My journey to Fuqua was anything but traditional. Back home in Georgia, I found joy and fulfillment in pursuits like debate, where I had the honor of becoming a national champion and Model United Nations representative, earning more than 20 recognitions. I even tried my hand at entrepreneurship with a small wine startup. These experiences gave me confidence in my ability to collaborate, strategize, and adapt. But as I looked ahead to the future, I realized that I have an Achilles heel — the skills I relied on most were not enough to thrive in a data-driven world.

Coding and statistics, an area where I had no experience, felt intimidating. Just graduating from college, the idea of sitting in the same classroom with older, already established engineers, statisticians or programmers, where all the classes are graded on a curve was nerving, to say the least. Still, I was determined to grow. What I didn’t anticipate was how deeply I would come to value the teamwork and support that would help me navigate this challenge.

Getting Started in MQM

My first weeks in the MQM program felt like I’d accidentally walked into a sci-fi movie, and everyone else had read the script. My classmates were throwing around terms like random forest models and logistic regression, while I was still trying to figure out how to open a programming platform. During one of the first projects, I proudly announced that I’d written my first function. A teammate leaned over, looked at my screen, and kindly said, “I think you just wrote a very complicated list.” We both laughed, and I realized that maybe this whole process was going to be less about knowing everything upfront and more about learning from the people around me.

One of the most memorable moments in the program happened during our machine learning class. Professor Alexandre Belloni was teaching us the difference between predictive and causal modeling. He pulled up data from a dating app showing the opening messages that got the most responses. Physical compliments weren’t in the top three, which surprised a lot of us — until the professor pointed out that people who receive those types of messages probably get them all the time. “It’s not that compliments don’t work,” he said, “but if you’re constantly getting them, maybe they lose their edge.” The class erupted in laughter, and just like that, a complex topic became something relatable and memorable.

Growing as a Team

The teamwork didn’t stop in the classroom. During a summer team-building exercise at Triangle Training Center, we were tasked with climbing obstacles 25 feet in the air while our teammates held the ropes to keep us from falling. I’ll never forget the moment I was halfway up a wobbly pole, trying to psych myself up to take the next step. My team was below, cheering me on and cracking jokes to keep me laughing instead of panicking. “We’ve got you,” one of them shouted, and for some reason, that small reassurance made me push through. When I finally made it to the top, I realized something: these people had literally and figuratively been holding me up the entire program.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, of course. There were plenty of late nights spent debugging code or re-running models, only to have them fail again and again and again. But those moments never felt overwhelming because I wasn’t facing them alone. Whether it was a teammate patiently explaining Python syntax for the fourth time or a professor turning complex math into something funny and digestible, I always felt supported.

Forging My Path in the Fuqua Valley

In Georgia, we have a saying: “მარტო კაცი მთაა, მაგრამ ორნი – ბარი,” which translates to: A man alone is a mountain, but two are a valley. 

During the MQM program, I realized how much truth is packed into it. Being a “mountain” might sound impressive, but it’s exhausting — and honestly, not nearly as fun as walking through a valley with people who’ve got your back.

Through all the challenges, it wasn’t just about learning Python or statistics; it was about finding the people who made the journey easier and way more entertaining. They turned late-night problem-solving into moments I’ll never forget and made even the hardest tasks feel lighter.

So, we Georgians like to think that when life gives you a mountain, find the right people to turn it into a valley. You’ll thank yourself — and them — when you look back and realize the best part wasn’t the view at the top but the ones who helped you get there.