“Oh no, Michelle! Can you even eat those?” Celia’s mother exclaimed, seeing the two cheeseburgers on my plate. The beef patties and slices of cheddar cheese stacked between two tiny buns were definitely not kosher. Yet, they definitely looked delicious. I was at an impasse. My family ate only kosher foods in our household and my friend’s mother knew of my dietary restrictions. After years of following the scientific method in school, I deduced there was no solid...

“You’re a budding polymath,” my counselor remarked as she perused my transcript. Art history, Spanish, computer programming…Unable to label myself strictly a “science” or “humanities” kid, I am an aspiring Renaissance woman. As a Brunonian, I’ll continue to research the relationship between negotiation and the gender wage gap with support from the Pembroke Center and Professor Kenneth Chay’s expertise in labor economics. Keeping my love for teaching and language alive, I’ll tutor English language learners ...

My interest in Duke began with Professor Ariely’s books. Using them, I taught myself economics for an educational start-up and digitally traced students’ investment strategies, becoming fascinated with the ripple effect of decisions. Incorporating the mathematical analysis afforded by data science and technology that brings sense to human agency, Duke’s Decision Science Certificate would satiate my curiosity. I’ve already started my research, studying adolescents’ alignment with gender-normative behaviors in negotiation scenarios; hopefully, I can continue through the...

At 7:26 a.m., I prepare the library table. My energy jump-starts when Juan greets me. We converse, he in English, while I butcher Spanish with my accent. “Casi, casi,” he says when my grammar falters. More students filter in as the session progresses, joining our symbiotic language exchange. Native-Spanish speakers like Juan are an unseen majority within my high school. Noticing their presence in the halls and absence in advanced classes, I expressed concern to my guidance counselor. She explained...

Inspired by my school’s ESL students, I was researching racial education achievement gaps. “We don’t have a big enough sample size,” Dr. Nardi said. “How about a gender-focused project?” Nodding half-heartedly, I blamed my disinterest on my passion for the other topic. Unbeknownst to me, my abnegation to analyze a different demographic stemmed from my female identity. Distanced from the effects of racial inequality, analyzing stereotypes apart from my own meant analysis from afar. Being catcalled as I...

Riding my Barbie scooter around my neighborhood, I discovered pill-bugs, lilacs, and crab apples with real and imaginary friends. My childhood in Rochester, NY was idyllic, filled with outdoor adventures. When I was 12, I moved to Long Island. Surrounded by a sudden saturation of wealth in the form of mansions and iPhones, my insecurities pushed me to create wealth in academic accolades. Disheartened by newfound anxiety, I found release in the oasis of NYC: the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. There, I...

My favorite courses are sociology and statistics. I discovered my passion for sociology during my sophomore year in high school, when I took a dual enrollment class on the topic through Syracuse University. What appeals to me about sociology is the synthesis of quantitative and qualitative research to understand seemingly random trends among people. Importantly, this subject combines my passion for the humanities and mathematical analysis. After taking AP Statistics during my junior year, my appreciation for sociology intensified as...

Hey, I’ll admit it: I am the person you’ll want to strangle for snoring too loudly. I am also the person who will make up for it by memorizing your favorite takeout order and staying up until 3 a.m. hypothesizing the secret lives of our professors. Or, I’ll get you a pair of Crocs to match mine. Your phone will be filled with invitations to join me in DIY-ing (have you heard of cloud lamps?), passing a...