The Alice M. Baldwin Scholars Program for undergraduate women and leadership at Duke University has identified 18 first-year women to form the 10th class.
"This year's pool of applicants was exceptionally strong," said Donna Lisker, co-director of the Baldwin Scholars program. "The women we selected are diverse in their interests and backgrounds. We expect them to make a significant impact on the campus community and in the world."
The four-year experience includes academic seminars, a residential living experience, an internship and mentoring opportunities. With 18 women in each class, the program is fully subscribed with 72 participants and six alumnae cohorts.
The Class of 2017 participants, who hail from nine states and four foreign countries, will launch their Baldwin experience in January with the first academic seminar, "Perceptions of Self, Society and the Natural World."
Duke created the Baldwin Scholars program in 2004 in response to the Women's Initiative research project, which investigated the quality of life for women at all levels of the institution. The researchers discovered such trends as lower self-esteem, few women in top student leadership positions and the "effortless perfection" phenomenon, in which students reported pressure to be successful in their academic, career and social endeavors while hiding the effort involved.
The participants were selected from a pool of 135 applications after two rounds of interviews by program staff and current Baldwin Scholars.
The Class of 2017 participants are:
CALIFORNIASamantha Huff of San RafaelSymonne Singleton of Rancho CucamongaSierra Smith of SaratogaFLORIDAGrace Ying of TallahasseeMICHIGANElizabeth Kennedy of Ann ArborMINNESOTAAmy Xiong of Maple GroveNEW JERSEYElizabeth Klein of Short HillsJuliette Pigott of Far HillsNEW YORKArielle Kahn of ChappequaSofia Stafford of New YorkNORTH CAROLINAKristen Larson of GoldsboroRoma Sonik of CharlotteTEXASAleena Karediya of San AntonioVIRGINIAEmma Wright of ArlingtonENGLANDElizabeth Horne of LondonINDIAZarah Udwadia of MumbaiKENYAMaimuna Yussuf of NairobiMEXICOMariana Calvo of Lomas AltasFor more information on the Baldwin Scholars program, visit http://baldwinscholars.duke.edu