The “25 Random Things About Yourself” essay—it’s become a hallmark of Fuqua’s application. Admissions provided some great tips on how to approach it, and we wanted to share some of our ‘random things’ in case they provide inspiration for your own list.

Robyn Bernier

  1. My hair is so curly that when I was little, a stranger yelled at my mom for giving me a perm. She didn’t.
  2. My dreams of becoming a classical oboist were dashed when my middle school band teacher forced me to play the French horn instead.
  3. I have lived above my favorite sushi restaurant for two years. At least every other week, I order sushi for carry out and go downstairs to get it. Despite my frequent patronage, they still manage to get my order wrong more often than not.
  4. After going a little caffeine-crazy during my first job at a coffee shop, I have not enjoyed the taste of coffee much since. My drink of choice varies between drinks with white espresso, chai, or tea of any kind.
  5. I love horses so much that my farm-raised mother, who swore she would never set foot in a barn again, took me to my horseback riding lessons every week from when I was six years old until I could drive myself.

Janet Fu

  1. I am a creative person and enjoy creating fun and happiness for people. In one final presentation of my exchange at Duke Kunshan University, I directed and acted in a drama of a Taiwan soap opera called “Five Flowers” and presented a three-episode video to the whole class. My video created very fun moments in class and our team was then called “Drama Team.”
  2. I have great talent in imitating people’s voice. My imitation of my Thail boss speaking English always made my colleagues laugh.
  3. I love taking challenges. To overcome my fear of public speaking, I attended the English public speaking competition at my college and faced the audience of over 300 people. After that, I no longer feared making presentations to the public.
  4. Last winter I helped my friend keep her cat for 18 days. Okay, actually it was an 18-day fight with this cat who always jumped up and down and messed up my whole room. But I still miss the time having her gently lying beside me on the bed. These 18 nights are all sweet memories to me no matter how naughty she was in the daytime.
  5. My favorite actress is Arial (Yichen) Lin from Taiwan. I appreciated her courage to study abroad in the U.K. at the peak of her career. She gives me courage to always follow my heart and not care about others’ judgment.

Lily Kim

  1. I ran a 5K marathon for the first time in the Seoul Women’s Marathon in May this year. After the marathon, I added triathlon to my bucket list. Since I am already a lover of swimming, I will work on cycling and running, and try a triathlon one day.
  2. I love string instruments and enjoy playing the violin, ukulele, and guitar. At my undergraduate school, I played first and second violin the in orchestra for three years as a hobby. I love the sound of string instruments because they sound warm in general.
  3. I love watching female lead movies such as “Miss Sloane,” “Ocean’s 8,” and “Suffragette.” Whenever such movies come out, I try to go to a theater to see them with my friends.
  4. I got lost while heading to Montauk, east of New York, to see the sunrise on New Year’s day. My friends and I had to wait for a train at a very dimly lit station, outside in the dark and freezing weather and failed to see the sunrise that day. However, this happening changed me into a positive person thanks to my positive friend. Three months later, we made the trip.
  5. I love all kinds of noodles and pastas. Among them, my favorite is my grandmother’s homemade noodles.

Riva Parikh

  1. Imagine a professor, a psychology major, an artist, an engineer, and an entrepreneur under one roof. For some, this may seem like an eclectic mix, but this is what exactly my family is.
  2. Of all adventure sports I have tried, hiking is my favorite. I have reached an altitude of 16,500 feet above sea level, which is higher than the fourth highest mountain in the U.S., at the age of 16.
  3. I have a particular interest for physical maps. I have saved physical maps of most places I’ve been. I love exploring new areas in an old-school fashion.
  4. I prefer hot chocolate over coffee any day.
  5. You will often find me doing something outdoorsy. Most frequently this includes watching beautiful skies and star-gazing.

Kat Zempolich

  1. My friends describe me as, “a walking, talking, acting example of expressive individuality, humbly inspired to bring out the best in everyone, and enters every room with the perfect splash of spunk!”
  2. My favorite places to eat in Durham would be NanaTaco for lunch, Gonza Taco for dinner, and Cosmic Cantina for late night food—notice a theme?
  3. A quote I live by is, “Old ways won’t open new doors.”
  4. My favorite thing to do on a rainy day is watch old musicals and dig into a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Brownie Core ice cream.
  5. In undergrad, I was a member of the Duke Women’s Lacrosse team.