A Science Major Who Grows in Faith Through Bible Study

For Jordyn Blake, T ’21, a Chapel Scholar and neuroscience major, the coronavirus pandemic has, out of necessity, deepened her faith.

“I was able to confide in God like never before because I was in a time of complete uncertainty,” she says about being at home over the summer when she could devote more time to studying the Bible. “God’s plans for us are good, and that good may involve suffering, but it is ultimately for His glory.”

#FindSanctuary Jordyn-Blake-Singing_web400.jpg Jordyn Blake sings a solo during the Chapel’s The Marvel of This Night Christmas television special. “I find sanctuary through worshipping God through song,” she says.

“God allowed me to see that through this pandemic; although our world is suffering, His power and love is still evident,” says Blake, who does biomedical engineering research at Duke’s Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies and is a teaching assistant in the Department of Computer Science.

Studying the Bible is a key spiritual practice for Blake, who is president of the student gospel group United in Praise and part of the Religious Life group Every Nation Campus.

“I have grown a lot in my faith here at Duke,” she says. “I have dug deeper into doing Word Studies and reading commentaries to help me understand the context of Scripture.”

“I love to help others learn about the Gospel as well, so having the opportunity to teach Bible Study on campus has been a joy,” she says. “I emphasize to people that the Bible is not an ordinary textbook; it is the Living Word—God-breathed Word.”

One way Blake has shared her faith while at Duke was singing solo parts in the Chapel’s 2019 national television Christmas special, The Marvel of This Night. It was an instance when her faith and academics came together.

“Singing is all about patterns, and I’ve found with science it’s the same way,” she said at the time. “I find the skills are transferable: If you’re good at math and science, you could potentially be good at reading music.”