Catherine Conrad-Saydah, B.A. 1994

Director of Client Services, Healthcare Success, Los Angeles, CA

B.A., Cultural Anthropology with distinction (1994)

How has being a Cultural Anthropology graduate from Duke helped shape you personally and/or professionally?

"Cultural anthro is woven into the fiber of my being -- the major was a natural fit for my lifelong interests, curiosities about the world and lifelong learning. It actually felt like a treat vs. a requirement to take all the classes required for my major and to be able to write a thesis. While I didn't go into a traditional CA field, I use my CA foundation as manager, it led me to becoming a volunteer with The La Brea Tar Pits and it led me to the content for the TEDx I delivered on Dec 2019 (where I referenced one of my Professor Quinn classes)."

What advice would you give students in Duke's Cultural Anthropology programs?

"Take 200 level classes. Write a thesis. Take House Courses. Go to your professors' office hours. Study abroad."

Catherine Conrad-Saydah