Over the years at Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship, I’ve had the opportunity to help cultivate Fuqua’s ETA community, working with students, alumni, investors, searchers, and operators. Across more than 100 conversations, a set of patterns has emerged.

If you’re curious about ETA, or seriously considering it, here are five insights that have stood out to me.

1. Understand your motivations beyond financial outcomes and safety

Katherine Butler-Dines didn’t set out to become a business owner when she arrived at Fuqua.

She was a leader in the Duke MBA Finance Club and an early champion of ETA on campus, helping lay the groundwork for what would eventually become the ETA Club. After graduation, she stepped into an operating role at a private equity-backed company, doing meaningful work inside a structure that looked successful on paper.

Early in her tenure, a high-performing employee approached her with a request for a raise. The reason wasn’t opportunistic. Unexpected health expenses for a family member had created real financial strain.

Katherine supported the decision, but there was resistance from the private equity owner. The decision came down to protecting EBITDA margins in a quarter that was already behind target.

That moment clarified something no spreadsheet could. It wasn’t just about compensation. It was about control. About values. About who ultimately gets to decide what kind of company you run.

So, she started searching. For over a year, she worked nights and weekends, building a self-funded search alongside her full-time role. Eventually, she found Affinity Travel, a business aligned with her experience and passion for international travel. (You can read more about her story here.)

You don’t pursue this path because it’s safe or guaranteed. You pursue it because you are drawn to the process, the responsibility, the learning, and the opportunity to build something that reflects your own judgment.  That tension sits at the core of ETA. Yes, there are some extraordinary outcomes in ETA, but in those examples, you will find an entrepreneur who was driven by their mission of leading a small business. 

2. You don’t have to be a founder to be an entrepreneur

Katherine didn’t start a company from scratch. She acquired one. But that didn’t make her any less of an entrepreneur.

ETA challenges a common assumption in the MBA world that entrepreneurship is synonymous with founding. In reality, many ETA operators step into businesses with history, customers, employees, and momentum — then take entrepreneurial action to lead the culture and grow the company.

After a decade in finance and rising to Regional Vice President at John Hancock Retirement Services, Linh Tran found himself desiring more than the corporate life. He wanted more autonomy in his work and to see the impact of his decisions on the performance of the business.  He did not have an idea for a startup, but knew that he could identify a solid business.

He found a commercial refrigeration business in Atlanta, Advanced Commercial, and took the plunge. On his first day, no one knew he was the new owner. When someone asked if he was the tech guy there to fix computers, he simply went along with it.

For months, he kept a low profile. It gave him something far more valuable than a formal introduction. It gave him truth. He asked questions. What works well? What needs fixing? If you could change one thing, what would it be?

18 months in, someone finally asked, “Wait, are you the new owner?”

By then, it didn’t matter. He had already earned trust. This type of leadership, grounded in understanding problems firsthand and taking action, has enabled Linh to successfully scale the business.

3. The path is rarely linear

Don Grigg, owner of Big Adventures LLC, started with the acquisition of a struggling plastic recycling business.  Today, he operates a leading manufacturer of multiple kayak brands.

The recycling business seemed straightforward. Produce recycled plastic pellets and sell them into the market. But something didn’t add up. No matter how much he produced, prices didn’t move. Demand was effectively unlimited, but only at a fixed market price.

That realization changed the game.

If the selling price was fixed, profitability depended on how efficiently he could source and process raw materials. He shifted his focus to input, finding ways to acquire cheaper, dirtier feedstock that his facility could uniquely process.

Margins improved. The business stabilized, and he sold a healthy business.

From there, he acquired a plastic molding company with a kayak brand.  Now an industry player, Don’s next acquisition was a well-established kayak brand, which had excess manufacturing capacity. The real opportunity came with the acquisition of his third kayak brand.  By integrating production into his existing operations, he unlocked profitability.

What looks like a cohesive strategy today was, in reality, a series of insights built over a long period of time.  Along the way, Don learned that it’s not just about generating profits, but leading a sustainable business that provides meaningful work for others in a local community. 

4. Spreadsheets aren’t human, but good operators are

Businesses are not just financial models. They are systems of people.

What Katherine experienced was not a modeling error. It was a values misalignment.

What Linh understood early was that listening matters. His initial months in disguise were an investment in understanding the human side of the business. Later, he reinforced that through action.

What Don built was not just operational efficiency. It was a workforce that takes pride in their work and loyal community.

In ETA, especially in smaller businesses, these dynamics are immediate and personal. They compound over time, just like financial decisions.

5. Small in business, big on impact

One of the most underestimated aspects of ETA is the scale of impact. These are not headline-grabbing startups or billion-dollar exits. They are often small, steady businesses employing dozens of people. But for those employees, those communities, and those customers, the impact is anything but small.

Don’s businesses have provided stable employment for hundreds over time, built with a long-term mindset focused on durability.

Linh built a company where employees can do meaningful work while maintaining balance in their lives. As Advanced Commercial grew, he reached a point where he could hire a professional CEO, freeing his time to launch Apex Group, an investment fund backing self-funded searchers.

Supporting the Next Generation of ETA Leaders

Katherine, Don, and Linh are all Fuqua alumni and members of the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship ETA Advisory Council, a group of professionals deeply engaged in the ETA ecosystem. They contribute their time, expertise, and philanthropy to advancing ETA within the Duke community, supporting both students and alumni as they explore and pursue this path.

To learn more about their individual ETA journeys, I encourage you to listen to their appearances on the Acquiring Minds podcast here:

• Why Choose Ownership Over Being a CEO (Katherine Butler-Dines)
• The Dream Outcome: From $300k to $5m EBITDA (Linh Tran)
• Exiting for Millions vs. Long-Term Hold (Don Grigg)

The reality is, many people will explore ETA.  Fewer will pursue it. And that is exactly as it should be. ETA is a commitment to showing up every day and making decisions, often imperfect ones, in service of your customers, your employees, and your business over a long period of time. 

For those who pursue it, there is a community to provide support and guidance along the way. In Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship, we provide immersive experience and support for an ETA Cohort of graduate students each year. These are students with a clear ambition for pursuing ETA either immediately upon graduation or as a next step in their career. 

The post 5 Defining Themes of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

As a former registered nurse, military veteran, and mom of three young kids, I was drawn to the idea of owning and operating a business, especially in health care. ETA felt like a natural fit. But once I arrived at Fuqua, I quickly realized how overwhelming the path could be.

Between managing core coursework, recruiting, and family life, figuring out how to actually “do ETA” on my own felt daunting. The opportunity was exciting, but without a clear path forward, it was hard to know where to start or how to keep going. That’s where Fuqua’s ETA community made all the difference.

A Built-In Support System

ETA at Fuqua is more than just a club, it’s a deeply supportive and structured community. The student-led ETA Club is filled with classmates actively exploring or pursuing their own searches, creating a strong sense of shared ambition. But what truly sets the experience apart is the ecosystem built around it, led by Ben Thomason.

Through the ETA cohort that he leads, I found the structure I didn’t even realize I needed. The cohort connects students with alumni searchers, those who have acquired businesses and those still searching, as well as investors, legal experts, and ETA-specific coaches. Each week, we meet to share updates, ask questions, and talk through challenges. That consistency creates accountability, but more importantly, it creates a sense of community in what can otherwise feel like a very independent journey.

Just as importantly, the cohort helped me define what ETA needed to look like for me. Balancing career ambitions with a young family means I’m not just looking for any opportunity — I’m looking for one that offers autonomy and the ability to grow at a pace that fits my family’s needs. ETA provides a path to build something of my own while also creating long-term value and, hopefully, generational wealth for my family. It’s also an opportunity to give my kids a front-row seat to what it looks like to own and operate a business.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from the cohort is how to approach ETA in a way that’s both ambitious and realistic. That means being intentional about how I spend my time, leaning in when I can, and recognizing that even when I have to step away for family priorities, the work I’m doing is contributing to something I own and am building for the long term. The cohort helped me move from feeling overwhelmed to having a structured, flexible path forward.

Hands-On Learning That Makes ETA Real

Beyond the cohort, Fuqua brings ETA to life in practical ways. We’ve had opportunities to visit and learn from a range of businesses, including a kayak manufacturing company, an outdoor adventure business in Western North Carolina, and a home health care company in Charlotte. These visits, paired with candid conversations with owners and operators, gave me a much clearer picture of what the ETA journey actually looks like.

Through those conversations, I learned about the different paths to funding a search and acquisition, whether through Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, raising capital from investors to create a search fund, or joining a traditional search firm with the opportunity to operate the business post-acquisition. Just as valuable were the insights into what makes a strong acquisition target: businesses that are already profitable but have opportunities for operational improvement, and those with a diverse customer base rather than heavy reliance on a single client.

I also gained perspective on what happens after the acquisition. Hearing how operators think about implementing change, what needs to happen immediately versus what should wait to maintain employee trust and continuity, made the role feel both more complex and more achievable.

What stood out most to me, especially within the Triangle’s ETA community, was how willing people are to give back. Whether they are actively searching or already operating a business, there is a genuine openness to share experiences, lessons learned, and advice. That level of support makes what could feel like an intimidating path far more accessible and reinforces that ETA, while independent in nature, is not something you have to navigate alone.

From Overwhelming to Possible

For me, ETA at Fuqua has been about more than learning a new career path; it’s been about finding a way to pursue a long-term goal with clarity and confidence. What once felt overwhelming now feels possible, and more importantly, sustainable for my life.

The post Navigating Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition as an RN, Veteran, and Mom appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

That pivot brought me to Fuqua. I showed up for Orientation carrying a lifetime in the arts, an eagerness to learn, and a five-month-old baby. One year later, I have a few hard-won lessons. While my path looked nothing like the person sitting next to me, I learned that it is not a weakness, it is an edge.

If I were starting over, here’s how I’d approach my first year.

1. Come In With a Plan, and Make It Your Own

The MBA moves fast, and you will feel pressure to follow the clearest path in front of you. Commonly, this is consulting and banking, due to their structured recruiting timelines. Before the noise of the first term kicks in, think through your career goals and map out plans A, B, and C.

For me, a role with a mission-driven health care company was my north star. Knowing early that consulting and banking were not for me saved real time, but I will be honest: I only had a plan A, and that was stressful. I got lucky, it worked out. If I could go back, I would not leave that to chance. Set your plans before you arrive, trust your instincts, and run.

2. Know Your Priorities and Rank Them

You cannot be in five places at once, and the MBA will ask you to try. Make a clear ranking before you arrive so every decision has an easy answer. And know they will shift over your two years, but it is best to have a starting point.

Mine were non-negotiable:

1. Being a present mom
2. Academics
3. Recruiting
4. Social events

I said no to a lot and felt FOMO (fear of missing out), but I never agonized over a decision. That clarity was one of the best things I did for myself all year.

3. Take Coffee Chats Seriously

Coffee chats can feel forced and their value unclear, but do not underestimate them. These connections become your advocates in ways a resume simply cannot. Use the alum database, talk to guest speakers, and always follow up.

I ended up interviewing with four people I had originally connected with through coffee chats. As someone pivoting both industry and function, from ballet to health care strategy, I had no built-in network to draw from. Coffee chats were how I built credibility from scratch. If you are making a big career pivot, this is your most powerful tool.

4. The Internship Is a Test Drive

I put enormous pressure on myself about my summer internship. After 10 years at one organization, I had convinced myself that the company I interned with had to be my long-term fit.

Instead, consider the internship as your opportunity to try something out. Yes, you want a return offer, but it is equally valuable to discover what lights you up and what does not. I had to actively remind myself that this is a testing ground, not a final answer. Give yourself permission to learn from it.

5. Explore Duke Beyond the Fuqua Bubble

Fuqua has so much to offer, and so does the rest of Duke. There are university-wide events, wellness resources, and entire academic communities that most Fuqua students never tap into.

For me, it was ballet. Wanting to keep it in my life, I started taking ballet classes with undergraduates at the beautiful Rubenstein Arts Center on Duke’s campus. It brought me a sense of joy and grounding that I did not realize I was missing. It connected me to students, professors, and graduate dance faculty from completely different walks of life.

Next year, I plan to stretch past the confines of Fuqua by taking a nonprofit management course through the Sanford School of Public Policy. Whatever your version of this looks like, find it. The best parts of your Duke experience might be waiting just outside the building.

The MBA is a lot of things at once: an academic experience, a career accelerator, a social community, and, depending on where you are in life, a personal challenge that runs parallel to everything else happening at home. As you get ready to start your first year, know that there is no single “right” way to do it. If you’re a non-traditional student, a career-pivoter, or someone juggling a personal life alongside school, just know that the Fuqua community has room for your whole story.

The post From Ballet to MBA: What Year One Taught Me appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

Entering Fuqua

I remember saying early on that Fuqua felt like a whole new world. The environments and assumed experiences were all unfamiliar. But I was quickly struck by how much I had in common with the people around me. We were all heavily goal-oriented, and about to face the same gauntlet of exams, recruiting, and everything in between.

When introducing myself, I would say I was from the Caribbean, assuming most people didn’t know about Dominica. My classmates pushed back. They asked where in the Caribbean, and when I hesitated, they encouraged me not to generalize, not to shrink my authenticity for convenience, but to say I’m from Dominica. That small shift impacted how I showed up in every room afterward.

Without an obvious identity-based community to lean on, I let my interests lead. I joined the Business in Africa Club, the Christian Business Fellowship, the Duke MBA Energy Club, the MBA Association, and more. It took time, but the relationships I built across those spaces, with people from genuinely different backgrounds and corners of the world, became some of the most meaningful of my time here.

Traveling With Purpose and Bold Expression

Fuqua also made the world more accessible. Since arriving, I have traveled to nearly a dozen new countries across three continents, many alongside classmates. I led a Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE) to South Africa, traveled through Southeast Asia, and visited China. Each trip was immersive in a different way — lions on the savanna, elephant sanctuaries, a civilization so vast I stopped trying to comprehend it and simply tried to be present. In every destination, I was also myself, a person from a small Caribbean island, and never shied away from bringing that perspective into the conversation.

That instinct carried into the classroom. In Climate, Sustainability, and Corporate Governance, we examined Guyana’s emergence as a new oil producer. For me, it was personal. I spoke about what that kind of resource discovery means for a small Caribbean nation — the promise and the historical weight behind it.

As a fellow with the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), I found the intellectual home I hadn’t known I was looking for. Energy, sustainability, and economic equity were never abstract concerns for me. Fuqua gave me the language and tools to do something with them.

Reframing the Standard

Even so, imposter syndrome has a long memory. The gap between my background and that of many classmates surfaced often. The shift came during a session with Maria Kim of the Redefine Alliance, who pointed out that the room was not built with people like me in mind. Measuring yourself against a standard designed for someone else is beside the point and has no bearing on your belonging or contribution. That perspective didn’t eliminate the doubt, but it redirected my energy toward what I was actually here to do.

As I celebrate graduation, I am proud. Proud of the community I found, the perspective I contributed, and the person I became here. To anyone wondering whether a place like Fuqua could be for them: it can. I hope my being here makes that a little easier to believe.

The post How I Embraced My Identity as a Fuqua First appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

Upon my return to the U.S., I moved to Durham, completed a pre-MBA consulting recruitment, and dove right into my first year. Unknown to me, this would be the hardest challenge of my life; processing my grief, whilst trying to make the most of this experience I had worked so hard for. Now, with graduation just weeks away, I can reflect on how grief taught me to lean into my community, have grace for myself and others, and to embrace both the joy and pain of life.

Leaning Into Community

During orientation, I took some time to myself and went to a classroom. A second-year student and member of Black Business Students Association (BBSA) came over to me and asked if I was okay. I shared what was going on with her, and she offered her support. Later that night, I received a message from the BBSA co-president, letting me know she was there for me in any way I needed.

That moment set the tone for my experience at Fuqua.

There were days when I struggled to stay awake in class after sleepless nights, and moments when my mind drifted far from case discussions to memories of my mum. One of my professors took the time to meet with me one-on-one over Zoom, walking me through the material to make sure I didn’t fall behind.

In the midst of it all, I found my people. Friends and faculty who I’ve laughed with, cried with, traveled with, and leaned on. This is one of the greatest gifts from Fuqua: relationships that can walk you through the valleys and hills of life.

I also leaned on Duke’s counseling services, where I found a space to be honest and share what I was going through. Outside of campus, a GriefShare group through a local church became another source of comfort and healing.

Giving and Receiving Grace

Many times, I’d meet people, and they’d say, “you’re so lucky you’re not recruiting”, and I was. However, they didn’t know the personal struggles I was facing, walking through grief in a new environment, far from my family and friends. I also had to realize that other people were going through different things I could not relate to, like starting a family, dealing with rejections or walking through personal hardships at Fuqua.

The point is, life was happening to all of us. We all need to extend grace and a listening ear, because behind every smile you see, there may be a silent battle.

The Dual Track of Joy and Pain

Navigating life at Fuqua wasn’t easy. I had exciting, fun new experiences, whilst simultaneously living in the reality of my loss. At times, I’d go from a fun social activity to a teary conversation with a friend. I learned to take life as it comes, to take it one day at a time.

For a type-A planner, this was hard, but I quickly realized it was the only way I would survive this season of my life. Sometimes it’s okay to take life slowly and figure things out as they come, especially when navigating the unknown. My faith and trust in God were a pillar for me in this time — a reminder that even through the darkest nights, joy will come in the morning.

I’m sharing this now because I wish I had opened up sooner. Being honest about where we are and what we need can be the first step to healing and can make the journey a little lighter.

I frequently look back at messages my mum sent me before I started school. She was so excited for me — and even shared she wanted to come do her Ph.D. in North Carolina, although she ended up in Minnesota. This journey has had its moments of joy and sorrow, but her memory and honoring her have steered me through.

In her memory, I implore you to focus on what matters most in your life. Think of the legacy and impact you leave on others, and live authentically by being true to yourself. In other words, embody something we describe at Fuqua as leaders of consequence.

The post How Grief, Grace, and Community Shaped My Fuqua Experience appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

1. Build community before you arrive.

At Blue Devil Weekend last year, I met a few classmates I genuinely connected with. We stayed loosely in touch over the summer through occasional check-ins. By orientation, I wasn’t walking into a room of strangers. I was reconnecting with people.

Fuqua runs on relationships. That doesn’t happen by accident. My advice to admitted students over the next few months:

• Reach out to 3–5 classmates and schedule short virtual coffees.
• Start a small group thread around a shared interest (fitness, housing, books, or something else).
• Learn at least 10 names before classes begin.

Those early conversations make the first week feel less overwhelming and a lot more human.

2. Lean on your support system early.

During Fall 1 (our first six-week term), I didn’t do as well as I hoped on an economics quiz. A few days later, my professor called from his personal number. He offered to walk through the material over Zoom and made it clear he believed I could master it.

That moment changed how I saw the school. Faculty, teaching assistants, and classmates are invested. But they can’t support you if you stay quiet.

Before you arrive, and once you’re here:

• Practice asking questions before you feel fully stuck.
• Go to office hours at least once early in the term, even if it’s just to clarify one concept.
• When something feels difficult, treat it as a cue to engage rather than withdraw.

3. Don’t wait until you feel “ready.”

Imposter syndrome is loud because everyone arrives sounding so polished. From the outside, it looks like everyone has it figured out; from the inside, we’re all stretching in real time.

I remember the first time I spoke up in class to bring my work experience to a business case. I was intimidated, but when I finished, the relief was immediate. The best part? Walking out for a break and having classmates smile and clap for me in the hallway.

To make the most of this:

• Speak up in meetings even when your thought isn’t perfectly formed.
• Plan to apply for one opportunity during your first term that feels slightly uncomfortable. For me, it was an improv class.
• Treat class breaks as a time to check in, not just a time to check your phone.

You’ll learn quickly that participation matters more than polish.

4. Pay attention to how you show up on teams.

You’ll be pushed in finance and strategy, but the real test is how you handle the friction and friendship inside a team. At Fuqua, you are assigned to a C-LEAD (or consequential leadership team, which you will work with throughout the core curriculum) from day one. My team was global, and beyond managing deadlines and assignments, we built a family. We shared personal goals early, which allowed us to genuinely cheer for each other during recruiting. Whether it was meeting each other’s kids or regular dinners, that trust made the hard work possible.

Over the first few months at Fuqua, I recommend students:

• Ask a trusted peer how you tend to show up in group settings.
• Notice your stress response. Do you overcommit, withdraw, try to control?
• Set one simple behavioral goal for your first term.

Fuqua works best when you engage with it. Academics matter, but so do generosity and the willingness to contribute before you feel comfortable. Spend less time optimizing the experience from the outside and more time preparing to participate in it. That’s when it starts to feel like Team Fuqua.

The post What I Wish I Had Known Before My First Year at Fuqua appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

Fuqua is widely recognised as one of the most student-led MBA environments in the United States. Yet its distinctive six-week term structure introduces a unique leadership challenge: how do you sustain and transmit culture in just 18 weeks?

In most organisations, shaping a strong culture takes years of consistent leadership. Here, we have only three academic terms to set direction, build momentum, and hand over the baton across our various clubs and organizations, before stepping aside.

As I have transitioned away from my role as co-president of the Duke MBA Tech Club, I’ve found myself reflecting on how different student leaders across the Fuqua ecosystem have navigated such a compressed timeline. To explore this, I’ve invited peers and friends who were responsible for various parts of the ecosystem, to join me in sharing their perspectives.

Their responses reveal different strategies, but share a common recognition: culture here is not inherited, it is actively constructed through effort and recognition of its value. At the end of this article, I summarize some takeaways as we hand leadership to the Class of 2027.

Sally Sandoval, Vice President of Student Life

The official title of my position is technically “Vice President, Student Life,” but I like to think of it more as a CVC role (Chief Vibe Curator) for the Fuqua student body.

One thing about me, above anything else, is a dogmatic belief that vibes are absolutely paramount and something I take incredibly seriously. Whatever needs to be done to ensure the presence and maintenance of good vibes flowing through this program is the CVC’s mission statement. Whether that’s coordinating with different clubs to host Fuqua Fridays, leading a team to plan a formal for 800+ people, connecting faculty and staff to students, or even just playing music in Fox during class breaks, the CVC looks for any opportunity to maximize fun-holder value.

One of the many great things about vibes is that they’re magnetic. Good vibes will gravitate to good vibes, and that’s exactly how I ended up with the teams surrounding me. People who are equally committed to delivering the Fuqua experience: our MBA Association (MBAA) co-presidents Gabby and Ben; my cabinet champions, Leah, Colette, and April; the ladies down in the Office of Student Life, just to name a few, are the real reason we’re able to serve our class.

Philip Coale, President of the COLE Fellowship

The Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE) Fellowship is unique among Fuqua’s student-run organizations in that there is very little overlap between cohorts. Second-year students in the Daytime MBA program serve as COLE Fellows. We select our replacements in February. Thus, the COLE Fellows from the classes of 2026 and 2027 overlap for only six weeks.

We are a community of coaches who invest in the leadership development of first-year students. We seek to model the standard of leadership we want to see embodied in all Fuqua students. That is the foundation of our culture. We transmit this culture through our interactions with first-year students.

The COLE Fellow assigned to each C-LEAD (or consequential leadership team, a group of students that work closely together through the core curriculum) is often a student’s first exposure to Team Fuqua in action. This example shapes first-years’ understanding of COLE culture. Those who seek to share that culture self-select into it when they apply to become COLE Fellows. We use a lengthy application process that involves written statements, interviews, peer recommendations, and an all-day selection to further screen students. We are incredibly lucky that more qualified students apply than we have seats to accommodate.

AJ Forchette, Co-President of the Duke MBA Consulting Club

Fortunately, within the Consulting Club, we are not starting from scratch each year. We inherited a strong foundation of rigorous preparation and community, deeply aligned with Fuqua’s Paired Principles. Our role in club leadership was not one of transformation, but of stewardship, continuing a legacy of excellence while introducing thoughtful, necessary change. We led with a listening-first mindset, addressed challenges directly, and implemented improvements through clear, unified communication. With second-year volunteers, we leveraged shared experiences to inspire involvement and empowered them to take ownership of new initiatives.

Eighteen weeks is not a long time to build culture, but it is more than enough time to demonstrate it. At its core, our focus was simple: people helping people. We tapped into the innate desire to share knowledge and experience, creating opportunities for second-years (who may not always be older, but carry the critical advantage of experience) to teach, coach, and support first-years.

This was done without expectation, hinging on the belief that it would be paid forward. In our club, culture is formed through action: a willingness to invest time and effort today so that the next generation is stronger tomorrow.

Bianca Valladares, Co-President of American Latinx Management Association (ALMA)

I don’t believe culture should follow a rigid timeline. At Fuqua, the student experience begins the moment you receive your acceptance letter. The MBA application process asks a lot of you, and it’s important to me that ALMA honors that effort from day one. As co-president, my role is to remove barriers and serve as a connector. To me, building culture follows one proverb: “Shared joy is double joy, and shared sorrow is half a sorrow.”

To bridge the gap between classes early, we emphasized connection by establishing the official “ALMA Class of 2027” WhatsApp in February 2025. I invited our club cabinet to join, and together we built a space that was both professional and personal. We fielded pre-MBA recruitment and logistical questions, but we also texted during conferences and shared vacation pictures. By the time the chat officially merged into a space for first- and second-years, the energy to meet more ALMA members was already there. When sign-ups for our ALMA retreat filled within 15 minutes and our big/little mentorship program doubled in size, I knew we had something special.

Beyond the first-year experience, I’ve made it a priority to uplift our second-year students serving in leadership roles across Fuqua — from co-presidents of other organizations to our various fellows. It’s important to recognize the work they’re doing in service of all our community.

Eliot Digby-Jones, Co-President of FuquaFit

It would be amiss for a Fitness Club co-president not to include a sports quote. So, Richie McCaw’s philosophy, leading the famous New Zealand rugby team, of “leaving the jersey in a better place,” resonated with me. I strongly believe that student club presidency is a job of stewardship rather than traditional leadership. Our belief was to focus on being a good custodian and setting the club up for future successes.

We inherited a club that saw less consistent engagement in the previous year. Therefore, our biggest win was to take those standards and try to elevate them, rather than reinvent them. We wanted to create new and more frequent ways for people to engage with fitness, build community, and see FuquaFit as a resource for their overall wellbeing. So, we leveraged the momentum of like-minded initiatives and introduced accessible offerings through local studio partnerships to get students engaged and excited about FuquaFit again.

In this MBA bubble, authority is limited and time is compressed. Therefore, to help us focus our efforts and direction, I led with asking myself the question, “What is, or what can be better because I am here?” and not, “What am I trying to build?”

Ultimately, there are many things you can’t control about the next cohort, or the future of Fuqua. But across these conversations, a few themes stood out to me:

• Culture is reinforced in integrated moments. Connecting beyond club affiliations is what really brings Team Fuqua together within each class. Sally’s team’s success highlighted how a stronger sense of community can drive both appreciation and increased engagement across other club events. Culture is often shaped by how others behave, and we’ve seen this year that when energy is high, attendance is high, and culture gets transferred more effectively! Bianca also emphasised the importance of supporting organisations beyond your own. The lattice structure is what keeps Team Fuqua running at all times, and having a support system from other student leaders keeps the motivation (and empathy) high.
  
• Early touchpoints shape long-term experiences. ALMA’s approach of introducing their first-years to the community gradually enables that slow relationship-building you don’t have much time for, once class starts. Philip and the COLE team take this theme to the next stage, as they set the foundations of the academic and team experience. As a COLE Fellow, the role is both intimate and ongoing, requiring consistent engagement with first-years to reinforce core values and help navigate the balance between individual ambitions and collective goals.
  
• A ‘pay it forward’ mentality sustains career communities. First-years engage and rely on career clubs before they consider leadership positions in their second year. The consulting industry is more consistent than others, like tech, where the market is more unpredictable. That being said, encouraging a ‘pay it forward’ mentality is really important across all career clubs — knowledge and strategy sharing is vital. After all, helping any Fuquan get into a good role is a great outcome for our community, in the short and long term!
  
• Culture extends beyond academics and careers. Fitness is a huge part of wellbeing, yet is often deprioritized in favor of careers and academics. Eliot’s practical approach to building greater (and sustainable) engagement is a strong example of how to embed lasting impact. Ultimately, culture is not only transmitted through core academic and professional activities, but also through the sharing of personal pursuits and everyday habits.

Champions of Team Fuqua who choose to invest a lot of energy into the community, like those featured in this article, are the reason we really believe in Fuquans’ ability to thrive in the long term. Every business school has its own distinct culture, but as you can see, I think we’re pretty proud of ours.

This article was written with minimal AI intervention to capture contributors’ true intent.

The post How We Build Culture in 18 Short Weeks: Perspectives from Student Leaders appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

While I knew I wanted to get an MBA, I wasn’t sure exactly which industry or function I wanted to pivot into. I just knew I didn’t want to work for a bank anymore, and I was not interested in going into consulting or investment banking.

Initially, UNC had the upper hand. I was a business major in undergrad, so I knew the buildings, the professors, and how to get the best tickets to the basketball games. However, once I started attending admitted students’ events and learning more about each business school, I realized that Fuqua might actually be the better option for me. I felt that it had much better infrastructure in place for students who weren’t interested in recruiting in the traditional paths. At Fuqua, I would have the support no matter which career path I took.

Exploring a Career in Sports

Fall in business school is all about recruiting, and I was just beginning to explore different fields. My first foray into pursuing a career in the Media, Entertainment, and Sports (MES) sector was during the Week in Cities trip over Fall break. Various professional clubs host a week-long trip to different cities, during which students can visit potential employers.

I thought MES’s trip to New York City aligned most with my interests. Who wouldn’t want to visit a Nike or Major League Soccer office? (You can read more details about the companies we visited in James’ blog post.)

This trip was transformational, as it not only gave me amazing connections in the industry — many of whom were Fuqua alumni — but also helped me start to envision a clear career path for myself in sports.

Gaining Hands-On Experience

After returning from New York, I had a plan: I was going to recruit for sports. But I didn’t have any sports experience on my resume… and at this point, I didn’t have any other direction besides just sports.

Even as someone with a deep-seated dislike for Duke athletics, I know I am lucky to be at a school with a renowned athletics department. At Fuqua, there’s also an opportunity for select students to serve as Duke Athletics Fellows (DAF), a mentored study program that provides experience working in sports. There are several verticals within DAF, including finance, NIL (name, image, and likeness), women’s basketball, and more.

I am working with a fellow Section 5-er on the data analytics vertical. We work closely with the men’s lacrosse team to analyze data from their games and practices in Catapult, a performance analytics tool. This year-long project has been helpful in establishing connections with a team, using my data analytics skills in a sports environment, and learning more about a sport I previously knew little about.

Creating My Own Opportunities

While Fuqua does provide some structured opportunities for those recruiting for MES, including having a dedicated career coach in the Career Management Center (CMC), it still requires a custom job search. This means that the MBA-to-employer pipeline is different, with many of the companies (or teams/leagues) being smaller, less likely to come to campus to recruit, and there isn’t a long list of previous MBA intern hires (yet). I had to take the initiative for my recruiting journey, and that played out in a few different ways.

1. Networking

Being a former UNC and current Duke student has its perks: double the network to reach out to — but the duke.edu email does scare people at first. (I’ve never slid into so many LinkedIn DMs!) It’s also been nice to lean on my classmates with strong connections to the industry (shout-out Zach Levinthal). A warm introduction is always helpful in getting an initial response.

2. Attending Industry Events

The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (SSAC) is another opportunity that I decided to take advantage of as a student. SSAC is open to everyone, not just students, but the student discount makes it more feasible.

While Fuqua has plenty of amazing student-led treks available during Spring Break, I decided to use this time to help further my career. Not only did I connect with Fuqua alums in person and listen to excellent panels on current and upcoming industry trends, but I also got to shake Megan Rapinoe’s hand. (As a soccer player growing up, this was a ‘pinch-me’ moment.)

I’m so glad I attended the conference because I’ve finally finalized the specific function I’m recruiting for: partnership marketing.

My Next Steps

My journey isn’t close to done, but I do feel like my path ahead is clearer. I’ll be spending my summer as a partnership activation intern with The Soccer Tournament and the NC Courage, two local NC opportunities.

I’m also excited to help other students on their MES journey as co-president of the MES club for 2026-2027. Valeria Gavidia and I are looking forward to making the process less ambiguous by implementing industry educational content, creating a comprehensive alumni network, and working cross-functionally with other Fuqua clubs. I can’t wait to connect with future students who may find themselves in my position: unsure of what’s next but ready to explore.

Finally, go Heels — I mean, Fuqua!

The post Pursuing a Sports Career: My Journey From UNC to Duke appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

To give more insight into Net Impact and its mission, we’ve answered a few questions about our time leading the club.

The Net Impact Club is one of the largest organizations at Fuqua. As co-presidents, what motivated you to get involved with the club, both personally and professionally?

Marit: I chose Fuqua because of its strong social impact programming. I got involved with Net Impact because I wanted to join a community of like-minded individuals, learn from peers from different sectors and backgrounds, and have access to more relevant recruiting and professional resources.

Maggie: I came into Fuqua wanting to be a part of Net Impact! I worked in the sustainability field before Fuqua and ended up working with two past Net Impact co-presidents. They both encouraged me to join the community if I wanted to find my squad of awesome, like-minded people.

What has been one of your favorite Net Impact projects or events so far?

Marit: My favorite event has to be the annual Sustainable Business and Social Impact (SBSI) Conference. Maggie did a phenomenal job organizing the event last year and demonstrated incredible leadership and resilience when a snowstorm forced us to pivot to a fully virtual format.

I worked with a former co-president to manage all marketing efforts in the months leading up to the conference. I had so much fun designing graphics in Canva, managing the event website, and coordinating a takeover of the Fuqua Instagram on the day of the event. And as a special highlight, my amazing cousin, Tiana Epps-Johnson, was one of our keynote speakers!

Maggie: Like Marit, my favorite event was SBSI! Leading an event as big as SBSI is truly such a unique opportunity, and I got to do it with an amazing team.

We spent half the year planning the conference, and then found out, roughly 16 hours before the event was due to start, that on-campus activities across Duke were canceled due to a snowstorm. I still don’t know how we did it, but we were able to completely pivot and make it a fantastic virtual event. The team could not have been more brilliant if they tried. As much fun as we had pulling that off, I’m very much looking forward to an in-person event this year!

You were recently awarded the Graduate Chapter of the Year, selected from over 300 chapters across Net Impact’s global network. What does this recognition mean to you?

Maggie: Having met a handful of the past presidents, I can safely say that this club has been in good hands for years now. Marit and I have been so lucky to build on the great work done before us. This is a memento, a high-five, to us and everyone who’s come before us to push impact forward at Fuqua.

In the social impact space, things feel like an uphill battle most of the time. This reminds us that there are people cheering us on for our hard work!

Marit: I completely echo Maggie’s answer. This recognition is a testament to the time, effort, and attention that our predecessors invested in Fuqua’s Net Impact Club over the years. And more than anything, this award makes me think of our members, the students who show up, ask hard questions, and choose to spend their limited time on work that matters.

Maggie and I can set the vision, but it’s their passion and commitment that truly bring this club to life. I hope they feel this recognition as much as we do.

What advice do you have for someone who’s interested in pursuing an impact career or related opportunities at Fuqua?

Marit: Net Impact is just one of the many resources available to you at Fuqua! I recommend joining impact-focused clubs that align directly with your interests, whether that’s food and agriculture, energy, or business and policy. At the same time, consider joining a professional club that supports your functional career goals, such as finance, consulting, or marketing. Connect with second-year students who have participated in experiential learning opportunities like CASE i3 Initiative on Impact Investing, Fuqua on Board, and the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP) to learn whether those experiences might be a good fit for you. Build relationships with the amazing staff and faculty at Fuqua’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) and Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment (EDGE).

Maggie: Take advantage of your network! There’s an incredible alumni base that is itching to get you and other brilliant students involved in this important work. There are faculty and staff who want students to think about people and planet, not just shareholder value.

“Team Fuqua” is not just a superficial saying. We’re there to support each other long after graduation, and we will certainly need a great team if we’re going to tackle issues like climate change.

The post What Is the Net Impact Club? appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.

My Consulting Background

For context, I spent four years prior to Fuqua working as a consultant at Ernst & Young. My job was focused on helping my clients implement large-scale transformations and manage complex operational changes. Among other things, I learned how to collaborate with a variety of different people while dealing with ambiguous problems.

Living in Austin fueled my curiosity more than I appreciated at the time. It’s a city that runs on creativity, whether it’s in music, film, or live performances. It all started to click when I volunteered at South by Southwest (SXSW) a couple of years ago. Being in that environment, watching creators and companies try to market their films and connect with audiences, made me want to be on the other side of the table, figuring out how a brand tells its story.

Mentorship and Hands-On Marketing Experience

Fast forward a year, and I arrived at Fuqua ready to make the jump into marketing and brand management. One of the first things I got plugged into was the Marketing Integrated Learning Experience (MILE), a program run through the Duke MBA Marketing Club, where second-year students help first-years prep for internship recruiting.

Along with practicing different kinds of cases with first-years, second-years were also very open about their experiences. They shared what worked for them, what didn’t, and how they approached interviews. That kind of transparency helped make the recruiting process feel a lot more structured and manageable.

The Marketing Club also runs the Brand Challenge, an annual competition where students partner with real companies to develop and present a mock brand strategy. My team worked on a hypothetical extension of the Cheetos brand into the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. We were tasked with thinking through how to stretch one of the most recognizable snack brands globally into new territory while keeping it true to what people already love about it.

It was the kind of project that made everything feel real. For someone coming from consulting, this hands-on experience was exactly what I needed to further validate my interest in brand management.

What “Team Fuqua” Actually Means

It’s inevitable to hear the phrase “Team Fuqua” a lot, especially as a student. To be clear, it’s not that everyone is relentlessly optimistic all the time. Rather, it’s that people here genuinely enjoy helping each other. You feel that in small moments throughout the day, whether it is a classmate sending over notes before an interview or a section mate grabbing coffee with you to talk through a decision or check in.

That same mindset shows up even more during recruiting. Classmates and second-years were constantly willing to run mock interviews, walk through case frameworks, and share honest feedback on how I was positioning my story as someone pivoting from consulting into marketing. What could have easily devolved into an overwhelming process started to feel a lot more structured. More importantly, it reaffirmed that I didn’t have to figure it all out on my own.

This support played an integral role in navigating recruiting and ultimately landing my internship. This summer, I’ll be joining Mars as an MBA Marketing Intern in New Jersey. It all feels a bit surreal. I came to business school as a consultant with zero marketing experience, and now I’m heading into a role where I’ll actually get to work on how products are positioned and experienced by consumers.

I didn’t come to Fuqua with everything figured out. I came in wanting to pursue a career switch without a well-defined plan, yet confident that Fuqua would help me find my way. And it happened. Honestly, I still don’t have it all figured out. But even halfway through the MBA journey, I can confidently say the move was worth it.

The post Pivoting From Consulting to Marketing With Mentorship and Hands-On Experience appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.