1. I will give myself a moment to breathe, and enjoy a quiet moment’s pause before the day rushes in. It may be as simple as taking a moment to appreciate the cultural differences in the way my teammates celebrate their respective holidays, admiring the colorful decorations and holiday snacks all around Fuqua, or being grateful for the fact that my professors are always there when I need help.
2. I will try to center myself every morning and remember my purpose in all the craziness that an MBA life brings. In tiny ways, Fuqua continues to give me the resources to allow this — whether its yoga class at the gym, meetings with my HSM advisor to just vent, or the various clubs to help me cope.
3. I will not worry as much. I will not let small irrational fears stop me from enjoying my life. This year, I will continue to do my best and face my fears and aspirations at a pace that allows me to enjoy every moment. I am excited to take some interesting classes this upcoming year (Game Theory, Corporate Finance, Med Device Commercialization). Instead of worrying about how I will do in the class, I will look at this as an opportunity to learn from world-class professors in a safe and fun environment.

So, bring it on, 2013!

With my teammates at the finals for the Humana competition.

My First Competition

It was the first week of September, and I enthusiastically signed up for my very first case competition — the Humana Healthcare Case Competition. The national competition is geared toward graduate students who have a passion for business innovation as well as the evolving healthcare industry — it was right up my alley. This year, the case focused on an emerging trend in the healthcare field — how to optimally combine technology and care delivery transformation to maximize the quality of care and well-being of healthcare consumers.

Both Duke teams at Humana headquarters.

I signed up for the competition without knowing the members of my team — a blessing in disguise. My team comprised of three second years, Monica Vanbuskirk, Nadeem Bade, and Johnny Li. Since it was the first time that I had done anything like this, it was great to be able to learn from my more experienced team members. Together, we worked through revisions of decks (I didn’t really know what decks were before), storyboarding, and creating presentations. We spent an intense weekend working on the case, crafting dynamic presentation decks, and trying not to stress because it was a week before fall term finals!

We submitted our presentation to Humana on September 17, and waited anxiously for the results. A few days later, we were thrilled when we received an invitation to the final round of the competition! Nationally, only 8 teams were chosen from 50 to move on to the final round, and actually, two of the final teams were from Duke! On October 11, we all met in Louisville, Kentucky, which is home to Humana’s headquarters (and the Louisville Sluggers) to present our recommendations to Humana’s executive leadership team.

Natalie Leung is so excited that her team placed second, and were awarded with $5,000!

Having the opportunity to present our ideas in front of senior executives, respected people with a lot of industry knowledge is empowering. During the 2-day event, I couldn’t help but think about how fortunate I was to have had the opportunity to work closely with second years, learning core concepts and tips and tricks from them. From Monica, I learned how to improve my presentation skills. From Johnny, I learned how to create basic PowerPoint slides and how to really emphasize certain aspects to make them outstanding. From Nadeem, I learned how to take my specialized healthcare knowledge and apply it to a different business scenario. Having the opportunity to compete at finals with another Fuqua team comprised of Natalie Leung, Joakim Vinberg, Kathleen Cox, and Hemant Singh, reinforced the idea of Team Fuqua. Although we were competing with each other, I knew that I had a support system in the hotel room right next to me.

Although my team only placed as a runner up, we were all excited for the other Fuqua team, who came in second. We represented Fuqua and Duke well. Kathleen, a member of the second place team told me, “The case competition was a great opportunity to learn about a company, explore specific tactical solutions and make memories in the process. Between winning second place, bonding with both Fuqua teams, meeting students from other schools and sampling the local cuisine (and bourbon), I’d say it was a huge success. Go Team Fuqua!”

With my team for the Deloitte case competition.

Two in a Row

After all the work and effort that went into the Humana competition, I decided to take a break from case competitions … until I saw an email regarding a Deloitte competition. I couldn’t help myself, I entered it in the hopes of recreating my Humana experience and furthering my presentation skills. My team and I only had 6 hours to create a 20-minute presentation. During the initial internal round of presentations, we competed with 40 Fuqua teams. We pushed hard and it was a great learning experience. My team didn’t get past the initial round, but my second case competition proved to be an intense and grueling experience … just like the first! I think I’ve officially now become a case competition junkie!

Third Time’s the Charm?

My next case competition is in progress! Sponsored by the Healthcare Club, the first round is an internal round to determine who will move on to the national competition which will take place at Harvard Business School. This case competition really hits home with me because it tasks us to come up with an idea to address an unmet health need within an underserved community. Whether my team and I win this case competition or not, I am excited to face the challenge head on and continue growing my casing skills.

Previous to coming to Duke, I volunteered and worked at hospitals, clinics, and a generic drug manufacturer. I witnessed patient interaction and saw patient feedback from a financial perspective. I have always enjoyed the challenges that come from working with businesses that serve those from lower social economic backgrounds. It is the care and attention that I was able to give to these patients, and the gratitude I received from them that gave me the strength to persevere into a future filled with healthcare.

As I considered business school, I slowly learned that the Fuqua family really pays attention to the world around them. It is not about personal benefits, it is about how students can improve their greater surroundings. It is this feeling of school spirit and community service that I wanted to surround myself with. The value of patient care and of “Team Fuqua” was the main reason I joined the Daytime MBA and the HSM program (Health Sector Management).

For first-year students, like me, the HSM program kicks off with an intense, week-long boot camp at Fuqua. But the boot camp isn’t just for Daytime students, executive MBA students also attend. All students attend lectures, meet speakers from all facets of the industry, and learn about the intricacies of the healthcare system as related to business. We were in boot camp sessions from July 22 to July 27, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

Helping Hands

Nisha (center) and her teammates work to assemble a prosthetic hand.

One event during boot camp reaffirmed my values and motivations for coming back to school. The event was sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and in attendance were many executives from GSK, as well as alumni from Fuqua. Ms. Deirdre Connelly, a member of the Corporate Executive Team (President, North America Pharmaceuticals), started off the event by introducing GSK’s corporate values: transparency, patient first, respect for others, and patient focus. In the spirit of those values, we were then asked to help build prosthetic hands for those who have lost their arm, including children, soldiers, and residents from farming areas, mining areas, and war zones.

We were divided into teams with four students, one Fuqua alumnus, and one GSK Corporate Executive member. We were given a bag of “parts” and a packet of instructions. With the guidance of a friendly emcee, and a “help desk” that consisted of 4 – 5 GSK employees, I really enjoyed my first business school team-building experience. The atmosphere of the room literally transformed from a formal setting into a room of smiles, laughter, and tasty treats. It was great to interact with the GSK representatives, and I was amazed at the creativity and humbleness of the GSK executive team who shared their stories and experiences of growth.

By the end of the night, we helped to fill a real need in the world by building over 20 prosthetic hands, which will hopefully make the recipients’ dreams come true. I have always had a strong need to change the quality of life for people and serve society in a different way. The dynamics and purpose of this event has been something that I have never previously experienced. It is initiatives like this that not only give hope and strength to those who need it, but gives me a stronger sense of humanity and humbleness.

Before entering the HSM program, I heard that boot camp would be a grueling, yet rewarding week. Having completed the week (and sleeping for a straight day after it), I can honestly say that I am leaving this experience with two points:

1. The upcoming two years will be all about realizing that anything is possible simply by focusing on what is really important and at the core of what I do. It is about the collaboration, motivation, team spirit, and thinking outside the box that my classmates will bring to the table.
2. I can sit in lectures and attend networking events from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day and still have the energy and heart to push on the next day. With very few hours of sleep, boot camp has prepared us with expectations of the coming months – constant networking, working on team presentations into the late hours of the night, and an unquenchable thirst to be the very best at what we do.

After an excellent week, I am even more excited about starting my new journey into business school!

Check out more photos of the event (click to open larger versions):