Meet Isabel Duarte ’26 Duarte has embraced leadership development through the Choral Conducting Mentorship Program.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
March 25, 2025

Isabel Duarte ’26
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Major: Music and biology double major

Why did you choose to come to W&L?
I was fortunate to match to W&L as a QuestBridge scholar. My entire college application process, I was searching for a school that would feel like a second home to me. I was considering other schools near my hometown — Washington, D.C. — but a lot of them felt too busy and not personal enough. When I was ranking schools, W&L really stood out to me because of the amount of community there is on campus, as well as their incredible academic opportunities. Even though I had never imagined myself living outside of a city, I chose to rank them because of these reasons. I was so excited when I found out that I had matched to W&L, and going to Admitted Students Day really solidified that joy I had felt.

Have you discovered a course or topic that you didn’t expect to study when you first came to W&L?
I knew I wanted to double major in music and biology when I first came to W&L. When I first got on campus, I scheduled a meeting with the choir director, Shane Lynch, to talk about potentially majoring in music. During our conversation, he introduced me to the Choral Conducting Mentorship Program and invited me to come to one of the cohort’s weekly meetings. I went to a Wednesday evening meeting, very unsure of what to expect, and was greeted with open arms. I had never imagined myself conducting a choir, yet here I was given the opportunity to do so. This experience has been incredibly transformative for me as a musician. Over the past few years, I have gained valuable insight into leading a choir through our cohort meetings and conducting classes. Joining this program was unexpected, but it has profoundly shaped my growth as both a musician and a leader. I am deeply grateful for this journey and the lessons it has given me.

Have you studied abroad during your time at W&L? Where did you go, and how was your experience?
Last Spring Term, I had the great opportunity to take a class in South Korea. I took a music and statistics course, something that seemed a bit daunting but very exciting. The course was centered around using R, a statistics program, to analyze the frequency of each pitch in a song in order to see if the music aligned with Benford’s Law. I learned so much about this subject in just a few weeks, and I really enjoyed the skills I learned in this class. I also had a fantastic time living in Seoul, South Korea, for four weeks. After class each day, my friends and I would explore the city. Seoul was so vibrant and filled with so many amazing places! We also went on weekend trips to Busan and Jeju Island, which were absolutely gorgeous and filled with culture. I would have never had this experience if it weren’t for W&L.

Fun fact: I play in a band on campus that I started during my freshman year. It all began when our former drummer — now our guitarist — mentioned in my music theory class that they played drums. Having been in a band back home, I really wanted to keep making music with others. I’m so grateful for the amazing people I get to play with now. We’ve had the opportunity to perform at many campus events, including FUDG and multiple Battle of the Bands competitions. We’ve written a lot of music together, which is always a really exciting experience, and getting the opportunity to share our own creations with others is very special.