As I decided to leave my full-time job and go to graduate school, one of the motivating factors to attend Fuqua was the opportunity to grow as a leader. When I attended Blue Devil Experience, an event for admitted students, I had the opportunity to chat with Fuqua fellows along with other student ambassadors. After learning about their experience, both as leaders in their cohort and changemakers in the school, I knew if I came to Fuqua, I too wanted to represent my cohort as a fellow for the MMS program.

Fast-forward through a big move, a few weeks of statistics classes, and a bunch of exciting bonding activities—the time had come for my MMS cohort to hold an election for our fellows. After an exciting election period, I was honored to be selected as one of the representatives for the 2023 graduating class.

As a student leader, I have had the wonderful opportunity to connect both with faculty and staff at the school and liaise between the student body and the broader Fuqua community. We also are the student voice when it comes to our programming activities and efforts. This is no small job! As a team, we meet weekly to discuss upcoming events with the goal to enhance the Fuqua experience for our classmates during everyone’s rapid 10-month stay in Durham.

Despite being only partially done with the program, we have accomplished a ton. Some of my favorite moments we’ve had so far include the celebration of the Lunar New Year, renting out Tobacco Road to watch a Durham Bulls game, trivia night, and of course the winter formal! One of the things I love about being a fellow is having the opportunity to infuse my graduate school experience with my passions. Personally, I am a huge proponent of mentorship. So this term, I am planning a lunch and learn event with MBA students to discuss mentorship within their industries to the MMS program.

By serving my cohort as a fellow I have had the pleasure to get to know my classmates more intimately and also have become great friends with the other MMS fellows. We are a close group and go out of our way to engage socially. It has been such a great experience to turn my classmates into teammates, and those teammates into friends. As a group, the fellows get together for dinners, lunches, and happy hours… and it has made my time at Fuqua even more enjoyable!

In this position, I have had the amazing opportunity to connect with people from all across the school and further develop my leadership abilities through budget management, team dynamics, and community impact. I couldn’t recommend the experience more highly, and I know that when I reflect upon my time at Fuqua, my time as a fellow will undoubtedly be a highlight of my master’s experience at Duke.