Mia Xie '26: Curiosity Led the Way

As a first-year student at the University of Toronto, Mia Xie didn’t plan on becoming a philosophy major. She had her sights set on studying the intersection between economics and international relations, drawn to the complexities of diplomacy and how countries make decisions — but one class changed everything.

“I absolutely fell in love with my intro to philosophy course,” she confesses.

That moment set her on a new path, one that eventually brought her to Duke.

Now weeks away from graduating with majors in Philosophy and Economics, Xie looks back on a college experience shaped by her curiosity and willingness to follow it. Transferring to Duke her sophomore year, she has enjoyed the smaller, discussion-driven classes, faculty who actively invite conversations both inside and outside the classroom and a campus culture that has felt distinctly alive.

“Toronto is a huge city, and though I’m incredibly thankful for my experiences there, the university reflected some of that busyness and vastness of a city for me. Coming to Duke, there was so much more school spirit, and the classroom experiences were a lot more personal.”

Once here, she leaned into campus life and found her community. While the transition wasn’t always easy, it didn’t take long before she felt at home. “My sophomore year was definitely an adjustment,” she says. “It’s hard when everyone already knows the campus, and you’re just arriving. But now, I am a Blue Devil.”

In many ways, her academic interests also mirror her personal journey: rooted in one idea but expanded through exploration. While Philosophy and Economics started as distinct interests to explore, they soon became natural complements, thanks to one transformative class and professor.

Philosophy of the Methodology of Economics, taught by Jennifer Jhun, the Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Professor of Philosophy, didn’t just deepen Xie’s love for philosophy, it sparked a new way to look at the field. By examining the philosophical foundations of economic models and theories, she began to see how the discipline provides concrete tools to understand global systems and decision-making.

“Professor Jhun made me think about why economics works the way it does,” she says. “Why do we rely on these models? Why do we trust these theories?”

Inspired by this connection, she decided to double major in both Economics and Philosophy, letting her curiosity guide her toward a path that bridged both disciplines. That same curiosity has also led her to conducting research at Duke Law. Focused on transitional justice, Xie examines how societies address human rights violations in the wake of conflict, work that reflects her longstanding interest in global affairs.

Outside the classroom, Xie has built an equally dynamic set of experiences. She serves as co-editor-in-chief of Borderless Magazine, Duke’s international relations publication, and co-president of Small Town Records, the university’s student-run music label. She’s also involved with the Transfer Student Union, supporting students navigating the same transitions she once faced.

After graduation, she heads to Washington, D.C., as a Junior Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she’ll conduct research in the Technology and International Affairs program. Her work will explore questions at the intersection of policy, innovation and global systems. As she looks ahead, Xie isn’t tied to a single outcome, but for now, she’s comfortable with uncertainty — something her time at Duke has taught her to embrace.

Her advice for the incoming class comes in one word: explore.

“Pursue any interests, even when they’re outside of your career goals,” she says. “You don’t have to have everything figured out — undergrad is the time to discover what you didn’t even know you were looking for.”