On a Friday in October, 250 students from Fuqua and the greater Duke graduate school community, together with faculty and staff, packed over 50,000 meal bags for Stop Hunger Now, a local non-profit. The meals will be sent to underserved individuals in 65 countries around the world. Stop Hunger Now is an annual event at Fuqua and it’s an incredibly fun way to spend an evening on campus before Fuqua Friday gets into full swing. All together, we packed 52,000 meals and raised $12,800.

This is just one example of service opportunities at Fuqua. Some others occur during the Consequential Leadership 1 course (better known as CLEAD 1) when each student participates in a Habitat for Humanity build day, or during the holidays when each class section buys gifts for families staying at a local shelter, or during the spring semester when members of the Net Impact club go to a local high school to teach an entrepreneurship course and during the annual Blue Cup competition when students at Duke and UNC come together to do a joint service event. In addition, there are plenty of opportunities to give back around the Durham community with the Duke University Hospital volunteer programs and other local non-profits such as Urban Ministries.

I have made it a priority to get involved with service at Fuqua, and even when (especially when!) things get busy and stressful, community service is a great way to be compassionate toward others, connect with the Durham community and remind ourselves of how fortunate we are to have the immense opportunities Fuqua provides.