Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, how do you see yourself engaging in and contributing to our community, outside of the classroom?

I attended my first Fuqua Friday with (name), a current student, when I visited campus in March. If I join Team Fuqua, this will certainly become a part of my weekly routine. It was wonderful to see students actively choosing to be together in their free time. Per the “loyal community” paired principle, they are clearly engaging in the full Fuqua experience as I also plan to do. The sense of community at Fuqua Friday was underscored by my concurrent discussion with (name). She told me about the lifelong friendships she’s made at Fuqua, that it is true that students choose to stay on campus over the weekend, and that the “supportive ambition” paired principle is not a myth even in situations when you’re directly competing with your classmates for a role. (Grad), a Fuqua alumnus, described that most of the Fuqua student body live in one of three buildings near campus. This unique, close-knit situation provides the opportunity to build even more meaningful relationships with your peers. I want to be fully immersed and live in this environment at Fuqua.

I will jumpstart my Fuqua experience by participating in the HSM Bootcamp. I will build relationships with classmates in the tight knit, supportive HSM community prior to orientation. The experience will confirm my interest and build foundational healthcare knowledge so that I can take full advantage of the HSM courses to come. Later I aim to work on a Duke University Hospital Experiential Learning Practicum. Given my experience on a range of consulting projects, I am confident in my ability to quickly pick-up key components of my HSM courses and apply them to support my DUH-ELP client. Additionally, I will leverage my ability to effectively build rapport with clients over a short period, collaborate with multiple stakeholders with conflicting priorities, and distill large amounts of information into actionable insights to contribute to my project. Through DUH-ELP, I will make a positive impact on Duke University Hospital, and better prepare myself for my summer internship.

Given my goal to further develop my career in management consulting, I aspire to serve as a co-President of the Consulting Club, leading with a peer who’s focused on larger firms; this will facilitate a balance of perspectives. Through serving as (Consulting) training lead, I have experience leading amongst peers which will create a smooth transition into this role. One priority will be organizing networking and interviewing opportunities for students with midsized consulting firms. Additionally, I want to help prepare classmates taking summer internships in consulting for the first time. At (firm), I created and implemented a best practice checklist to more effectively onboard new consultants to client-facing projects. I’ve thought about the prioritization and simplification of questions to ask and actions to take when entering a new client situation. I will lead a team in gathering input from second years and Fuqua faculty members, synthesizing and streamlining, and creating clear best practice recommendations for new summer consultants. This will strengthen Club resources.

As a member of Team Fuqua, I want to serve as an Admissions Fellow. I was a tour guide in middle school, high school, and at college. I enjoy engaging with prospective students through sharing information on organizations about which I am passionate. At (firm) I take candidates to coffee and show them around the office which I consider to be the adult equivalent of “tour guiding”. I believe in the importance of cultural “fit” and as an Admissions Fellow, I can contribute through helping prospective Fuqua students ascertain this intangible.

I’m also excited to join the Association of Women in Business Club at Fuqua. For my first year at (company), my project teams were primarily comprised of men and therefore I had limited opportunity to identify female role models. This finally changed on my most recent project giving me the opportunity to grow relationships with other women who I can identify with more closely and now look up to immensely. I hope to have this same opportunity through engagement with the Association of Women in Business Club at Fuqua. I plan to contribute to the club through organizing fun events such as “Dinner with Six Strangers” to provide additional opportunities for women from all backgrounds to build relationships with one another.

When I visited campus, I attended a Women in Business coffee run by a current Admissions Fellow. Among many things, (student) discussed learning to work with her C-Lead team which highlighted how Fuqua’s “collective diversity” paired principle comes to life. In one of her team’s first meetings, they discussed a seemingly straightforward topic: “What time would you arrive for a 3:00 meeting and when would you expect the meeting to get started?”. One of her teammates was from Colombia and had a completely different answer to this question than (student)– with a variance of 20 minutes! What would be a clear-cut conversation amongst most groups that I’ve been a part of turned into a nuanced discussion about cultural norms and effective ways of working in a diverse group. At Fuqua, I want to absorb as many of these learnings as possible while having the opportunity to contribute my own background and experiences.

Fuqua’s location in a smaller city appeals to me and it will be great to explore local restaurants with Fuqua’s Culinary Club. I’d also love to contribute through joining Fuqua On Board, with the aim of serving a non-profit working to reduce the inequity in our education system. The program’s focus on mentorship will demonstrate how to benefit organizations through impactful board membership. I will also contribute the learnings from my leadership-focused Fuqua courses and experiences serving on the Junior Board of the (organization) to add a fresh perspective.

Following my day on campus and conversations with current students and alumni, I am confident that Fuqua’s people, culture, location, and opportunity to be both supported and challenged is the right place for my MBA. I will engage with and contribute to the Fuqua community in the same way that I’ve impacted organizations I’ve loved so much in the past, ultimately leaving Fuqua an even better place than I found it.