As students at Fuqua, we embrace what makes us unique. The “25 Random Things” essay is an opportunity to step back from interviews, test scores, and resumes and reflect on our authentic selves. Beyond becoming a well-known piece of Fuqua’s admission process, the “random things” essay is an essential step in helping the Admissions team get to know us better.

Here are just a handful of the things that make us who we really are.

Caleb Walker

1. Working at Ally, I had a crush on a girl who worked on the 11th floor. We both volunteered for the 2017 Pride parade and spent the day together. That girl is now my wife.
2. My favorite tattoo is a small cartoon banana on the inside of my right elbow. It’s a reminder not to take myself too seriously.
3. Photography is a hobby I’ve wanted to explore since high school. I bought a Nikon after college. I’ve since sold photos of Iceland and solar eclipses and have eight hanging throughout my apartment.
4. Hoseya is a boy from Rwanda I’ve sponsored through Compassion International for five years. I became inspired after reading about President George H.W. Bush’s sponsorship following his passing.
5. I like to step out of my comfort zone. At 13, I learned to sing on a whim. I joined my school’s beginner’s choral group and continued to earn a spot in their honors group and the all-state champion’s choir.

Julianne Dahlman

1. Since 2018, I have logged 2024 hours driving a warship across a distance equal to eight times the Earth’s circumference (roughly 200,000 miles) and have operated with Japanese, South Korean, Australian, Canadian, Singaporean, Indian, Thai, and Filipino navies.
2. I have 32,555 photos on my phone and thousands more on my camera. My Pops (Grandpa) and my mom grew up loving photography and passed their passion along to me.
3. The most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen was from the summit of Mount Fuji.
4. I am extremely defensive about South Carolina barbecue sauce. North Carolina may have good barbecue, but nothing will beat the spicy yet tangy taste of South Carolina’s mustard-based sauce!
5. I am a huge movie buff. I recite President Whitmore’s speech from Independence Day every Fourth of July from memory. It’s my go-to party trick! Alongside my passion for movies, I love soundtrack music. From Hans Zimmer to John Williams, I can recognize hundreds of tracks within seconds of the introduction.

Kiara Cooper

1. Every Saturday during football season, you will find me cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs, a team I have been a fan of my entire life. My father was a middle linebacker at UGA in 1997. 
2. I have an irrational fear of ants after accidentally stepping on a fire ant mound during my ninth birthday party.
3. I was fortunate enough to know my great-great and great-grandmothers for the first 13 years of my life. Family is a huge part of my life, and I will always cherish being able to be close to the four generations above me. 
4. In a friendly, childhood competition, I was runner-up in a Ms. Pac-Man tournament. This made me extremely competitive in all arcade and board games, and even inspired me to purchase a miniature Pac-Man machine as an adult
5. I have three half-sisters, who just turned 5, 3 and 1 years old. After growing up an only child, learning how to be an older sibling, long-distance, has been an adventure.

Louis Wu

1. I share a birthday with one of my best friends. Each year, he likes to remind me that he’s older than me since he was born three hours earlier.
2. I’m a huge Pokémon fan. I still have my original cards from 20 years ago.
3. I haven’t had a sip of anything caffeinated in more than 7 years.
4. I’m also lactose intolerant, but I regularly push the boundaries and limits.
5. My grandmother was one of 15 siblings.

Queen Nwokonneya

1. My mom is my biggest inspiration. As a banker raising three kids, she taught me the value of resilience and that women can have it all—the career, the family, the life. This remains my mantra to this day.
2. I took a spontaneous trip to Mahe Island in Seychelles and stayed at the same resort where Ian Fleming got the inspiration for the James Bond novel “For Your Eyes Only.”
3. I was featured in a music video after attending an Afrobeats concert in London.
4. I almost got lost driving a quad bike through the red sand dunes and desert terrains in Dubai.
5. I am a massive Harry Potter fan. I also share a peculiar scar on my forehead. I have a passport cover which says, “Travelling to Hogwarts. If found, please return to Platform 9¾.” It makes me believe I am always on a magical journey.