My experience at Fuqua has been profoundly transformative. I arrived on campus feeling like an outsider — just one international student among many — and ended up becoming someone warmly recognized across the community. This journey is symbolized by one of my proudest achievements: receiving the Bill Boulding Dean’s Recognition Award.
What fills me with the deepest pride is not the award itself, it is the impact I made on the Fuqua community and the support I received from so many people along the way. I learned that engaging deeply with others and staying true to what I believe in are the keys to contributing meaningfully and forging genuine human connections.
Ultimately, my transformation at Fuqua was guided by embodying our core principles, the Decency Quotient (DQ) and the Paired Principles, in my daily life. The essence of the Fuqua experience, for me, is found in how we face difficulty. What follows is my interpretation of these values, told through the story of how I found my footing and contributed meaningfully to the Fuqua community.
My story begins in July 2023, when I left Japan — my home for more than 30 years — and moved to Durham. I knew no one, and the language and culture were entirely different from what I was used to. Later, people frequently asked me:
The truth is that while I encountered cultural differences, I never experienced a major culture shock. I had deliberately arrived with zero expectations that things would resemble Japan. If you expect nothing, nothing shocks you. Instead, I focused on accepting and enjoying differences and simply being a good neighbor.
One experience captures this well: On move-in day, I took the elevator to bring some luggage to my room. Suddenly, the elevator made a loud clunk and began descending. In over 30 years in Japan, I’d never experienced anything like it. Instinctively following the earthquake-response drills ingrained in every Japanese child, I pressed all the floor buttons and waited. After several tense seconds, the elevator stopped on the first floor, and the doors opened. I escaped unharmed.
I immediately reported the malfunction to the leasing office. The leasing officer promised to request urgent repairs, but much to my surprise, did not hurry to post an out-of-order sign or check whether others might be in danger. Confused by the gap between my expectations for Japanese and their reaction, I left to return to my room.
Passing by the elevator again, I saw a young man about to step in. I warned him it was broken and dangerous. Startled, he took the stairs. His name was Marcos Fiestas, who would later turn out to be my section-mate—though neither of us knew that at the time.
This moment taught me something universal yet straightforward: It doesn’t matter whether you’re Japanese or Spanish, a Blue Devil or not, if someone is unknowingly about to put themselves at risk, decency means stepping in.
As I settled into academic life, I often overheard comments such as “That class was great,” or “That class didn’t meet expectations.” From a student-as-customer viewpoint, it makes sense to hope for high-quality teaching. But Fuqua’s classes aren’t merely services to consume. My nine years in the pharmaceutical industry taught me that even if health care professionals take patient care seriously, the best outcomes require patients to trust and actively engage.
Learning at Fuqua is similar: students’ participation amplifies the value of a class. That’s why I made it a rule to ask a question or make a comment at least once in every class.
My background is in science — specifically biochemistry and bioinformatics — and the only MBA-related field I had ever studied was statistics. English is not my native language either, so I fought through the language barrier every day. But given my goal of becoming a strong business leader, I could not afford to ignore a single class.
Whenever my marketing or health care experience allowed me to offer practical context, I shared it. In Professor David Ridley’s Biotech and Pharma Strategy course, we studied a case about a Japanese pharmaceutical company. I added perspective on Japanese patient sentiment, something the case materials had not fully captured. My classmates gained extra value from this, just as I gained countless insights from them.
Courses will continue to evolve, but the principle remains constant: Learning deepens when people in the room share their wisdom. Faculty may be the experts, but students, chosen from a global pool of talent, always have something to contribute. The moment you label a class “useless,” you lose the value you could have gained from it. Think instead about who you want to be 30 years from now and keep searching for insights on campus.
Finally, I want to share the most important thing I did to be accepted and recognized within the Fuqua community: I used my strengths to benefit others.
Receiving favors is delightful, but very few people enjoy doing unpaid work for others. A game theorist would call this a Prisoner’s Dilemma: mutual help benefits everyone, but fear of free-riders pushes people into doing nothing.
To break that dilemma, I did two things:
Most people appreciate birthday celebrations, especially special ones. But usually, people say nothing or merely offer “Happy Birthday.” I did something different: I recorded and posted a personalized Happy Birthday song for each of my section-mates in our group chat.
Why it worked:
At first, I didn’t know how people would react. But after sending a few videos and seeing classmates’ joy, continuing became easy. I simply love making people happy. Their gratitude (the assurance that goodwill would be reciprocated) and the fact that I personally enjoy playing music (meaning I lose nothing even without recognition) allowed me to break the dilemma entirely. If any part of this sounds confusing, please take Professor David McAdams’s game theory course — he’ll make everything clear, and his class is incredibly exciting.
There’s even a perfect twist: On my birthday, I received a compilation video of Happy Birthday songs from the very same friends I had celebrated with.
Beyond bonding with classmates, I believe the best way to obtain what you want is to make your hands dirty and first give others what they want. Fortunately, Fuqua has a deep-rooted spirit of mutual support and a robust foundation for building strong communities. As leaders, we can create workplaces where people elevate one another, just as at Fuqua.
I’ve learned that you find your place in the Fuqua community not by changing who you are, but by consistently demonstrating the values of decency and contribution. This transformation from a newcomer who knew no one to a respected classmate is a testament to the supportive and collaborative spirit of Team Fuqua.
The post From ‘Newcomer’ to ‘Insider’: Channeling Fuqua’s Values as a Leader appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.
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What fills me with the deepest pride is not the award itself, it is the impact I made on the Fuqua community and the support I received from so many people along the way. I learned that engaging deeply with others and staying true to what I believe in are the keys to contributing meaningfully and forging genuine human connections.
Ultimately, my transformation at Fuqua was guided by embodying our core principles, the Decency Quotient (DQ) and the Paired Principles, in my daily life. The essence of the Fuqua experience, for me, is found in how we face difficulty. What follows is my interpretation of these values, told through the story of how I found my footing and contributed meaningfully to the Fuqua community.
Decency Is a Universal Value
My story begins in July 2023, when I left Japan — my home for more than 30 years — and moved to Durham. I knew no one, and the language and culture were entirely different from what I was used to. Later, people frequently asked me:
- “What was the biggest cultural gap you faced?”
- “How did you overcome it?”
The truth is that while I encountered cultural differences, I never experienced a major culture shock. I had deliberately arrived with zero expectations that things would resemble Japan. If you expect nothing, nothing shocks you. Instead, I focused on accepting and enjoying differences and simply being a good neighbor.
One experience captures this well: On move-in day, I took the elevator to bring some luggage to my room. Suddenly, the elevator made a loud clunk and began descending. In over 30 years in Japan, I’d never experienced anything like it. Instinctively following the earthquake-response drills ingrained in every Japanese child, I pressed all the floor buttons and waited. After several tense seconds, the elevator stopped on the first floor, and the doors opened. I escaped unharmed.
I immediately reported the malfunction to the leasing office. The leasing officer promised to request urgent repairs, but much to my surprise, did not hurry to post an out-of-order sign or check whether others might be in danger. Confused by the gap between my expectations for Japanese and their reaction, I left to return to my room.
Passing by the elevator again, I saw a young man about to step in. I warned him it was broken and dangerous. Startled, he took the stairs. His name was Marcos Fiestas, who would later turn out to be my section-mate—though neither of us knew that at the time.
This moment taught me something universal yet straightforward: It doesn’t matter whether you’re Japanese or Spanish, a Blue Devil or not, if someone is unknowingly about to put themselves at risk, decency means stepping in.
Classes Evolve; Their Purpose Doesn’t
As I settled into academic life, I often overheard comments such as “That class was great,” or “That class didn’t meet expectations.” From a student-as-customer viewpoint, it makes sense to hope for high-quality teaching. But Fuqua’s classes aren’t merely services to consume. My nine years in the pharmaceutical industry taught me that even if health care professionals take patient care seriously, the best outcomes require patients to trust and actively engage.
Learning at Fuqua is similar: students’ participation amplifies the value of a class. That’s why I made it a rule to ask a question or make a comment at least once in every class.
My background is in science — specifically biochemistry and bioinformatics — and the only MBA-related field I had ever studied was statistics. English is not my native language either, so I fought through the language barrier every day. But given my goal of becoming a strong business leader, I could not afford to ignore a single class.
Whenever my marketing or health care experience allowed me to offer practical context, I shared it. In Professor David Ridley’s Biotech and Pharma Strategy course, we studied a case about a Japanese pharmaceutical company. I added perspective on Japanese patient sentiment, something the case materials had not fully captured. My classmates gained extra value from this, just as I gained countless insights from them.
Courses will continue to evolve, but the principle remains constant: Learning deepens when people in the room share their wisdom. Faculty may be the experts, but students, chosen from a global pool of talent, always have something to contribute. The moment you label a class “useless,” you lose the value you could have gained from it. Think instead about who you want to be 30 years from now and keep searching for insights on campus.
Building Trust With Generosity
Finally, I want to share the most important thing I did to be accepted and recognized within the Fuqua community: I used my strengths to benefit others.
Receiving favors is delightful, but very few people enjoy doing unpaid work for others. A game theorist would call this a Prisoner’s Dilemma: mutual help benefits everyone, but fear of free-riders pushes people into doing nothing.
To break that dilemma, I did two things:
- I clearly signaled that I would be a giver, a behavioral commitment.
- I gave something easy for me but not easy for everyone else to offer, shifting the payoff through asymmetric perceived value.
Most people appreciate birthday celebrations, especially special ones. But usually, people say nothing or merely offer “Happy Birthday.” I did something different: I recorded and posted a personalized Happy Birthday song for each of my section-mates in our group chat.
Why it worked:
- I did it for every section-mate, establishing an expectation.
- I leveraged my strength: I’ve played instruments for over 25 years, and recording a birthday song takes me only a minute.
At first, I didn’t know how people would react. But after sending a few videos and seeing classmates’ joy, continuing became easy. I simply love making people happy. Their gratitude (the assurance that goodwill would be reciprocated) and the fact that I personally enjoy playing music (meaning I lose nothing even without recognition) allowed me to break the dilemma entirely. If any part of this sounds confusing, please take Professor David McAdams’s game theory course — he’ll make everything clear, and his class is incredibly exciting.
There’s even a perfect twist: On my birthday, I received a compilation video of Happy Birthday songs from the very same friends I had celebrated with.
Giving Builds Communities and Leaders
Beyond bonding with classmates, I believe the best way to obtain what you want is to make your hands dirty and first give others what they want. Fortunately, Fuqua has a deep-rooted spirit of mutual support and a robust foundation for building strong communities. As leaders, we can create workplaces where people elevate one another, just as at Fuqua.
I’ve learned that you find your place in the Fuqua community not by changing who you are, but by consistently demonstrating the values of decency and contribution. This transformation from a newcomer who knew no one to a respected classmate is a testament to the supportive and collaborative spirit of Team Fuqua.
The post From ‘Newcomer’ to ‘Insider’: Channeling Fuqua’s Values as a Leader appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.
More...
How does this impact your International MBA decision?
I'd be glad to learn your thoughts on this story : From ‘Newcomer’ to ‘Insider’: Channeling Fuqua’s Values as a Leader