It doesn’t seem long ago that I first entered the halls of my dream school, and yet here I am, already reminiscing on my time at Fuqua, the most glorious 10 months of my life. It is said that you don’t realize the importance of a moment until it becomes a memory, and I’m sure all my fellow classmates and our fabulous alumni can relate to what I am saying.

When I first came to the U.S., I was a shy, timid ambivert who had first stepped out of her hometown for an educational program. My parents dropped me off, and I remember ranting to them to take me back home after spending one night alone in a foreign apartment.

During graduation in May 2023, when my parents came again, my dad said, “10 months back you were arguing to go back home, and look at you now—not wanting to leave your new home behind.”

Such is the impact Fuqua had on me. I can still hear the buzzing of the Fox Center, the ping pong sessions with my classmates, the assignments, the professors, the endless 8 AM classes, team bonding sessions, late-night parties, term-end formals, campout, basketball games and so much more. I won’t lie, it wasn’t always fun, but it was all worth it because I was learning something new every day.  There was so much diversity in every team, embodying the Fuqua spirit. I made lifelong friends, and believe it or not, some of us are already planning our next trip together, wherever that might be.

In all honesty, I didn’t know 10 months could make such a profound difference on someone’s life. To all the prospective students or current students, my only advice is to make the most of this time no matter what program you are in. Make memories you can hold onto for a lifetime and create bonds for eternity.

With Fuqua Reunion celebrations approaching, these are a few lines I wrote to sum up everybody’s emotions:

Went from FDOC to LDOC real quick,

Time flew by, feels like the mind is playing tricks,

10 months gone by in a blink,

This feeling is really hard to sink.