Margalit Salkin

Hi! My name is Margalit. I’m excited to join the Baldwin Scholars Program, learning with this cohort of powerful women. 

 

My family’s story shapes how I see the world. I am the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. Our kitchen table stories are that of survival - trekking in the dark over snow-covered mountains, surviving on a single slice of bread in a concentration camp. It is a miracle they survived, and, in turn, a miracle I exist. To me, this carries a powerful responsibility.

 

That knowledge, along with a powerful girls’ school education, has shaped me into who I am today. I am unafraid to speak my mind, determined to make the world a better place.

 

At Duke, I plan to double-major in Public Policy and either Economics or Mathematics on a pre-law track, embracing legal systems’ potential to bring about change. I love finding connections in seemingly disparate fields. Math and puzzles shape my thought process in humanities-focused classes, and I am inspired by literature and how it reaches beyond the page to humanize social critique. 

 

I have had the opportunity to embrace these intersecting interests at Duke, such as through volunteering in a dual-language kindergarten class in Durham Public Schools. I put my ideals about education access into practice and saw firsthand the impact of immigration policies on young children. 

 

At Duke, I am involved with the Undergraduate Law Review, DSG Judiciary, and Jewish Life. I work as a research assistant at the Law School, analyzing transitional justice institutions to inform responses to the global rise in authoritarianism.

 

When I think about what is most important to me, I return to my community. I care about lifting up those around me, about being the best sister and friend I can be. I cannot wait to share these next four years with the Baldwin community.