Student Spotlight: Sarah Valette

Sarah Valette was born in France but mainly grew up in northwest Ohio. She received an undergraduate degree in biochemistry at UCLA, where she conducted research using S. cerevisiae to study the relationship between clinically relevant histone mutations and cellular biosynthetic pathways.

“I was always drawn to Duke because of both the quality of the program and the location,” she said. “There's so much to do in the area! I knew that coming to Duke and pursuing a doctorate would help me gain a great variety of skills that will be useful for my future career, from research techniques to network-building.”

Vallette enjoys spending time outside, whether hiking, running, or cycling. “I’ve fallen in love with nearby Umstead State Park,” she said. She also likes reading and embroidering.

She is looking forward to using the next few years to explore the options available to her, but she is leaning toward pursuing work in the pharmaceutical industry.