Working@Duke on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube.