Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog

Although it feels like ages since I completed my MBA at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, that experience has never truly left me. It has shaped who I am, who I look up to and who I aspire to be.

Reflecting on the sun setting on my time here at Fuqua, I share the speech I delivered to my peers at the MBA Association Academy Awards event.

It was Fuqua that helped me mature. I feel not only prepared but excited for the next chapter.

Reflecting on my background helped to enable me up for my personal mission in Diversity and Inclusion (D&I). My first opportunity in D&I came in the form of supporting our recruiting team by going back to Temple, my undergraduate alma mater, to identify candidates to join the company.

School fit was an essential criterion when evaluating which school would be the best choice for me. Thus, attending the Workshop was a crucial step in my search process. Throughout the weekend, I was able to get a real sense of Fuqua’s overall community.

I had been researching business schools for a couple years, and after a while, all the top schools seemed the same. I needed something that would cut through the sound bites and similarities to know whether or not I, an openly gay individual, would belong.

As I was boarding my flight for a spring break ski trip in early March 2020, I thought our class had already been tested. And that had nothing on what was yet to come.

2020 is anything but boring. That’s what I always say to my friends and family. When we think we might finally have things figured out, there’s always something that takes us by surprise. And as an international student at Fuqua, I can say that has a special connotation.

Every year, Fuqua takes in about 60 incoming exchange students from all over the world. As a Fuqua student, the diversity they bring to our school is another great thing about the experience here