Hi! My name is Madeleine Scully, and I was born and raised in Washington DC. I have been lucky enough to grow up surrounded by strong women my whole life; my mom, my sister, my godmother and my mom’s best friends are all my role models. So when arriving at Duke, I knew I wanted to find the same community of diverse, inspirational women and I am so grateful to have found that in the Baldwin Scholars.
In high school I was able to discover what social issues I was genuinely passionate about fighting: gender inequality and racism. I joined a club called Female Empowerment Mission which was a space solely dedicated to discussing gender issues, and took electives like Gender Studies and Black Liberation in America which informed my views on sexism and racism in society. I was so lucky to grow up in a place like DC where there were always political protests going on; going to the Women’s March and the March For Our Lives with my family and friends are some of my favorite memories to this day.
I honestly still cannot believe that I got into Duke and am lucky enough to go here; I have never been so interested in every single class and club I am in. Right now I am planning on majoring in Psychology and minoring in Gender Sexuality and Feminist Studies. I am in clubs like Women in Politics,The Muse magazine, and Planned Parenthood Generation Action. In my free time I like to run, hike, read or listen to podcasts. I also love to travel with my mom and sister, doing anything from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to biking down the coast of Croatia.
I cannot say enough how perfect my Duke experience has been so far, and joining Baldwin really just reemphasized to me how lucky I am to be at a place like Duke where I can meet such incredible, empowering people and learn something new every single day. I am so thankful to be a part of this program and excited for the years to come!