The sky above Kunshan often stretches wide and clear, but when Marriam Chishti first arrived, it felt like the world was pressing close around her. The city streets buzzed with colors and sounds so vivid they left her dizzy. People stared, their gazes filled with pure curiosity at the sight of a foreigner. Yet for someone used to fading quietly into the countryside of England, the attention was as heavy as the humid summer air.
“I felt like a fish out of water,” Marriam said. “Back home, I blended in — but here, I couldn’t hide.”
Born in Japan to a Pakistani father and an American mother, Marriam grew up in a world stitched together by difference — moving from country to country and studying in international schools where accents collided and holidays overlapped. But the real balancing act was closer to home: her father’s Muslim faith, her mother’s Christian roots. From an early age, Marriam became a bridge between worlds, learning to listen, to translate, and to speak her mind without apology.
“I’m not a people pleaser,” she said. “I just share what I feel.”
Maybe that’s why, when it came time to choose a college, Marriam didn’t prefer the familiar paths her friends took. While they spread out across England and the U.S., her compass pointed in the opposite direction, to the place where she could carve her own story. Duke Kunshan University (DKU) called to her — an adventure tucked between fields and skylines.
Marriam’s family’s reactions were predictably split. Her mother, a globe-trotting teacher herself, grinned and said, “Go.” Other family members, less thrilled, shook their heads, warning her against the choice. But Marriam had already made up her mind. The rebel child struck again — preferring the unfamiliar over the expected. Her friends, however, were hardly surprised. They had always known Marriam wasn’t one to follow the crowd.
“I guess they always expected me to be the wild one,” Marriam said. “But honestly, I just wanted to do something different — something that felt like mine.”
At DKU, rebellion softened into resilience. Marriam dove into opportunities, from conducting cancer research to teaching English to a Chinese hospital administrator through the Medical English Program. Her passion for leadership soon found a stage: she was selected to represent DKU in the Future17 program, collaborating with students from Hong Kong and New Zealand to tackle global sustainability challenges. Conducting market research into consumer behavior and alternative proteins, she navigated shifting time zones, managed group dynamics across continents, and even stepped into the role of project leader.
“I am grateful not only for the results,” she said, “but for all the wonderful people I met and still keep in touch with.”
The same spirit of curiosity and connection led Marriam to rethink her academic path — and to seek out a major where she could turn learning into lasting impact. Political economy —her first choice — had seemed like a safe bet, but too familiar and theoretical. Instead, Marriam switched to Global Health, a field that allowed her to combine her passion for well-being, business, and making a tangible difference in people’s lives.
One of her early explorations into Global Health came through a project on Chile’s health insurance system — a topic that quickly opened her eyes to the real-world intersections of health, economics, and policy, where the highest stakes weren’t just numbers, but people’s lives. Learning how social determinants like pregnancy, income, and education shaped access to care, Marriam realized that health outcomes were never purely medical, but were rather tied to inequality.
“It’s scary to see how in England, for example, you can wait six months just to get an X-ray — and sometimes it turns out to be cancer,” Marriam said. “We all want to be healthy, but the systems don’t work the way they should.”
Witnessing these failures up close only deepened Marriam’s commitment to understanding how health systems could serve communities better — especially in the world’s most vulnerable regions. Through her signature work on malnutrition in Ghana, she found that simply introducing Western solutions — imported food or outside aid — often failed to address the community’s real needs. It taught her a lesson she now carries into every project: ask first. Listen more. Assume nothing.
“There were only 16 articles in the entire world about acute malnutrition in Ghana,” Marriam said. “Compared to hundreds of studies in Western countries, the gap was shocking — and it made me realize how urgently these communities need to have their voices heard.”
At DKU, Marriam made a quiet promise to herself: whatever path she chose, it would be one committed to improving the lives of others. She now prepares to pursue a master’s degree at Dartmouth College, possibly a full-time job managing hospital units, and eventually a career working for organizations like the UN or the World Bank. Volunteering with the Peace Corps remains a dream—one she hopes will take her to Africa, a continent she feels connected to even without having set foot there.
“Travel teaches you not just about the world,” she said, “but about yourself.”
That spirit of discovery infused every part of Marriam’s time at DKU — not just in academic projects, but in daily life. Through her roles as a Resident Assistant and wellness community leader, Marriam built spaces where students could connect across languages and backgrounds — even in the most diverse communities, there is always common ground to be found.
“Everyone loves Taylor Swift,” she joked. “We feel like we’re different, but really, we’re not.”
And yet, stepping into a new culture means understanding traditions and everyday life. For Marriam, navigating China had its moments of unexpected humor. On a trip to Zhangjiajie, a local woman handed her baby to Marriam’s friend for a spontaneous photoshoot — a gesture of innocent fascination that would have baffled Westerners but made Marriam laugh.
“It always feels like being famous,” she said. “At first, it was overwhelming — people stared at me everywhere. But I realized it always came from curiosity and kindness.”
Adjusting to a new culture taught her the value of openness — a quality she also found reflected in DKU’s community. As the university continues to grow, Marriam hopes it retains this quality expressed in its hunger for diverse ideas and inclusivity.
“Here, people crave to learn,” she said. “Even if you hold different beliefs, they will still want to understand you.”
Looking ahead, she imagines a future where DKU continues to be a place where students feel free to be who they are — and where the administration fully rises to support the vibrant community it has built.
“If the school nails that,” she said, “DKU will be an outstanding place.”
And like everything else in her story, Marriam’s belief in DKU mirrors her belief in herself: that growth takes time, that challenges are part of becoming, and that the most meaningful paths are never without bumps along the road.
“DKU is a place for soul-searching,” Marriam said. “While searching, you learn a little more about the world.”
By Anastasia Titarova, Class of 2027
