Duke Weekend Executive MBA Student Blog

This project was an opportunity to deepen the relationship with our peers and the relationship with the community, but it is also an opportunity to deepen the relationship with the institution and future generations of students.

This year, my Weekend Executive MBA classmates and I traveled to South Africa, and this trip was nothing short of amazing.

Life is challenging, but when you have a cheerleader on your team or someone who believes in you despite your flaws or fears, you can do what seems impossible.

As I looked ahead to a full term of new classes, a demanding schedule at work and a long list of summer activities for my toddlers, I wondered how I’d manage it all.

My hope isn’t that you see this as a story about overcoming obstacles through creativity and dogged perseverance. Instead, I hope to destigmatize the importance of being authentic to who you are.

I remember a few years ago when I began considering this process, I had no women colleagues who had even considered pursuing an MBA.

The truth is that every student, regardless of their military background, may have feelings of uncertainty going into an MBA program.

I am sharing two stories with the hopes that one of them will resonate with you and help you reflect on your own journey.

It wasn’t until I came to Fuqua, that I understood there was one more stage we should be striving to achieve, one of interdependence.

We brainstormed ideas on how we could have an event to tell the African story and what it takes to do business on the continent.