In this episode of Duke LIFE Pod we get to walk in the shoes of Ana Ramirez (T’20). Ana discovered in undergrad that she was interested in pursuing a PhD to become part of the small percentage of Latinas with doctoral degrees. As a first-generation college student, the PhD seemed the perfect step to turning her intellectual curiosities into a solid career. Who wouldn’t want to read and write about their passion topics for a living? However, Ana’s journey to her PhD dreams would come with many setbacks before being accepted into different doctoral programs. Ana’s story is the epitome of the perseverance it takes to achieve your goals when things outside of your control delay your plans. Give it a listen if you want to be inspired by this 1GLI Duke alumna.
Listen to Episode 4
Audio Transcript
Guest
- Ana Ramirez (T’20) is a PhD student in the Sociology department at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on the intersection of politics, sociology, and religion in the Latin American immigrant community in the U.S. Ana previously worked as the Spark Fellow at the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs at Duke University from 2022-2024. She has also worked as the program coordinator for the Hart Leadership Program at the Sanford School of Public Policy.
RESOURCES
- Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship https://ousf.duke.edu/affiliated-programs/mellon-mays-undergraduate-fellowship/
- Academic Advising Center https://advising.duke.edu/
THANK YOU
- Sachelle Ford and Jenny Wood Crowley from the Office of Undergraduate Education, Intellectual Community Division, for supporting this project from the beginning
- Catherine Angst for providing the licensed music and sounds for the podcast