Ana Rubi Trejo

Academic Interests: International Comparative Studies with a Region Concentration in Latin America and the Caribbean

Hi! My name is Ana Rubi Trejo, so my initials spell “art.” I am the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Cirino Trejo and Ana Jacobo. I have an older sister named Dana and two younger brothers: Henry and Jesus. I love and cherish my family because they and the hardships we have faced in life have helped me acquire a greater sense of humility, strength, integrity, and hope—making me the person I am today. I am a David M. Rubenstein Scholar, so I attend Duke University on a full, four-year, competitive merit scholarship.

I am proud to say I am a first-generation, low-income college student because this for me and many other students means we overcame adversity. In 2010, my father was deported to Mexico, and my mother was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer while being pregnant. My family ultimately became homeless and food insecure. These hardships did not deter me; they only fueled my passion for obtaining a higher education and helping my family and others. As such, I have utilized my time at Duke to be involved with Define American, a student group focused on the power of storytelling to transcend politics and shift the conversation about immigrants, identity, & citizenship in the Duke/Durham Community. I have also volunteered at the Lincoln Community Health Center to help Latinx individuals and families obtain high-quality, affordable health coverage during the 2019 Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment Period, as well as at the Alamance County Detention Center to counsel detained asylum-seekers via the Duke Immigration and Refugee Project. I have also found research opportunities regarding my interests in health and immigration; I was part of a Bass Connections team that examined the Guatemalan deportation crisis, and I am currently on a Bass Connections team researching food security in the Latinx community in the wake of COVID-19. After undergrad, I aspire to complete a dual MD/MPH program or complete a masters or PhD in Medical Anthropology. I hope to understand the unique and complex issues Latinx populations face in terms of wholistic healthcare and help provide for my community with culturally sensitive interventions. My ultimate career goal is to build/manage sustainable hospitals or an NGO in underserved Latinx communities.