Christina Colwell

Class of 2026
Major in Chemistry; Minor in Religious Studies

My professional goal is to attend medical school and work in women's health, but I have been thoroughly enjoying the journey while at Duke! I am a Duke Cheerleader, so some of my favorite moments here have been spent on the court of Cameron Indoor or on the field of Wally Wade. I also spend time working in the McDonnell lab doing research on breast cancer treatments, enabling a practical component of my interest in pharmacology as experienced in the classroom of my chemistry courses. I am a member of the Collegiate Pre-Medical Experience (CAPE) Program in collaboration with the Tisch Brain Tumor Center where I spend time in the clinic learning from the oncology team about holistic patient care. I also am involved in an on-campus Bible Study for athletes called Blue Devils for Christ. Outside of school, I am an avid Wordle and Crossword Mini player (I get slightly competitive) and enjoy playing pickleball with my family.

Favorite Class: My all-time favorite class at Duke was Organic Chemistry II with Dr. Cox. I was fascinated by the applicability of the reactions and mechanisms presented in class. For example, we learned why some pharmacologic agents need to be injected intravenously and some need to be taken orally due to conditions of hydrolysis. Complex biological processes began to make sense on a chemistry level. Additionally, Dr. Cox organized the class in a way that it felt like every lecture, discussion, and problem set was a fun puzzle awaiting me and my peers to work on together. Chemistry was transformed into an interactive escape room where we were searching for clues and patterns to solve a riddle. Bottomline, this class was intellectually stimulating and impactful.