Biology Major, Computer Science Minor
I am one eighth Swedish!
Academically, I am interested in the biomedical sciences. Ever since I started to study Biology during middle school, I have been amazed by the complexity and sophistication that living organisms possess, right down to the cellular level. At Duke, I have had the opportunity to participate in scientific research, starting with the Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Fellowship during my post-freshman summer. Working in the Pendergast Lab in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, I have had the gratifying experience of applying the Biology that I so enjoy learning about in the classroom toward the goal of answering new scientific questions.
My experiences shadowing physicians at various healthcare facilities – ranging from a primary care clinic in rural Kerala, India to the largest Accident & Emergency hospital in Vienna, Austria – have inclined me to a career involving direct patient interaction. In order to combine my interests in biomedical research and the practice of medicine, I plan to pursue an MD-PhD and ultimately a career as a physician scientist.
Outside of the classroom, I volunteer as a tutor in MASTERY, a program that pairs Duke Undergraduates with refugee students with the aim of providing mentorship and academic support. Additionally, I am involved in Duke’s chapter of Effective Altruism, an organization that aims to use evidence and reason to achieve the most social good possible.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, playing soccer and tennis, and trekking.
The SPIRE program draws on the ability of Duke students to work together to overcome common academic challenges, and thereby achieve their full academic potential. Being a SPIRE Fellow has made me understand that my peers usually experience the same difficulties and concerns as I do. It has also exposed me, to a greater extent, to their outstanding abilities and achievements. As a Fellow, I have come to view my peers as people that I should learn from and collaborate with, rather than people I must compete against.