Kayla Corredera-Wells, B.A. 2020

Double major in Cultural Anthropology and African & African American Studies (2020)

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

"CulAnth101 quite literally changed the entire trajectory of my life. I came into Duke firmly pre-med, assuming I would study Biology and maybe Global Health, but sitting in my classroom learning critical race theory for the first time, I realized that a strictly biological science approach in my medical career was simply not going to be enough for me. I quickly fell in love with Medical Anthropology, and I am currently in the process of applying for MD/PhD programs in Medical Anthropology."

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

"For pre-health students, I cannot emphasize enough how valuable a background in anthropology and ethnographic study is, both as a person and as a real person’s future healthcare provider. The discussions you have in these courses, the ideas you learn to challenge and the questions you learn to ask, will all prepare you to be a compassionate and thoughtful provider in a broken healthcare system— much more so than any extra microbiology or advanced physiology courses, in my opinion."