Duke University | Baldwin Scholars Program

Hi! My name is Ellie Proussaloglou. I’m from the western suburbs of Chicago, about 20 minutes from the city, though I like to pretend that I live in the city. I love everything about city life- the vibrant culture, the diverse population, and the dazzling skyscrapers. My love of cities almost prevented me from choosing Duke. My final college decision came down to Duke, the university in North Carolina that I knew almost nothing about, or Northwestern, my dad’s alma mater that rests on the edge of Chicago, my favorite city in the world. If you had told me a year ago that I would pick Duke, I would have told you that you were crazy. However, I made the plunge and picked Duke University and I can tell you that, without a doubt, I made the right decision. This university is an wonderful place, a center of academic and athletic excellence where the people are as amazing, fun, and kind as they are driven, successful, and intelligent.

My first semester at Duke has been incredible. One of the reasons that I chose Duke was its Institute for Genome Science and Policy, a world-famous center that studies genetics, my main interest. I was lucky enough to be chosen for the Genome Revolution FOCUS program and got to spend my first semester taking 2.5 courses through the IGSP. These classes confirmed my interest in genetics and genomics, both in the fields of biology and science policy. I plan to major in biology with a concentration in genetics. In addition, I plan to get the certificate in Genome Science and Policy and I’m considering a minor in political science or economics. I’m not sure what I want to do after I graduate but like most freshmen at Duke I am pre-med just in case! :)

In addition to science and public policy, I am fascinated by politics and international relations. My activities at Duke have allowed me to explore these interests. I am a member of Duke’s International Relations Association and I will be Director of the International Court of Justice at Duke’s Model UN conference for high school students in February. I am also an active member of Duke’s traveling Model UN team and I attended my first conference at Georgetown University in the fall. It was an amazing experience and I can’t wait for the upcoming conferences in the spring! I was also involved in Students for Change, working to register Duke students for the election, and I’m a member of Duke Democrats. I am so excited to have been chosen as part of the Baldwin class of 2012. It is a great honor and I can’t wait to spend more time with the other Baldwins!