Keke Genio

Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

“A startup founder, YouTube creator, and volunteer business mentor with track records in digital marketing and transformation.”

Hometown: Malang, Indonesia

Fun Fact About Yourself: My name was taken from my mother’s favorite singer’s name (Nike Ardila, often called ‘Keke’) who passed away driving a Honda ‘Genio’

Undergraduate School and Major: Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bachelor of Entrepreneurship

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Startup Co-Founder & Education Content Creator (YouTube +300K Subscribers)

The MBA program is renowned for its “Team Fuqua” culture, which is predicated on six paired principles: Authentic Engagement, Supportive Ambition, Collective Diversity, Impactful Stewardship, Loyal Community, and Uncompromising Integrity. Which of these resonates most with you – and what does that principle demand of you as a Fuqua MBA? I believe that no one is self-made, which is why Supportive Ambition resonates with me the most. With more than 300 classmates in the Fuqua MBA Class of 2026, there will be more than 300 unique paths to achieving more than 300 different goals, and having a strong entrepreneurial mindset and digital marketing skillset will facilitate this journey.

Just as I share my experiences with my 300K+ social media followers, I plan to actively participate in Duke’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Duke I&E) initiatives and Marketing Club events. By doing so, I aim to make a positive impact not only within the Fuqua community but also throughout Duke University and the wider Durham area.

Aside from your classmates and school culture, what was the key part of Duke Fuqua’s MBA curriculum programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? One aspect of Duke Fuqua’s MBA curriculum that has influenced me is its flexibility. With many electives available and the Entrepreneurship & Innovation concentration, I can combine classes like ‘Raising Capital and Financial Technologies’, ‘Impact Investing,’ and courses from the Sanford School of Public Policy, such as ‘Innovation and Policy Entrepreneurship.’ The ability to enrich my knowledge beyond my concentration is particularly important since I am attending this MBA program on a full entrepreneurship scholarship from my government, Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance. After I graduate, I’ll contribute to increasing the number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia, and Fuqua’s curriculum will help me to accelerate it.

What has been your first impression of the Fuqua MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Fuqua story so far. My desire to enroll in Duke’s Fuqua MBA has grown stronger after reaching out to Fuqua’s Indonesian alumni in Jakarta, Indonesia. They emphasized Fuqua’s commitment to forming a close-knit cohort during and after our two years in the program. I mean, the fact that some of Fuqua’s Indonesian alumni were willing to help me with the endorsement form or one-on-one tutoring sessions, even though they are executives for major corporations, exemplifies the strong bond of Team Fuqua.

The spirit of collective success is a very important value for me since my primary reason for going to school again is to develop my business network and learn from the authentic engagement of others. Thus, during my time at Duke, I want to become a Daytime MBA Student Ambassador to continue the good deeds.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Duke Fuqua? I want to learn about social entrepreneurship and impact investing from the expert, Professor Cathy Clark. I also look forward to exchanging business insights with peers in the Melissa & Doug Entrepreneurs accelerator program and Duke’s Marketing Club. Not to mention, Durham is nestled in the Research Triangle, one of the most prominent high-tech research and development hubs in the United States. I will not miss the opportunity to participate in its programs through an internship to a local tech startup, an opportunity I believe proves why studying in Durham will help me to succeed in my goals. I consider my background and my career goals in entrepreneurship to be a perfect match with what Fuqua offers.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Receiving YouTube Silver Play Button when I reached 100,000 subscribers was one of the most defining moments in my life. I have to grow a channel from zero to more than a quarter of a million subscribers (314,856 as of writing this). I consistently make dozens of educational videos which have been viewed up to 15 million times by mostly teenagers and young adults. My experience in content creation has led me to various opportunities and networks that I would never have had without this milestone. These include becoming a business mentor at the United Nations Development Programme, Google, and several of Indonesia’s ministries. It is not solely about the number, but the positive changes that this channel might bring to Indonesia’s young generations.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? If I become more comfortable with making mistakes, I believe I will grow significantly, as growth often comes from discomfort. For example, connecting with people from completely different backgrounds might be intimidating at first. I may struggle with language barriers, cultural adjustments, and social pressures. However, by the second year, I anticipate seeing myself differently, having grown more open to exploration and understanding—qualities that are crucial in business.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Duke Fuqua’s MBA program? It took about two years, four GMAT/GRE tests, 13 applications to multiple universities, and nine rejections before I was admitted to the Daytime MBA program at Duke University.

First, be strategic with your application timeline. Many people forget that, besides studying for the GMAT/GRE and writing essays, we need to align our master’s application timeline with our career and personal life. This synchronization helps with stress management and optimizes our chances of acceptance. Especially for international applicants, I strongly recommend applying in earlier rounds, thus adjusting your timeline is very important.

Second, this long journey has taught me to stay true to myself. Stop trying so hard to create a persona that doesn’t resonate with who you truly are. I believe admissions committees can tell if your application is authentic. Good luck!

DON’T MISS: MEET DUKE FUQUA’S MBA CLASS OF 2026