Guest blogger: Jackie Claure, MMS '13

Coming into the MMS program, everyone tries to find their niche. I knew it would be a little different for me because my primary focus did not include the traditional areas of finance, consulting, or marketing. Instead, I wanted to begin a career in sustainability and social entrepreneurship, and I was happy to find that there were others in the program who shared the same goal. We wanted to make an impression during our 10 months here, so we worked together to begin a new club — MMS Net Impact. I took on the role of Vice President of Administration, and my friends Andrew and Stephanie, served as President and Vice President of Communications, respectively.

What is Net Impact?

Net Impact is a national nonprofit membership organization for students and professionals interested in using business skills in support of various social and environmental causes. Universities across America have their own Net Impact clubs, Fuqua included. The MBA Net Impact Club at Fuqua has over 400 members. While some MMSers joined the MBA club, we decided to form a MMS version of the club to leave our own legacy.

Raising Awareness

Matt Nash of CASE.

Many of our fellow MMSers were not aware of the significance of sustainability and social entrepreneurship — it’s not a “traditional” business topic — so we took it upon ourselves to enlighten our classmates through various events during the year.

For example, Fuqua is home to the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), which recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary. Social entrepreneurship is the process of recognizing and resourcefully pursuing opportunities to create social value. In March, the executive director of CASE, Matt Nash, took some time out of his busy schedule to help educate us on the values of social entrepreneurship. He was very helpful in highlighting regional, national, and global organizations that served a social entrepreneurial purpose — several of which seemed like fascinating places to work.

Tom Petrini, founder of Evive Station.

Our final event of the year focused on sustainability, which is the potential for long-term maintenance of our planet. In April, we brought in guest speaker, Tom Petrini. He is the founder of Evive Station, a sustainable water kiosk company which offers a convenient and environmentally-friendly way to clean, sanitize, and fill your reusable bottle with filtered water. While many knew the severe impact of water bottle waste, many of my classmates were shocked to find this added up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. After hearing about these effects, several of them commented on the possibility of installing Evive Stations at Fuqua and Duke.

We are so proud of the work we’ve done this year, and the awareness we have been able to bring to these important topics. Our hard work was recognized at the end-of-the-year banquet, when MMS Net Impact received the Club of the Year award. In addition to this accolade, our president, Andrew, also received an award for his work on founding the club.

Get Involved

If you are interested in continuing our work in your upcoming class, please contact the MMS program at mms-fob-info@fuqua.duke.edu.

Guest blogger Annika Buettner

Throughout the summer and fall terms, several case competitions were hosted at Fuqua (e.g. with Accenture — read a previous blog post about it). Yet, I was wondering whether a competition existed that was more specifically tailored toward solving marketing issues. As the MMS Marketing Club President, I was continuously on the lookout for ideas for new events and eventually came across the Babson Marketing Case Competition in Boston. It didn’t take long to form a competitive team to participate in the event. With a wide variety of skills and backgrounds, my team members were: Gayathri Parthasarathy, Carmen Flores, and Marc Andreoli.

On the day of our departure, we left Durham with curiosity, respect for the other teams and a willingness to compromise sleep in order to give it our best. We would be competing with 21 MBA teams from all over the USA (including teams from Berkeley, MIT and Tuck). Knowing that all of them most likely have more work experience than us (MBA: around 5 years, MMS: 0-2 years), we entered the competition determined to prove that we can offset our limited work experience through dedication, team spirit, and having more fun with the topic.

With my teammates Marc Andreoli, Gayathri Parthasarathy, and Carmen Flores at the case competition.

At Babson in Boston

Upon arrival in Boston on a recent Friday afternoon, we immediately started working through the case. After a welcome reception with all teams as well as the executives of the sponsoring company, we continued to brainstorm until late at night. With only 3 hours of sleep, we arrived at Babson College on Saturday morning to receive further information on the final task.

Our challenge was to identify and evaluate growth options that align with the case company’s social mission along with developing the accompanying marketing program and measures to determine its success. Within only 5 hours, our strategy as well as our PowerPoint presentation needed to be finalized before presenting our ideas in front of the judges. Our first presentation went well, but we weren’t sure how to feel about it since we did not hear the presentations of the other teams. In one hour, we would find out which 5 out of the 21 teams would move on to the final round of the competition. Should we continue to work on our strategy and the presentation in the meantime? No, let’s not be too optimistic …

With our winnings!

The next thing we knew, the organizers announced “Team Fuqua” as one of the finalists. We couldn’t believe it! A big hug for each team member and then we rushed to perfect our slides for the final presentation 15 minutes later, in a room of 90 participants, with 10 judges. What a nerve-racking experience.

Later, at the Cocktail Reception and Awards Ceremony it was announced that we won second place, and we received an award check! In addition, our teammate Gayathri was named “Speaker of the Day.” All the recognition was a great honor. Many participants as well as judges praised our presentation skills, team spirit and enthusiasm, which we knew had been strongly influenced by our MMS Business Communication classes. What we’ve learned in the MMS program prepared us well for the competition, and put us on a more level playing field with top MBAs. Despite the hard work, it’s a truly enriching memory to have before graduating from the MMS program! Go Team Fuqua!

Guest Blogger Josh Connor, Student Life Chair for Service & External Relations

Before coming to Fuqua, serving on the MMS Association (MMSA) Executive Board was not even remotely in my mind. I am not even sure if I was aware of its existence. Despite this fact and quite to my own surprise, I am serving as the Student Life Chair for Service and External Relations. Though entirely unplanned, this has been an incredible opportunity to gain leadership experience and demonstrate initiative even while using my interests, strengths, and passions to serve the class and to share my enthusiasm for service.

The reason I chose to come to Fuqua was for the chance to acquire skills and practical knowledge that would make my dream to use business as a platform for social change and development possible. In short, this stemmed out of a passion for service which I can trace back to my first mission trip the summer before college. During my undergraduate career at Wake Forest University, this passion grew further as I took every opportunity available to serve. Following graduation, I spent the fall interning for an international development organization specializing in sustainable development, and teaching English in Argentina. Every one of these experiences were life changing opportunities that taught me innumerable valuable and lessons that cannot be easily summarized.

I wanted to continue to serve as an MMS student, but to be honest, I only began to consider running for a position on the MMSA a few days before the elections. The Service and External Relations position, in particular stood out, and the more I read the description, the more I saw it as the perfect opportunity for me to contribute my background and to share my passion for service. My hope was that at the end of the program, we did not just exit with the academic knowledge but as leaders of character who have had their perspectives and beliefs challenged through serving others who are less fortunate, and in the process expand our capacity for compassion.

My role has two components: the service side and the external relations side. On the service side, I help organize, coordinate, or advertise a variety of service opportunities and motivate participation. So far I have had the chance to help spread the word on the Thanksgiving food drive, blood drives, and community consulting opportunities. Moreover, in the spring we’ll also have the MBA Games, which is a fundraiser for the NC Special Olympics. Teams from the MMS and MBA programs from around the country are paired with 3-5 Special Olympics athletes and compete in a variety of business oriented challenges. Additionally, after the success from last year, there is an event in February called “Stop Hunger Now” which is a day-long event during which shifts of volunteers pack lunches for the needy. On top of this, there will be a Habitat build and opportunities through FuquaCorps, a recent group started through Net Impact to better connect students with opportunities to serve. I am excited to see increasing participation from the class.

The other half of my role is to coordinate with the MBA Association reps and Duke’s other grad school programs. Through this opportunity I meet and work with MBA students whom I might not have met otherwise. In a low pressure environment, I get to collaborate on events and learn from their experiences. Additionally, in this role I was in charge of planning the MMS sponsored Fuqua Friday, which is a huge Fuqua-wide event that offered a chance to showcase the MMS class. Lastly, I attend meetings with Duke’s Graduate Professional Student Council, where I can vote on issues representing the program in matters concerning the different graduate schools.

Overall it has been a great experience to contribute in an important role, while gaining leadership experience, and experience working within an organization. It is not without its challenges, but there is a wealth to learn from it.

Guest Blogger: Kaleena Wakamatsu (MMS '12)

As Juliana Taylor approached the podium at graduation, we all waited with intense anticipation. We had the opportunity to select a class speaker for our commencement ceremony, and we believed Juliana (who you know as a regular blogger) was the best candidate amongst our many talented classmates. As usual, Juliana did not disappoint. She began by describing the intense 10-month program of high-impact learning and training that brought us to this celebratory day.

Watch Juliana’s speech and the entire graduation ceremony.

Although each of our journeys was uniquely different, we stood unified in leaving The Fuqua School of Business more prepared to encounter the world. The program did exactly what it set out to do: it probed and challenged each of us to transform on both a professional and personal level. Juliana’s speech reminded us that from our very first day of orientation, the MMS program required us to be open to change.

Our hand-selected teams with classmates from various cultures, backgrounds, and experiences forced us to work collectively in ways that pushed us far beyond the limits of our comfort zones. Individually, we needed to accept the things we could not control and learn how to positively adapt to new techniques and working styles. As we charter our individual life courses now, we should always remember that things may never go according to plan and it is imperative to guard ourselves against being thrown off track.

Juliana gave an inspiring commencement speech.

Juliana realized that becoming champions of change often necessitates leadership. She urged us to be confident leaders regardless of our abilities or capacity. As she eloquently explained, “Leaders aren’t always the loudest or toughest. They are the ones who are visible through their ability to inspire and guide those around them. Show those around you that you are smart, capable and creative, not just by saying, but by doing. Show a commitment to your values and make that clear to those around you. Last but not least, show integrity in your personality as a leader so those around you may believe.”

Fuqua has prepared us to enter the world as bright, young leaders. With our promising futures ahead, we should embrace the advice of our graduation speaker and classmate, and confidently craft our life paths. I commend Juliana for her very inspirational speech and offer wholehearted congratulations to the MMS Class of 2012!

Guest Blogger: Janet Lee, MMS student

I am at a loss for words – I don’t even know how to begin to describe my experience at the MBA Games this past weekend. Although there were a few obstacles along the way, and a rough morning (thanks to the fun welcoming festivities with MBAs from different schools the night before), our problems disappeared the second we saw the smiles on the faces of our Special Olympians and their families.

Upon walking into Brodie Gym, where the games were held, I felt an instant wave of positive vibes and an all around feel-good atmosphere. Everyone was there because they truly wished to be, and we all shared a common goal, which was to make the Olympians feel welcome and to have a good time. Sharing this common goal made it easy to create new friendships with other participants.

As I’m writing this, my voice is gone because from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. we have been cheering, clapping, and laughing non-stop for our teammates and for other teams as we competed in games such as Dizzybat, Tug of War, Crabwalk, etc. But little did we know, our funny and embarrassing stunts were filmed and put together into a video by FuquaVision (they’re a student club and produce a variety of funny and satirical videos). The video was played after the closing dinner, and it recapped all the unforgettable moments.

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

Game Results

All the teams did a fantastic job during the weekend. I’m especially proud of my MMS team for coming in 4th place, ahead of the team from UNC! Go Team Fuqua! And congrats to the other top-placing teams:

• 1st — Syracuse
• 2nd — Purdue
• 3rd — Rice (The top fundraiser with more than $10,000! Very impressive!)

Of course the competition was friendly, and all for a good cause. I really loved every moment of the event, and my absolute favorite part was when the Olympians received their medals and gave their speeches. The looks on their faces were priceless, and their joy and gratitude emanated from within. Every speech was different but they were all genuine. Some danced, some chanted, and some were shy. We even held hands for one of the speeches when an Olympian asked us to pray along with her as she thanked God for all the participants who made the experience possible. I should have worn waterproof mascara because some of our athletes made me cry so much from happiness. Then there were other athletes who were ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS; there were definitely some talented comedians there. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

Special Thanks

Our team member, Kerry who has been in the Special Olympics for 10 years, made a speech after the banquet, in front of all the teams and her family and friends. She thanked the MMS team for the fun day that she had and the effort we put into helping the Special Olympics of North Carolina. But on the contrary, I want to thank HER for giving me the incredible experience that re-sparked my passion to give back to the community. Often, I forget to give back because of my hectic schedule and deadlines, but the Special Olympians and the teams from other schools who made the effort to drive down from different states, reminded me that I should always make time to give back.

I have never been more proud to be part of a Fuqua tradition, and am grateful to be given the opportunity to be a part of the first MMS team in the MBA Games! With the help of our friends and families, we were able to exceed our goal and raised $3,120 for the Special Olympics!

Thank you for all your support!

Guest Blogger: Janet Lee, MMS student

Wow … I can’t believe the MBA Games Weekend starts tonight! The games have been a tradition at Fuqua since 1989, when a group of students decided to invite their friends from other B-schools to raise money for the Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC). And this year, the first MMS team is participating in the event!

Every year, teams from B-schools across the nation are matched with two Special Olympians, and come to Durham for a weekend of friendly competition to fundraise for a wonderful organization that gives children with special needs the experience of sports, fitness, and new friendships. Since its inception, the MBA Games has grown to become the largest student-run philanthropic event at Duke; it has raised over $1.8 million for the Special Olympics in North Carolina!

Great Team with a Great Goal

Since December, the MMS team has been working hard to meet our goal of fundraising $3,000 for the MBA Games. We held fundraising events such as a Beer Pong Tournament and the Around the World Party. And now, during our final term of the MMS program, I can say for everyone, that our schedules have been incredibly busy. For this and many other reasons, I feel so lucky to have 11 great MMS team members who all volunteer their precious time and efforts to be part of the first MMS team in the MBA Games:

Ryan Cannon                       Max Rosenberg
Kaleena Wakamatsu            Zach Stegman
Andy Kole                           Joshua Sheets
Neil Shelat                           Katie Lootens
Daniel Dykes                       Juliana Taylor
Shontelle McGuire

Take Part in the Tradition

Coming into the MMS program, I had no idea what the MBA Games were, but now I am so honored to be given the opportunity to be a part of the first MMS team to participate in this Fuqua tradition. To be part of this event is very special to me not only because it is the only organization of its kind among B-schools but also because of the opportunity to give back to the community. Only problem is, we have not entirely met our goal. Speaking for myself, the MMS team, and the Special Olympics of North Carolina, we would really appreciate your support. Even a few dollars would help and there are many ways to support – by paper or plastic! Your donations can be given in person to any of the MMS team members listed above, or you can donate online. 100% of funds raised are donated to Special Olympics of North Carolina. We are proud to have it as part of our Fuqua tradition. We hope that you will join us in supporting the great work of SONC and celebrating the amazing athletes!!

We would also love to have you cheer us on at the MBA Games dance-off tonight after Fuqua Friday at 7:30 p.m, or come watch the games this Saturday. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your support.

Guest Blogger: Kim Lambert, second-year Daytime MBA student

As a second-year Daytime MBA student and Admissions Fellow, I’ve been interviewing prospective students, but for a program different from my own. I’ve interviewed candidates for the Master in Management Studies (MMS) program. The experience has been awesome!

During my time on the Admissions Travel Team, I visited Dallas, Miami, and Chicago, to promote all Fuqua programs. The experience provided the first opportunity to really understand the MMS program and its benefits – and since then, I’ve gained even more insight on this still new, one-year program.

Interview Process

I conduct some MMS interviews via Skype from home, so I’m really willing and eager to fit these opportunities to connect with prospective students into my schedule. I conducted a bunch of interviews during winter break, and with the huge rush of MMS applications, I completed 10 interviews this past week alone!

Read more about the interview process & policies on the MMS website.

It’s interesting for me as an MBA student to switch gears and do interviews with a younger cohort of MMS applicants. For example, behavioral questions are often answered with examples from undergraduate coursework and experiences from summer internships – rather than with examples from full-time professional positions, which is what MBA candidates usually do. But this isn’t a bad thing – the MMS program simply has a different candidate profile from the Daytime MBA. Many prospective MMS students are still in undergrad, looking forward to graduating this spring, whereas MBA applicants generally have at least 5 years of full-time work experience.

I often tell my interviewees how jealous I am that they get to pursue a great program like MMS right out of undergrad. Maybe if I had gone in that direction after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2006, I’d have a better and sooner understanding of where I want to be in the business world.

Insight & Advice

Of course, the MMS program is a big commitment and the program provides a significantly different way of life as a graduate student rather than as an undergrad, but it will be worth it. You’ll learn a lot, gain valuable connections, and be given opportunities to make a lasting impact at a top-tier business school.

I encourage all new MMS students to build a network as soon you come into the program, making sure to leverage relationships across Fuqua, especially with the Daytime MBAs. For example, second-year MBAs will start the school year after completing summer internships and they’ll be a great career resource. Also, the first-year MBA class will be coming straight from the working world and will no doubt have connections to colleagues in jobs from which they recently transitioned – and perhaps these could be jobs that you want.

I also encourage MMS applicants to check out my Admissions Q&As on the Daytime MBA student blog to get some idea of the interview process and to take advantage of my tips, many of which translate over very well to the MMS program.

All in all, getting to know prospective students for the new MMS class has been a great experience. I enjoy learning about what brought them to the program, how they believe they fit in with the “Team Fuqua” and Duke culture, and where they want to go in their careers. And I really look forward to the MMS Decision Release Day on March 26, and to receiving comments from all the new admits!