07/01/2026
“Four years ago, I came to Brown expecting a community of academically driven students. Brown lived up to that, but what I’ve grown to love most is that for such an outstanding student body, we don’t take ourselves so seriously. The Open Curriculum creates a culture that balances ambition with humility and genuine openness to exploration.
I entered Brown thinking I’d dedicate my life solely to chemistry. As I graduate in a month, I’m leaving with an additional degree in English. Originally, I thought literary analysis was exclusively an intellectual endeavor, never a future. Luckily, the Open Curriculum allowed me to interact with English in a way that reshaped my view. Through the S/NC grading system, I approached classes as an exploration of who I am as a writer rather than writing for a rubric.
As an aspiring doctor, English might seem like an unconventional path. However, I believe it is vital to my success as an empathetic physician. If the sciences gave me facts, English gave me the lens to see their human significance. Literature offers lessons in empathy, humanity, and the balance between suffering and joy.
Outside the classroom, I’ve loved Providence’s food scene. As an avid Beli user, I’ve enjoyed dragging friends to new coffee shops and participating in statewide coffee competitions. The community here constantly reminds me that life exists outside the relentless pursuit of a career—that developing as a good friend is just as important as developing as a student.
In the fall, I’ll continue my studies at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Through the encouragement of my peers, I hope to incorporate my love for writing into my future as a doctor. Brown has shifted what I believe to be important; it is a community focused on the betterment of the world through activism, showing up for each other, and spreading joy.”
Amber W. ‘26
Chemistry and English
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