Duaa Jamaluddin shifts focus from pre-med biology to multi-disciplinary advocacy

“Duaa is the kind of student who always has a thoughtful answer when called upon and is never shy about asking questions when something is unclear,” Garrett Davidson, director of the Asian Studies Program and associate professor of Arabic studies, said of College of Charleston student Duaa Jamaluddin, today.charleston.edu reported. Jamaluddin amassed 45 credit hours through dual-enrollment classes at the College of Charleston and Trident Technical College before entering the University Honors Program at the College of Charleston Honors College, shifting her academic trajectory from a planned pre-med biology path toward multi-disciplinary advocacy spanning political science, economics, and Middle Eastern and Islamic world studies.

Academic Expansion and Early Leadership at the College of Charleston

Jamaluddin entered her undergraduate studies with a substantial credit head start after taking high school senior classes at both the College of Charleston and Trident Technical College. While maintaining her biology major, she added majors in economics and political science alongside a minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic world studies as general education requirements shifted her focus toward structural advocacy.

Her leadership footprint extends across multiple campus and external organizations. She serves as treasurer for the Student Government Association, president of both the Biology Club and the Charleston Fellows Program, and vice president of the Political Science Club. She is also a member of Phi Chi Theta, a national co-ed professional business fraternity, and has volunteered with Blood Cancer United since her junior year of high school to help high school students create fundraising campaigns for leukemia and lymphoma research.

Fieldwork and Travel Shape Jamaluddin's Community Approach

Field-based volunteer work solidified Jamaluddin’s systemic approach to community engagement. Guided by Garrett Davidson, she began studying Arabic, which opened pathways to international academic travel supported by scholarships.

An alternative break trip to Greece with the Center for Civic Engagement took her to the Mediterranean Marine Life Center, where she observed resource fragility firsthand. She later participated in a spring break disaster relief effort in Burnsville, North Carolina, assisting the Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders with Hurricane Helene recovery.

Following that domestic deployment, she traveled to Ghana for a spring break study abroad program led by James Malm, associate professor of finance. Working alongside a village in Old Akrade that Malm had previously assisted in building a primary school, Jamaluddin’s team helped construct a junior high.

Faculty Assessment of Global Perspective and Mentorship

Stephanie Visser, director of the Center for Civic Engagement, noted Jamaluddin’s capacity for systemic analysis during the Greece trip. Visser invited Jamaluddin to serve as a student team leader for the spring 2025 alternative break to Greece, citing her balance of personal conviction with openness to diverse viewpoints.

Garrett Davidson attributed this balanced worldview to Jamaluddin’s upbringing, which involved moving between the United States and her family’s summer roots in Karachi, Pakistan, where she assisted at her aunt’s women’s health clinic. Davidson emphasized that her multicultural background fosters a deep empathy and a distinct ability to see the world from multiple perspectives.

“Seeing how invested and involved they were with each other despite the challenges surrounding them reminded me of just how powerful the human condition is,” Jamaluddin said of her time working with children in Ghana.