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I am honored and blessed to have been selected to be a Baldwin Scholar as a member of the class of 2019 and look forward to my remaining years with my Baldwin sisters. 

I consider myself half Georgia Peach/Southern Belle and half Pacific Northwest Granola Girl. I grew up in the south, but halfway through fifth grade, my family picked up and moved to Seattle, Washington. Coming to Duke was a way of returning to my roots, but both Baldwin and the Robertson Scholars program have eased my transition nonetheless. The South and the PNW have two notably different cultures, and having experienced both is perhaps what first inspired my passion for traveling and experiencing new cultures.

Travel remains a true passion of mine which I have recently dedicated semester to while studying abroad. Although enrolled at a university in London, I was able to make all of Europe my classroom. In one semester I visited Sweden, France, Belgium, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Germany. By constantly immersing myself in new environments I am further familiarizing myself with the only constant factor: myself. I have often felt as if I am on a fast-track to adulthood without really knowing what direction I am headed in. I have been working to increase my self-awareness and ability to separate my own personal voice from the masses telling me the who, what, where, when and how the progression of my future should be. I work every day to intentionally sculpt the woman I want to become and to form intentional relationships with those around me.

On paper, I am a computer science major with a minor in sociology and a minor in economics. My time is mostly dedicated to research I am working on with the Duke psychology department, my personal writing, and my coursework (I have a penchant for overloading). I thought I might like finance, but I actively hated it and want to pursue a career where I can have more of a positive social impact. My current path has me headed towards the sphere of consulting and I’m considering getting a law degree in the future. Beyond my credits and extracurriculars, I really love having tea with friends, photography and reading.

My reading material ranges from African American literature to historical fiction to science fiction to Shakespeare. My love for words, and the journey that can be found between the covers of a book are perhaps what also inspired my passion for experiencing new cultures not only on the pages, but also first-hand. I have learned what power letters can have when strung together, positively, negatively, or even naively. Within my own school community, this passion inspired me to bring awareness to the vast and varying life experiences present and how people’s backgrounds factored into their on-campus experience. It is this passion that drives my research studying how stereotype threat affects women of color in the classroom and motivated me to apply for the President’s Hate & Bias Committee and Caucus on Black Affairs.

I was originally drawn to the Baldwin program by its promise to surround me by strong women equally, if not more, passionate and determined as I am about the issues that interest them. The support and warmth that emanates from my Baldwin sisters has, and surely will continue, to make all of the difference in my Duke experience.