Meet Duke Fuqua’s MBA Class Of 2022

P&Q: Your MBA program is associated with the “Team Fuqua” label. What exactly does Team Fuqua mean? What does the school do to make it a way of life?

RM: “Team Fuqua is a way of working which means bringing out the best in other people. We believe in the concept that your success is my success. This is part of our DNA at Fuqua which is why you see it in our application for admission. We actively seek students who share this belief and leadership mindset.

As a student, Team Fuqua becomes part of everything you do. Our curriculum is designed so that you actively engage in teamwork throughout our experience. We intentionally create diverse teams so that you must work with people who are different from you and meaningfully come to understand how those different perspectives help you reach a stronger outcome when you are working toward the same goal.

After graduation, we hear a great deal about Team Fuqua in the working world. Our graduates are often the leaders who win hearts and minds at companies because they truly appreciate the power that lies in differences and they have the skills that allow for true and meaningful collaboration.”

P&Q: What makes Durham such a great place to earn an MBA?

RM: “First of all, Durham is cool. It’s got a great art and food scene. It’s as eclectic and fun as any major metro area, without the massive traffic jams of a big city. It’s also really close to a major airport with direct flights all over the world.

We’ve also found that because our students like Durham, they hang around on the weekends, instead of scattering, like students tend to do in big cities. Therefore, the community is closer than they might be in a major metro area. We’ve heard from our students through the years that they feel their cohort bonded more in Durham than peers at other schools.”

P&Q: Fuqua is 15-20 minutes from Research Triangle Park. What has Fuqua done to connect with the various employers to create opportunities for students?

RM: “Companies from Research Triangle Park definitely recruit at Fuqua. However, so do companies all over the world. Sometimes I think people have a perception that going to Fuqua means you want to work in the southeast. That’s far from the case. Our top destination for graduates is the West Coast, as cited in our latest careers report. By all means, if someone wants to stay in the Triangle, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. However, our graduates are lucky in being able to go anywhere they like.

We have a number of programs in which students can partner with companies, including local companies. The Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP) allows students to engage in a real world consulting project for class credit. We also have the Fuqua Volunteer Corps, which we started during COVID-19 to allow our students and alumni to volunteer to help non-profits. Fuqua On Board matches students seeking board experience with non-profits to engage in a variety of ways. Finally, we also have a bustling entrepreneurship scene in Durham and our Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) fosters a variety of activity with local startups.”

12 REASONS TO CONSIDER FUQUA

What made Duke University’s Fuqua School stand out? Here ‘s what students say are the biggest benefits of a Fuqua education (in no particular order).

1) DQ: “At Fuqua we often discuss a leadership characteristic called Decency Quotient or DQ. DQ refers to being a decent human being and always doing the “right” thing regarding how we treat others.

Upon connecting with Fuqua during my initial business school visits, I immediately noticed that DQ was not a tagline for the school but a practice that all members of the Fuqua community embodied and considered when making decisions that would affect others. I identified with the idea of possessing DQ because, in my experiences as a leader, I have always made a conscious attempt and placed significant importance on considering the needs of others and empathizing with those who may be experiencing difficulties. I will also add that I appreciated the school’s boldness in speaking out against acts of violence and oppression.”
Ezban Morrissette (’22)

“The program is geared to amplify not only our IQ and EQ, but also DQ – Decency Quotient. Fuqua prioritizes developing leaders who are not only smart, but also have the inner will to do right by their teams, companies, and communities. This sealed the decision for me! It reflects in a novel and industry-leading curriculum, where, in the very first month, we dive deep into leadership, entrepreneurial thinking, and technological fluency – setting an important foundation for becoming leaders of consequence.”
Vineetha Athrey (’22)

2) Fuqua Friday: “I am most excited about partaking in Fuqua Friday, which is a social event that takes place almost every Friday and allows the Fuqua family to come together and learn about each other. I enjoy getting to learn about others and it is also nice to end the hectic school week in a relaxing environment with great food and conversation.”
Ezban Morrissette (’22)

“I love Friday nights at Fuqua because of how inclusive they are. Every Friday at 5:30, the whole school is at ‘Fuqua Friday’ on-campus eating, drinking, and having a great time. Then, later in the night, everyone goes to the same bar every single Friday. Every member of the class is invited and everyone will be there.”
Will Armour (’20)

3) Experiential Learning: “The experiential learning opportunities at Fuqua were one of the main strengths of the program. Specifically, I am very interested in doing the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP). I want to transition into consulting after my MBA, so I thought it was exciting to have the opportunity to apply what we have learned in the classroom and put it into practice by helping these organizations solve their most pressing challenges.”
Gabi Fernandez (’22)

4) Social Entrepreneurship: “Duke’s Fuqua School of Business has an award-winning resource for those who want to master social change. The Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship’s (CASE) social impact program forges the leaders who will help solve the world’s most pressing challenges. It is based on three pillars: competencies, connections, and community, through which students build solid skills, develop relevant networking skills and cultivate a support system that will help them become to be successful as social impact professionals. By the way, I am always proud to tell everyone that Melinda Gates is #TeamFuqua.”
William Ramos (’22)

“Without a doubt, it was the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) and all of its programming. CASE has incredible resources that align with my long-term career goals. I will have an opportunity to learn from incredible guest speakers, network with alumni and learn from unique experiences outside of the classroom. I am excited to jump in.”
Mike Pukala (‘22)

5) Healthcare: “Fuqua’s Health Sector Management (HSM) program was a significant factor in my decision to enroll at Duke. HSM is a certificate program available to students interested in pursuing a health-related internship or full-time career. It attracts students both with prior experience in health care, as well as students without. I loved the idea of having a smaller network and group of friends within Fuqua who were interested in health care, to say nothing of the invaluable alumni network and interesting coursework.”
Seve Gaskin (’22)

6) Team Fuqua: “I wanted to go to a business school that was student-led, collaborative and had a great student culture. When I started exploring which business school to go to, I realized that Fuqua had all this and so much more. Fuqua was a place where everyone believed that together they were stronger and better than they were individually. Fuqua is filled with smart, talented, ambitious people who want to make the world a better place and I wanted to be a part of this community because of that.

In addition to a great education and a strong brand, Fuqua was where I found my community. Team Fuqua is a real thing and I am privileged to be part of it. Moving to a new country where I knew no one was a tough decision to make, but I have been blessed to be part of a new family here at Fuqua. However, in retrospect,+ coming to Fuqua was the best thing that could have ever happened to me as I have made friends who both support me when I need help and who challenge my ideas and opinions to help me think through initiatives.”
Sahana Quandinya (’20)

7) Fuqua Special Olympics: “My favorite MBA event is the annual Fuqua Special Olympics Auction because it showcases the generosity of Fuqua’s students, faculty, and administration. Each year, the Fuqua community rallies together to donate over 100 items and has helped our club donate over $3 million dollars to Special Olympics North Carolina since its inception. The live auction is also an absolute blast as students band together competing to outbid each other for the top auction items such as ‘Dean for a Day’, Coach K Autographs, Duke Basketball Tickets, and dinners with the students’ favorite faculty.”
Kevin Rahill, Duke University (Fuqua)

8) Entrepreneurship: “Leaving Fuqua’s people and culture out of the conversation is tough, but Fuqua’s entrepreneurship opportunities were a key characteristic that attracted me to the program. While at Fuqua, I plan to engage with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to move through all phases of business creation. The experiential curriculum takes you through ideation to execution and scaling. I’m excited to get the opportunity to work on a new start-up idea with my classmates and see how far it goes.”
Jim Fiene (’22)

9) Friendsgiving: “My favorite tradition at Fuqua is the section Friendsgiving. During my first year at Fuqua, my entire section gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving and share a meal with one another. We all shared the things that we were thankful for and shared family recipes with each other. All the domestic students shared their Thanksgiving traditions with the sections and the kids of one of our section mates challenged each other over the wishbone. It was a great time to share our stories and enjoy an evening with each other. We repeated this with our First-Year Section in 2019 and there were over a 100 people who gathered to celebrate our first family within Fuqua.”
Sahana Qaundinya, Duke University (Fuqua)

10) Duke Basketball. “I know this is not a traditional business school trait we discuss, but it is so unique and impactful to our culture. It is something no other top program has. You might not expect it to permeate the MBA culture as much as it does, but people really bond over it.

Coming from Marquette, I know just how much college basketball can define a community. Marquette games and tournament runs framed my undergrad experience. It is rare to find any activity that can pull a whole school or community together, but basketball can. I hope to fully participate next year in home games, away games at UNC and Wake Forest, and camping out for three days for tickets in Krzyzewskiville! Go Blue Devils!”
Jim Fiene (’22)

11) Fuqua On Board: “I’m really excited about Fuqua on Board. I have worked in education and non-profit organizations for the entirety of my career. I’m looking forward to combining what I am learning at Fuqua with my prior experiences to support mission-driven organizations, so that they can more effectively manage their employees’ experience.”
Kelli Valdez (’22)

12) LEADS: “I am particularly looking forward to joining LEADS (Leadership Engagement and Discussion Series). LEADS organizes weekly meetings to discuss current events regarding leadership around the world. In addition, LEADS frequently invites business and academic leaders to share their leadership experiences. I expect the focused discussions will provide me a new perspective on leadership.”
Ross Feng (‘22)

 

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Vineetha Athrey	Bangalore, India	Visvesvaraya Technological University	Vineetha Athrey Consultants
Mariami Beshkenadze	Tbilisi, Georgia	Caucasus University	KPI Georgia
Rony Cepeda	Perth Amboy, NJ	Harvard University	Education Resource Strategies (ERS)
Xuebing (Ross) Feng	Qingdao, China	University of Massachusetts Amherst	Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Gabi Fernandez	San Juan, Puerto Rico	Georgetown University	U.S. Navy
Jim Fiene	Chicago, IL	Marquette University	Marquette University
Seve Gaskin	Charlotte, NC	University of North Carolina	Optum
Abby Larus	Chapel Hill, NC	Duke University	Mischief Management
Claire (Siyan) Li	Changsha City, China	Nanyang Technological University	Deloitte
Ezban Morrissette	Thomasville, AL	Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University	Naval Sea Systems Command
Mike Pukala	Elmhurst, IL	Northwestern University	Cru Global
William Ramos	Sao Paulo, Brazil	Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina	Banco Santander Brasil
Kelli Valdez	Olney, MD	University of Maryland	Teach For America