Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog

For all intents and purposes, I was born and raised in Southern California, but I ended up spending seven years abroad in Hong Kong and Taiwan before the first grade. I attended Duke for my undergraduate career, double majoring in Biology and English—yes, I am a Double Dukie!

After graduating, I moved to Minneapolis to work for Target Corporation as a merchandise planning business analyst. Basically, I made sure that your Target store had garlic, tomatoes, avocados, potatoes, and onions in stock. Two years later, I transitioned to CVS Health (formerly CVS Caremark) in Rhode Island. I wanted to reconnect with the healthcare industry and jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the retail pharmacy industry. My interest in healthcare meshed well with Fuqua’s Health Sector Management (HSM) certificate, one of the top reasons I chose Fuqua. I’m excited to be able to combine classroom learning and experiential learning as I explore different career options in the healthcare industry.

Even though I was at Duke before, I am thrilled that Durham boasts so many great changes, from new restaurants and bakeries to robust farmers’ markets and music events. I love being able to return to old favorites and to discover new ones.

A few fun facts:

1. I love to bake and keep a baking blog (www.easypeasybaking.tumblr.com).
2. One of my goals is to run a half-marathon each year—my first one was Disney’s Princess Half-Marathon which I completed in a hot pink tutu.
3. I road tripped to Indianapolis in 2010 to watch Duke win the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship, and I can’t wait to be back in Cameron Indoor Stadium to cheer on the team!

Fuqua activities: Admissions Ambassador (that means I get to hang out in the admissions lounge talking to prospective students!), Association of Women in Business (AWIB), Healthcare Club, Graduate and Professional Schools Alumni Affairs committee, Golf Club, Culinary Club.

I'm spending the summer in between my first and second year interning at Genentech in San Francisco and absolutely loving the experience. In my second year, I'm looking forward to serving the Fuqua community through AWIB, Admissions and the broader graduate and professional schools community through Graduate and Professional Student Council.

Posts by Connie:

• Reflecting on 2 Years at Fuqua - August 3, 2016

  It’s hard to believe that I’m now a Fuqua alumna. It seems like such a short time ago that I was making the drive down from Rhode Island to North Carolina to start…

  Read More

   

• 3 Tips for Balancing Relationships During Your MBA - May 6, 2016

  During Admissions’ Weekend for Women event for prospective students, the Association of Women in Business (AWIB) hosts several panels. One of them focuses on balancing relationships while pursuing an MBA, and I had…

  Read More

   

• Why an MBA: Our Stories - February 2, 2016

  Connie Chai When I graduated from college, I never thought I would go back to school to pursue my MBA. I had double majored in biology and English, and when I started my…

  Read More

   

• Culinary Talent on Display During ‘Iron Chef’ Competition at Fuqua - August 12, 2015

  Throughout my first year in Duke’s MBA program, I was constantly surprised by the many amazing talents of my classmates. The Culinary Club’s ‘Iron Chef’ competition at Fuqua certainly showcased those of the kitchen…

  Read More

   

• Fuqua Application Insight: Our 25 Random Things - July 7, 2015

  For the last several years, Fuqua’s MBA application has included the essay question that asks you to provide 25 random things about yourself—essentially 25 interesting facts. That question is back for the 2015-2016…

  Read More

   

• Recruiting Made Easy with the Help of Team Fuqua - March 31, 2015

  It’s hard to believe that I’m in the last term of my first year. The year really has flown by, and while academics and extracurricular activities have been a large part of the…

  Read More

   

• Exploring Health Care Careers on the West Coast - January 20, 2015

  After a jam-packed Fall Term 1, we had a week off for Fall Break. One of the options during Fall Break is to travel with fellow Fuqua students on company treks called Week-in-Cities….

  Read More

   

• Time for a Check-Up: Curing Health Care Through Innovation -

  One of the most exciting events that the Health Care Club hosts is its annual conference. The November 2014 conference focused on innovation, and I had the chance to listen to two discussion…

  Read More

   

• Why I Chose Fuqua - October 14, 2014

  As a proud Duke alumna, there was never any doubt in my mind that I would consider Fuqua when I was thinking about pursuing an MBA. I had a wonderful experience during my…

  Read More