Gayathri Vanka is a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a certificate in Documentary Studies. Get to know this member of the 2026 SRT cohort headed to Kenya in a few short weeks!
Question: What about your upcoming trip to Kenya are you most looking forward to?
Answer: I’m looking forward to learning about a completely new culture and working on an interdisciplinary team with people I look up to.
Q: What sparked your interest in global health?
A: Growing up between Texas and India, I saw early on that healthcare looks completely different depending on where you’re born and where you live. I came to Duke to study BME specifically because I wanted tools to help close those gaps.
Q: What are you involved in outside of your studies? Can you tell us more?
A: I’m on a Bass Connections team collecting oral histories from reproductive care providers post-Roe, and I do more oral history work with the Museum of Durham History. Outside of that, reading, coffee shops, guitar, and anything space-related.
Q: What is your favorite book or movie and why is it meaningful to you?
A: Cosmos by Carl Sagan. There is so much in the universe to marvel at, and I love how Sagan captures that sense of wonder for science and people.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote or mantra that inspires you or guides you?
A: Ad astra per aspera: through hardships to the stars. The work I care about can be hard and slow, and this reminds me that’s part of the path. It also helps that I’m a little obsessed with space.