This weekend, Arielle Solomon will graduate from Duke with a major in Marine Science and Conservations and a minor in Inequality Studies, a combination that displays her appreciation for both animal science and the humanities.
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Solomon began her college journey at NYU, where she was studying international relations. “I originally wanted to get out of the South and experience something different. I went to NYU my first year and was part of a Martin Luther King Scholars program focused on inequality, activism, and organizing, which I really enjoyed, but overall, I didn’t enjoy NYU,” she says. “Duke appealed to me because the student community felt more connected. Here, you’re not just living in a city and going to class, you’re actively a Duke student, involved in something larger.”
Additionally, in her decision to transfer, Solomon decided to pivot her academic study to Marine Science. “I’ve always loved the ocean, whales especially, and knew I wanted to study something environment-related,” she explains. “At the same time, I’ve always loved the humanities, history, and learning about inequality, so I wanted to keep that part of my education, too.”
Solomon, right, presenting in the How to Study Inequality methods course, Fall 2023
With this desire to maintain her connection to the humanities, she took a course from Inequality Studies Minor Director and Cook Center Senior Research Associate Dr. Adam Hollowell, “Ethics in an Unjust World.” “I really enjoyed it—it gave me a completely different perspective,” she says. “It wasn’t hard to wrap my head around the concepts, and Dr. Hollowell advertised the minor in class. I took ‘History of Inequality’ the following semester and loved it.”
A standout moment for her came during a class discussion about the representation of lynching in pop culture. “We were talking about lynching in pop culture and listened to ‘Strange Fruit’ by Billie Holiday,” she says. “I’d never really focused on the lyrics before or thought of it as a protest song about lynching. That class showed me how deeply inequality is woven into American culture, and the world.”
For her capstone project, Solomon conducted a research study, under the guidance of Cook Center Founding Director William A. Darity, Jr., on how the lack of medical research into polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) impacts female athletes. “There’s a huge gap between women’s health research and athletic training,” she says. “I interviewed athletic trainers across North Carolina, and every one of them said the same thing—there’s no protocol, no conversation, and no consistent diagnostic criteria. It’s a silent problem.”
As an athlete herself, the topic was deeply personal. “There’s no discussion about how things like cramps, hormone imbalances, or menstrual cycles affect athletic performance. We need to open that conversation. My paper’s just one step, but it’s a start.”
Her research experience doesn’t stop there. Solomon contributed to research on coral stress response in the Silliman Lab and participated in an archaeological expedition in Cyprus, cataloging artifacts for study. Most extensively, she conducted marine biology fieldwork at the Duke Marine Lab, where she co-led an independent study analyzing the foraging behavior of short-finned pilot whales. “We documented foraging behavior for the first time, using DTAG data and acoustic modeling,” she says. “We’re working on publishing a manuscript now. It’s been incredible.”
Solomon says the minor has helped her grow as a researcher, especially when confronting bias and engaging in conversations about inequality. “Not everything is going to fit your original perceptions or hypotheses,” she reflects. “You need humility to say, ‘I thought one way, I was wrong, and I need to pivot.’ That’s integrity.”
For her, engaging with inequality means analyzing the world around you. “You need conversations to recognize where people are coming from, to understand systems beyond race, gender, religion, ability, and sexuality,” Solomon says. “Without those conversations, inequality gets pushed under the rug.”
Beyond academics, Solomon says the minor shaped how she interacts with others. “It’s helped me learn to put my experiences on the back burner when I’m engaging with people whose lives are different from mine,” she explains. “It’s been a lesson in humility, in recognizing that my needs aren’t always the most important in the moment.”
After transferring into Duke, Solomon has become an engaged member of the community and campus. She was an active member of Delta Gamma Sorority, found meaningful connections at Duke’s Jewish Center, and joined the women’s rowing team. Through Team Impact, she helped welcome Ashlyn, a young girl with a life-altering condition, as an honorary member of the rowing team. “It’s been so rewarding,” Solomon says. “She’s such a sweetheart.”
Arielle Solomon ’25 receiving Senior Gift at Global Inequality Research Initiative Capstone
As she prepares to leave Duke, Solomon is both sentimental and excited. “I’ll miss the random things that happen on campus, when you’d walk around, and something’s always going on. But I’m excited to work with dolphins and explore life as an adult.” She will be a research assistant for the Potomac Chesapeake Dolphin Project run by Dr. Janet Mann of Georgetown University.
She’ll be taking with her into the world the many lessons she has learned through the minor. Solomon hopes future students will benefit, too. “I would advise somebody considering the minor to know that it’s not just a history minor—it’s not just an overview of history,” she says. “It’s an overview of a specific theme. You’re talking about inequality across the world.”
