Loading...

Hi! I’m Tina Machado and I am elated to be a member of the Baldwin Scholars class of 2023!

I am from Chicago, Illinois - well, not really from Chicago itself. I was born in Lake Forest, a suburb north of Chicago where I lived until I was about 10. I then moved to New Albany, a small town in central Ohio. After a few years, I moved back to my original home town, where my family still lives.

I grew up in a very full house with my amazing mom, dad, older sister, older brother and beloved kitty. I am very grateful to have such an incredible family with whom I am very close.

I was also lucky enough to grow up with multiple strong female role models in my life. My abuela, my father’s mother, left Cuba alone, as a refugee, with three small children, at the age of 21. She raised my father and his sisters and created her own opportunities, and opportunities for her children, in the United States. From her, I learned the value of independence and self-confidence. My mother, who was raised in a single parent household, took on a great deal of responsibility to help manage the household as a very young girl. She has taught me the values of responsibility and caring for one another.

My experiences in high school, at Lake Forest High School were a very important part of my life because of the close knit community and the extensive opportunities that I was given there. At LFHS, I was able to participate in a number of activities that contributed to my becoming the person I am today. For example, I was able to express my passion for environmental activism by forming an Environmental Commission and acting as president of our Environmental Club. I also participated in “Big to Little,” a mentorship program for economically disadvantaged elementary school students in a nearby community, which I found to be an extremely important and emotionally fulfilling experience. Today, I still carry those values I learned through my high school volunteer experiences: selflessness, responsibility, and open mindedness.           

Throughout my life, strong, capable women have shown me the value in the lessons that the Baldwin Scholars program emphasizes. Baldwin Scholars emphasizes important traits for females such as confidence in the workplace, leadership, independence, and self-knowledge. These are the values I have grown up with and which are always in the forefront of my mind. This incredible program will help me to continue my development of these traits. I believe that it is increasingly important that we, as educated females, stand up for our beliefs and support each other. Through this program, I can help to spread this imperative message and redefine what it means to be a female not only on Duke’s campus, but in the wider world. I am excited to be a member of the Baldwin Scholars family, and I look forward to my future at Duke and as a Baldwin Scholar.