Clarissa Li

Academic Interests

Psychology, Global Health, and Biology

Fun Fact

I love baking peach cobbler!

In elementary school, I was obsessed with The Magic School Bus. And while my favorite character in The Magic School Bus used to be Wanda because I identified with her bowl cut, now I want to become just like “the Frizz.” I want to emulate the way she makes learning and science seem like magic. From tutoring my younger sister to teaching K-12 students at Mathnasium, I have always considered myself a mentor. My ultimate dream is to head an interactive and collaborative youth STEM outreach internship. In my opinion, education is the path to progress in all manners of society. 

But as much as I like to teach, I also love to learn. At Duke, I want to fearlessly dive headfirst into new fields of study. I find it beautiful that the human mind has the capacity to illustrate itself. The fact that we could potentially explain the brain, an organ so vastly complex and monumentally important excites me and holds so much promise for patient care. I want to unravel the manuscripts of the very core of what it means to be human. Part of what makes me human are my hobbies. I tutor with FEMMES+, volunteer with Help Desk and The Backpack Project, take photos for the Duke Chronicle, and dance Bollywood-hip-hop fusion choreography with the competitive dance team Rhydhun.

What do you like about being a SPIRE Fellow?

SPIRE is a vibrant and diverse community of people who love STEM and want to make the world a better place. SPIRE's programming and events are a lot of fun and a great way to connect with other students.