Mickias Tegegn

Biology major, chemistry minor.

Coming into Duke, Tyler knew he wanted to major in Biology. It was such an attractive field to him—being able to explain the way living things worked. After three years at Duke, he has come to realize that there is more than just one lens through which we can understand the world and he finds that fascinating. Being a Cardea Fellow has helped open his eyes to a diversity of perspectives by situating him amidst a group of bright young minds that all think differently yet still have similar interests. It cultivates a dynamic of stimulating dialogue and intellectual camaraderie. He is following the premedical track, and plans to take a gap year before applying to medical school. As a biology major, he likes to understand things on a molecular level, which is why he will probably specialize in the field he enters with the intention of understanding the area of specialty as best he can. He enjoys playing basketball, soccer, and running. He likes listening to rap, rmb, and some acoustics. He plays the piano when he has time and especially when he needs to relax. He has volunteered at Splash since coming to Duke. He is now president of that organization. He has been involved with research since the summer before his sophomore year through the B-SURF program. He's been in the same lab since that summer and has come to value the time he spent there as it culminates in meaningful results with important medical implications.