University athletes in Durham are not the only Duke students making international headlines.
Tay Yuling, a first-year medical student at the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, recently won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Yuling’s performance in the women’s foil individual event scored Singapore’s first medal at the championship—making Yuling the highest ranking Singaporean in the tournament’s history.
Yuling, who is now 23 years old, said she started fencing when she was 13. She added that it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with both schoolwork and fencing since she began medical school.
“We are in the middle of a very intensive module called the ‘Normal Body,’” Yuling said. “I am just realizing that school is getting crazier. But I’m preparing for the Asian Games in [Guangzhou, China] one month from now.”
Despite the academic and competitive challenges, Yuling said fencing provides a balance in her life.
“I can’t function without enough rest, sports and studies,” she said, adding that although studying takes up her mental energies, it is not physically demanding.
Joshua YaoZhang Chua, one of Yuling’s close friends, referred to her as a true “role model” in a Sunday e-mail. He finds her achievements in both athletics and academics “impressive but not surprising,” since competitive diligence is equally required in medical school.
“She consistently performs well and is a source of medical knowledge and encouragement for us,” said Chua, who is currently a visiting scholar at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “It sometimes makes us wonder where she gets her additional time from.”
Yuling received her bachelor’s degree in biological science from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She has also recently been awarded the Ngee Ann Kongsi Scholarship, an honor reserved for students who excel in the Duke-NUS curriculum.
Yuling said she has been extremely satisfied with the quality of the Duke-NUS program, which was cofounded in 2005 by the Duke University Medical School and the National University of Singapore.
“I was very attracted to the mode of instruction here, which has great emphasis on team-based learning as well as independent study,” she said. “It’s really unique in the world.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.