Hi! My name is Sujal, and I am so proud to be a Baldwin.
My family is originally from India, but I was born in an upstate New York blizzard and moved to the sweltering heat of Dallas, Texas at age four. Later in life, I continued transitioning between extremes. After a very disconnected and diverse array of high school activities, I entered college with almost no idea of what to study. My varied interests led me to choose Duke, where I knew my interdisciplinary mindset would be embraced and not diminished.
As a neuroscience and visual arts double major, I lived and thrived at the intersection of areas that most consider diametrically opposed. I taught art at Duke Children's Hospital, researched implicit decision making and visual perception in the Pearson Lab, and led art gallery tours for adults with dementia through the Nasher Museum Reflections Program. The opportunities to explore these areas are limitless, and merit further attention.
For my senior thesis, I created artwork about mental health experiences based on several interviews with Duke community members. After graduation, I spent a year at Imagine Art, a nonprofit art studio which serves people with disabilities, through a Hart Fellowship. I am currently a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, aiming to integrate the arts and health to improve patient experiences and advocate for health issues. Despite being told that I would ultimately have to choose between art and science, they are not mutually exclusive. To fully understand people, you will always need a little of both.
Applying to Baldwin was hands down the best decision I made at Duke. No matter what you pursue or where your passions may lie, Baldwin will support and empower you (both at Duke and beyond)! Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.