2024-2025 Executive Board

President: Jess Portillo | jessica.portillo@duke.edu

Hello, my name is Jess Portillo and I am the President of Duke F1RSTS. I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology investigating host-microbe interactions. Being a first-generation graduate student of Salvadoran descent, I aspire to be a valuable resource for other first-generation students.

Data Analyst: Anshuman Sabath | anshuman.sabath@duke.edu

My Name is Anshuman Sabath and I am a first year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering working on computational neuroscience. As a first-gen international student from India, I realize there is a lot of nuances to the student life in USA. I believe that with the efforts of Duke F1RSTS, we can create a more equitable access to education for students from all walks of life. Hence, I am eager to be of help to other first-gen students.

Outreach Coordinator: Tatiana Farmer | tatiana.farmer@duke.edu

Tatiana Farmer was born and raised in North Carolina. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she double majored in Global Studies and Psychology with a minor in Japanese. Tatiana participated in a range of internationally oriented extracurricular and professional opportunities. She traveled to Japan three times through the Kakehashi project, as a Gilman scholar, and as a FLAS recipient. After graduating, Tatiana joined a law firm in North Carolina. Tatiana will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Policy at Duke University before entering the Foreign Service as a Public Diplomacy Officer. Tatiana enjoys learning languages and has studied Japanese and Korean at university. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and watching food blogs.