Class of 2024
A.B. Duke Scholar
Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois
Majors: Computer Science and Mathematics
Hobbies: Cooking, personal fitness, poker
Tell us about your Duke experience:
Hi! My name is Herbert, I'm from Hinsdale, IL (a suburb southwest of Chicago), and I really, really love cornbread.
I am passionate about cooking, where I can further my love for food and use my scientific mindset to create new recipes. Learning from my dad, who has cooked for my family ever since I was a child, I have innovated in the kitchen and shared it with others. My favorite dishes to cook include pasta dishes (carbonara, Cacio e Pepe) and fried rice (which I peddled on the DL in high school).
I also love being outdoors and exploring nature. Although there aren't many mountains or national parks in the Midwest, I still enjoy kayaking, hiking, camping and sitting around a campfire with my Boy Scout troop or my friends.
Like many other students here, everything is up in the air still. Because of Covid, I haven't been able to fully take advantage of all the clubs that Duke has to offer. I am currently a part Duke Applied Machine Learning and Asian Students Alliance. After the pandemic, I hope to join Poker Club and Spoon Duke (a foodie group at Duke).
Through the A.B. program, I have been able to form many close friends. Making friends in a pandemic is hard, so finding a community with people who are just as passionate as me helps keep me motivated. We've also had some very cool speakers talk to us over Zoom about self-imposed exceptions, Black music, culture, and resilience during the Civil Rights movement, and the criminal justice system. Also, having the financial freedom to allow me to explore Duke is a plus too.
Overall, I am very fortunate to be an A.B. scholar, and I am excited to see where this journey takes me.