I had always found it impossible to sacrifice one passion to make room for another. Yet, entering college, I believed that I would be made to choose between humanities and STEM as the two fields had always been painted as oil and water. However, to my excitement, Harvard gave me the academic freedom to pursue both simultaneously. 

Through a double concentration, Harvard’s term for a "double major," I was able to balance my love for STEM and humanities. It’s important to note that a double concentration is very different from a Harvard joint concentration, in which you essentially merge two majors by having one field as your "primary" concentration and the second as your "allied" concentration. While many Harvard students have gone on to design very unique joint concentrations, my motivation for pursuing a double concentration was rooted in the fact that I wanted to divide my attention evenly between these fields. 

I am now a proud double concentrator in History of Science and Molecular & Cellular Biology (MCB), and I have found that each concentration has allowed me to explore my passion for medicine in unique ways. 

History of Science intertwines the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Through this department’s History of Medicine track, I am equipped with the skills to reconstruct the historical narratives and events that actively shaped the medical field into what it is today. Whether it be through scouring over archives across Harvard’s more than 20 libraries or visiting historical medical equipment in Harvard’s Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, my understanding of how far medicine has come and where it is headed. Simultaneously, in Molecular & Cellular Biology, I am learning about the complex biology taking place in our bodies on a daily basis and how it has informed both past and new therapies. As of now, MCB’s faculty mentorship and course offerings directly inform my pancreatic cancer research at Mass General Brigham Hospital. 

I can happily say that I have shown equal love and attention between my two concentrations across every one of my semesters. If I found myself growing burnt out from my STEM problem sets, I could easily turn to my history readings to relieve stress. Conversely, if I found myself struggling with brainstorming historical arguments, I could always consult my scientific research for comfort.

To my surprise, I also found it immensely advantageous to pursue humanities and STEM concurrently as one often informs the other. For instance, as scientists, we must decide how to equitably introduce our research, such as a novel drug, to the public. This would demand that we inform ourselves of past mistakes in research application practices to ensure that we provide a safe and holistic treatment—and a historian’s eyes would be helpful in doing just that! 

All in all, across my almost four years at Harvard college, I have found so much joy in growing as both a scientist and historian. If you take one thing away from my double-concentrator journey, let it be this: there is no shame in being a maximalist!