Class of 2023
Hometown: Holly Springs, North Carolina
Major: Sociology
I remember buzzing around the house with such an intense energy, asking anyone that would pay me any attention if I could listen to their heartbeat. It was my 7th birthday, and I had just received the ultimate gift: a bag containing a stethoscope, a needle, and a pair of blood pressure cuffs. While they were all plastic, these gadgets watered the seed that was my interest in caring for others, as I gave my parents and sister mandatory weekly "shots" in order to make sure they were all in great health.
As I got older, some of my family members eventually did face serious health conditions and fell gravely ill as a result. During these times, my sentiments of grief were equally met with my conviction for action; I became determined to pursue a future in medicine so that I could one day help provide patients and their loved ones gain the peace of mind and comfort they deserve when going through a health ordeal.
In terms of academics, I am interested in majoring in Sociology while minoring in Global Health. I am interested in analyzing how human social relationships are affected by human behavior, their surroundings, and the institutions that construct societies, and how these can be understood to further aid those of low-income/resource backgrounds within a public/ global health context. I hope to someday work in low-resource countries for extended periods of time in order to immersively provide basic healthcare to those who are not able to readily access it. As an Ethiopian-American, I have a very strong desire to take my studies to Ethiopia in the hopes of alleviating some of the many health disparities that are unfortunately present there. I believe the Global Health minor will give me a beneficial perspective when pursuing future opportunities that align with these passions of mine.
Outside of school, I am a part of Duke Africa, the Duke Ethiopian/Eritrean Student Transnational Association, and ArtsConnect. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, listening to music, taking photographs of people and nature, and spending time with friends and family.