Hope Tiwang is a rising junior at Duke University, studying Public Policy with a minor in Global Health. She is part of the Center’s 2025 SRT cohort and will be heading to Kisumu, Kenya in June!
Question: What about your upcoming trip to Kenya are you most looking forward to?
Answer: I am most looking forward to meeting the Kenya Team and getting to know them.
Q: What sparked your interest in global health?
A: I have always been interested in Public Health, my interests have been in increasing health equity by providing health education services to underserved areas, particularly focusing on children. During my freshman fall I took global health 101 with Professor Ariely, and I learned that many countries experience health equity issues to varying degrees. The discussions with classmates and hearing from the various guest speakers helped spark my interest in global health.
Q: What do you hope to do after graduation?
A: I hope to take two Gap years and work in Public Health, hopefully in health education, before going to med school and training to become a pediatrician.
Q: What are you involved in outside of your studies? Can you tell us more?
A: I am Co-President of a dance team on campus called Nakisai African Dance Ensemble. We do dances from across the African Diaspora, and we perform at various events at Duke such as the Family Weekend Showcase and Awaaz, a showcase by Duke DIYA a South Asian student group on campus.
Q: What is your favorite book or movie and why is it meaningful to you?
A: My favorite book is Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban. I love the Harry Potter series in general because they have always provided me with an escape whenever life becomes too stressful. Also, I believe J.K. Rowling did a great job of giving each character a very distinct personality and took us through their stages of development in a way that most authors don’t.
Q: Who inspires you and why?
A: My parents inspire me because they left their lives in Cameroon to come to America so that we would have more opportunities and freedoms than they had back home. They didn’t have any family or support systems in America so this was a major change in their life but they worked hard and achieved their goals. I admire their tenacity, GRIT and faith that things would be okay, no matter what life throws their way.
Q: What languages do you know?
A: I am a beginner level French Speaker
Q: Do you have a favorite quote or mantra that inspires you or guides you?
A: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – Philippians 4:13