Duke University | Baldwin Scholars Program

My name is Lisa Richards and I am a rising sophomore in the Pratt School of Engineering with my expected major being Biomedical Engineering. I graduated from Sacred Heart Preparatory in Atherton, CA and my family currently resides in Los Gatos, CA. Even though I now consider California my home, I have not lived there my whole life. I was born in San Mateo, CA but I have also lived in Texas and Massachusetts. Moving from the south to the northeast and then to the west has definitely taught me a lot about being flexible and adapting to new environments. It has also helped me to love meeting new people, making new friends, and learning about their experiences since we all have interesting and funny stories from our different backgrounds.

No matter where I move, I have found that I keep my life constant by continuing with the same activities, which I have been involved with since I was a young girl in Texas. I absolutely love riding horses and I have been a competitive equestrian in the Hunter/ Jumper circuit since I was 6 years old. My greatest achievements have come after my move to California, where I rode my Large Pony in the highest competitive level, in the Large Pony Hunters. I also competed at the most competitive show on the west coast and one of the most competitive in the whole country at the Indio Desert Circuit in Indio, CA and I ended up being reserve grand champion at the mid-circuit awards. Learning to ride my horse competitively in this division and to compete with the best of riders at Indio has been a tremendous experience that I cannot replace and I greatly appreciate.

I have also been a musician for as long as I remember, starting out on piano and then moving to mallet percussion and finally all aspects of percussion. I am a performing percussionist and I pride myself in being able to play all of the instruments with confidence so that I can play any necessary part in an ensemble, such as a concert band or symphony.

Today, I continue to ride competitively in the Intercollegiate Horse Shows as a member of the Duke Equestrian Team and I hope to continue riding in the Hunter/ Jumper Circuit after graduation. I also continue to perform as a percussionist in the Duke Symphony Orchestra and have fun playing music and supporting Duke Athletics in the Duke Marching and Pep Band.

Throughout my growth as a rider and a percussionist, I have also grown as a student and my loves and interests have sharpened and changed as I have become exposed to more and more fascinating teachers and ideas. I have always loved math and science but it wasn't until my junior year and first exposure to physics that I discovered how interesting the more technical side of science really was. In the summer before my senior year, I took an advanced class in Computer Integrated Surgery at Johns Hopkins University and I learned about how complex mathematics, scientific concepts, and technology can be applied through engineering to medical issues. After taking this class, I realized through a hands-on experience in the hospital doing research how passionate I am about medicine, technology, and biomedical engineering. It is now my dream to shape this passion and gift into a career where I can help people, improve human health, and make an impact or a difference in modern medicine by developing a new technique, device, or a cure for a medical problem or disease. Although I am unsure of my exact career aspirations at this point, I know that a degree in Biomedical Engineering will lead me in the direction to accomplish my goals and dreams to help change the face of medicine in the future.

As a woman with goals reaching far into the world still dominated by males, I felt that being immersed in the all-female Baldwin Scholars Program where I can develop my skills both as a problem-solver and a leader would be essential for helping me get to the top of my field. Having a group of female mentors and the opportunity for internships and personal growth through exploration would definitely teach me to be more confident about my skills and talents. After my first semester as a Baldwin Scholar, I can definitely say that this group of 18 women has definitely boosted my confidence and given me a fantastic support network with women. All the women in the program, both the scholars and the mentors, have similar beliefs about being a leader in the community and stepping up to be the woman that you have the potential to be. Finally, having a female mentor has been an indescribably positive experience and has inspired me to take initiative in my community, to take on leadership roles, and to strive to be an independent and confident woman in my field just like she is. So far, being a Baldwin Scholar has been the best part of my Duke experience and I know that it will continue to be throughout the next three years.