Empowerly

Student profile

If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as a first year applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke. (Please limit your response to no more than 150 words.)

Last summer, I was a fellow of the Simons Summer Research Program at [name] University, researching the automatic diagnosis of multiple sclerosis lesions using artificial intelligence. This experience furthered my interest in becoming an engineer to tackle real-world healthcare challenges with technology. At Duke, I will be able to realize my dream by pursuing a Electrical and Computer Engineering degree while also exploring my interests in biology with a second major in Biomedical Engineering. Additionally, I hope to conduct research at institutions such as the Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, where I will gain valuable experience in computer science implementation. Beyond academics, I know I will feel welcome at Duke because of their commitment to diversity with the Duke LGBTQ Network and Center for Multicultural Affairs. With countless opportunities and a welcoming environment, I hope to join Duke University to be a member of its thriving, diverse community.

Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you'd like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you've had to help us understand you better-perhaps related to a community you belong to or your family or cultural background-we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 word limit)

I’ve always been the only girl. 

The only girl in the elementary coding club. 

The only girl on my robotics team. 

The only girl in my hackathon group. 

Finally, after years of being the only girl, I was tired, tired of boys telling me to do the graphic design, the “girl’s job”, because “coding was for boys.” I was tired of my experience being dismissed simply because of my gender. 

I didn’t want my younger sister to grow up in that kind of environment. I resolved to create a setting where my sister would not be the only girl, where she would feel equal and be welcome in her peer group. 

As the Head Organizer of the Seattle chapter of DefHacks, an international student-led hackathon organization, I make diversity a priority in the hackathons I run, with a personal goal of 50% female participation. I watched as a group of 14 year old girls entered a DefHacks hackathon as complete novices to coding, and left as the proud developers of a ping pong game. “I’ve been playing video games all my life, but now I want to make them!” one of them exclaimed when they won a special award. 

I’ve learned that diversity is a strength, not a weakness.

Now, as my sister sits in her elementary coding class, I’m proud to say that she isn’t the only girl. 

(Optional) Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes gender identity and sexual orientation. If you would like to share with us more about either, and have not done so elsewhere in the application, we invite you to do so here.(250 word limit)

“Dad, I’m gay”

It was on the tip of my tongue. But something held me back. Instead I asked, “What do you think about gay marriage?” My father grew up in India, where homosexuality is still taboo. I had hoped that after twenty years in America, his views might have shifted. I was wrong.

Instead, he said this: “Marriage should be between a man and woman. Anything else is unnatural.” All of a sudden, I was seeing my father in a new light. Rather than the man who raised me, I saw someone who was unempathetic, homophobic, even discriminatory. I didn’t recognize this man and I couldn’t tell him the truth.

It was only when my mother confused “lesbian” for “Lebanese” that I realized it wasn’t hate my parents held in their hearts -- it was ignorance. I set my mind upon changing my parent’s beliefs. As we watched CNN, I would point to Anderson Cooper, who my father respects greatly. “Did you know he’s gay, Dad?” I showed them articles about the first Hindu lesbian wedding, podcasts about coming out, documentaries about the struggle for gay rights. 

At first their reaction was a wrinkle of the nose in disgust, but later became a nonchalant nod. Slowly, but surely, I could tell their attitudes were changing. It wasn’t #pride… but it was progress.

Last July, about three years after my initial hesitation, I finally said the words that had been on the tip of my tongue for so long.

“Dad…I’m gay.”

Personal Statement

She fell onto the road, cars rushing past, her eyes rolling to the back of her head amidst the honking and chaos of the traffic around us. My cousin and I had been biking down the streets of Mumbai, India, when she was suddenly hit with an epileptic seizure. I frantically called for help as I cradled her head in my lap, wrapping my arms around her shuddering body until her attack subsided.

Before, my cousin was carefree and spontaneous, often running into the monsoon rains, hands outstretched. That all changed after she was diagnosed with epilepsy. Her new life consisted of daily medications and caution at every step. She became withdrawn and afraid to do the things she loved most - dancing, running, biking - all because of her diagnosis. 

The memory of this incident haunted me for months as I worried about my cousin. What if she had been alone? What if the attack had been more severe? Watching her seize before me, I had felt so helpless, so powerless. Determined to find a solution, I began to research epilepsy, finding articles about the prediction of seizures utilizing machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to act as a warning system. If implemented, epileptic patients would receive notifications minutes before their attack, allowing preparation before a dangerous seizure. However, these algorithms were still not accurate enough for an effective wearable device that could mitigate serious harm. 

Enthralled, I dove into a world of advanced mathematical algorithms and hundreds of lines of code. I didn’t have access to a supercomputer. I didn’t have years of machine learning experience. I only had my laptop and the vast resources of the internet as my mentor. But I still spent hours a day studying machine learning, intrigued by the mathematics behind the algorithms. My project was always the first thing I rushed to do after coming home from school, and what I worked on in the late hours of the night. I had to continually improve upon the algorithm, trying out different combinations of features and preprocessing until I achieved a desirable accuracy. For me, the fun of research lay in the challenge. 

However, despite my best efforts, my algorithms often failed, and error message after error message appeared on my screen. Frustrated with my progress, I took a new approach and pieced together the conclusions of different scientific papers to create my own methodology. Finally, after months of work, I achieved my goal of 96% accuracy. Now, I am continuing research on this topic, gathering extra data from the Stony Brook Hospital with great hopes to one day implement my algorithm into a wearable medical device for people like my cousin.

Through my project, I’ve had the opportunity to apply my knowledge to work towards solutions for people I care about. I have learned countless technical skills throughout the process, but most importantly, my project has helped me overcome my frustration of being a helpless bystander. Instead, I now look for ways to tackle such challenges and empower people through technology. Now, I want to learn about the newest advancements in machine learning theory, work on solutions to pressing healthcare problems, and be at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution. I know that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. And as I see the elated expression on my cousin’s face while I tell her of my latest development, I know all the hard work was, and will continue to be, worth it.