Duke University | Baldwin Scholars Program

Elizabeth Tobierre

Elizabeth Tobierre

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Evening!
 

“Don’t play me down 'til you know my name, Don’t play me cheap 'til you know my game!” Yes, royalty at its best is my game! I am Elizabeth Tobierre, also known as “Queen”, a proud Crucian and a new Dukie.
 

I started off my post with a greeting: “Good Morning...” because back home, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, it is our most customary and hospitable tradition to greet people with a smile, even though you have never seen them before! Growing up in the Virgin Islands has taught me so much about my West Indian heritage, values, and traditions that my predecessors have worked so tediously to achieve. I am deeply appreciative of my culture and everything my people stand for in my educational pursuits and personal development. 
 

Reflecting back on my 18 years of life, I feel extremely blessed to have angels in my life who have guided me along the way. When asked a lot of my friends describe me as “self-persevering”. Rather, I believe that I am motivationally inspired. The prolific words of encouragement and advice that I have received are invaluable contributions to my inspiration to be inspired to inspire others. My family and friends have always been there to guide and support me and in turn I knew that if people believed in me, it would be essentially preposterous not to believe in myself. So just in the term self, it makes it seem like my adamant attitude has only been inspired by me. 

 

When I arrived at Duke, I was so sure I was going to major in chemistry and minor in another field of my interest. However, I am still deciding on my major because I am quickly learning or shall I say learned, that Duke gives students many opportunities to explore their interests and the possibilities are numerous and exciting. For example, last semester, I was a service-learning tutor at a local public school and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience because I learned so much about the American public education system, that I am a former, proud member of. There are so many topics simply within education I am interested in and it has certainly sparked my interests in educational policy. Currently, I am not sure if I am going to major in chemistry, but my major will most likely reside in the science and math fields. Always fascinated with the wonders of science, I firmly believe that the applications and research in the field can solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. 

 

At Duke, I am a member of the First Year Student Library Advisory Board, Students of the Caribbean Association (SOCA), a counselor at Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering, and Science (FEMMES), and an Alice M. Baldwin Scholar! For those who know me well know I love to read,  spend time with my family, watch sports, specifically basketball (NBA's Detroit Pistons, fav. sport team, got a lot of inspiration from their 2004 team), football, and cricket, and debate politics, sports teams, and anything else controversial. Hanging out with my fellow Dukies and going to the Women's Basketball Games are becoming some of my favorite Duke pastimes.
 

I am so happy to be a member of the Baldwin Class of 2014. The 17 other young ladies are simply amazing, and spending the weekend with them at our freshman retreat and listening to them speak in class, I am convinced that we will all have positive influences on the surrounding Duke community and the world with our courage and expression of the female spirit. The directors and professors are also amazing and I think they serve as role models for all of us. The Baldwin program has truly been the highlight of my time here at Duke and I love the wonderful girls I have met and I simply cannot wait to learn more about them. I love Duke, I think I made the right choice, and I am a very proud Blue Devil!

If you have any questions about the program or me, please feel free to email me at ert12@duke.edu . I leave you with my favorite quote that is partially responsible for my past achievements and the journey I'm paving to achieve my pursuits: "The most uniquely personal of all that he knows is that which he has discovered for himself."-Jerome Bruner
 

Baldwin Love 360!