My name is Madeleine Yancy, and I am both incredibly excited and humbled to be a part of the Baldwin Scholars Class of 2022.
I was born and raised in the extremely distant city of Durham, North Carolina. I carry a deep love for my hometown and the diversifying experiences it has provided me. I grew up in a politically active and growing city, and being able to learn among other students who were just as passionate about social justice as I was only intensified my interest in it. I am passionate about equality in all forms, but especially in women’s rights and education. I attended one of the many underfunded public high schools in North Carolina, and was always troubled by the disparities that existed between students. If there was one thing I could improve about Duke, it would be breaking the bubble that exists between the students and the people of Durham. We have a lot to learn from the community around us.
My family is perhaps the most important part of my life. I am fortunate enough to live close to the majority of my extended family, and I love to spend time with them. My father is one of my biggest role models; watching him as a child made me realize the significance of putting others first, the value of working hard to help them, the importance of integrity, and the power of patience.
While I am enthusiastic about social justice, I have also found a passion in medicine. I took a class in Anatomy and Physiology my junior year of high school and became fascinated in how our bodies function and work. This interest combined with my desire to cause positive change in the world and help other people means that I am currently on the pre-med track, hoping to become a doctor. Though I am majoring in Neuroscience, I am very interested in the intersection between medicine and policy, and am also minoring in Global Health.
In my rare time that is not spent studying, I love baking and cooking, running, and being outside in all forms. Hiking, waterskiing, swimming in the Eno--you name it. At Duke, I have loved participating in a wide variety of activities, including tour guiding, volunteering with FEMMES, performing research in a baby language learning lab, and always reading good books (recent favorites include Crying in Hmart, Transcendent Kingdom, and always The Handmaid’s Tale).
I have been overwhelmed by the support and friendship that I have found in Baldwin: like I said above, we have a lot to learn from the community around us, and I am constantly learning from my fellow scholars. I cannot wait to see what else I will discover with this group of empowering and inspiring women.