When I was applying to medical school, my personal statement was built upon a Chinese concept known as “guanxi”, a concept that highlights the importance of fostering relationships with those around you. When I entered medical school, I knew that what moved me most was to develop meaningful relationships not only with my future patients, but also with my colleagues and mentors within the medical school and beyond. This led me to engage in various medical school interest groups, activities, and community service opportunities that allowed me to share my passions with my peers and support them in theirs. This emphasis on “guanxi” and human connection is an approach I hope to bring with me to the Fuqua School of Business.

By nature, I thrive in environments when I feel deeply connected to those around me, especially in a team setting. Medical school has been filled with opportunities to work in various teams, and it was always very important for me to engage with my collaborators outside of the didactic setting. My team-based learning group would often meet outside of the classroom to share in our passions together. These events ranged from bouldering with our teammate that loved the outdoors, to an escape room led by our colleague that loved puzzles, to cooking an afro-vegan style dinner led by several of our vegan friends. I hope to bring the same kind of energy to the various teams I will work with at Fuqua by being intentional about setting aside time and space to engage with my team members around our passions. Through deepening our understanding of one another, we can work better together professionally, and hopefully make some fun memories along the way.

Engaging with the broader Durham community is another important passion of mine that I would like to continue to explore in my time at business school and share with my colleagues at Fuqua. In 2017, I worked with a small group of Duke medical students to launch Root Causes, a graduate student interest group with the mission of improving patient health by healing the food system through education, advocacy, and volunteering. We developed lasting partnerships with many community leaders of various organizations, and longitudinal relationships with community members that brought to our attention the different needs that exist in the community beyond the food system. Today, Root Causes has broadened its mission to encompass bridging connections between students and faculty of Duke University with the Durham community, working together to address community needs surrounding social drivers of health including food, housing, transportation, and healthcare access. Root Causes has grown from a small team of 5 medical students to a leadership team of 16 students across several different graduate and undergraduate schools, and a community of over 300 volunteers and mailing list subscribers. As a group, we are engaged in five different community projects that span from addressing food security to assisting community members with housing transitions. Working in the community with Root Causes and our partners has shown me that it truly takes a village when it comes to creating sustainable interventions that help address the needs of a community. Fuqua presents an opportunity to connect, inspire and collaborate with students, faculty and business leaders that bring unique ideas and experiences different from mine. I hope to leverage my leadership role in Root Causes, my intimate relationships with our partner organizations and the various projects we conduct throughout Durham to serve as a gateway to the Durham community for my peers and inspire them to engage with the needs of Durham together.

In addition to engaging with the broader Durham community, I am also excited to connect with other colleagues at Fuqua through shared passions and interests. Professionally, I’m very curious about finding a community interested in the business of healthcare through both the healthcare club and the health providers association. I’m also interested in seeking support in developing the skills, mindset, and habits for entrepreneurship by connecting with students involved with the Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Plugging into these professional circles will serve as gateways to learn from the mentorship of other students and leaders in the field, and engage with the work they are involved in. Importantly, immersing myself in these professional groups will also allow me to serve as a mentor for others as I progress in my career as a clinician and a business professional.

I am also excited by the opportunities to connect with other colleagues at the business school through shared passions outside of our professional lives. One group that stands out to me is the culinary interest group, as cooking has always been a passion of mine. In addition, fitness and athletics are also integral to my identity, and I’m excited for opportunities to bond with others at Fuqua over sports and physical activity. Lastly, I have always been one to believe in doing things that scare you the most. There are several student clubs within Fuqua that I know would push me out of my comfort zone, such as improv club, for which would be cautiously excited to take part in these to foster personal growth, and maybe make a few people laugh along the way.

Fostering a sense of community is a key value in my life. As a student of the School of Business and a student of the School of Medicine, I know that I will hold the privilege of being able to easily traverse between the two academic spheres. Fostering connections at different levels with the Fuqua and Durham communities will be very important for me. However, I also hope to utilize my dichotomous existence as both a student of medicine and a student of business to bridge connections between two worlds that, in our current state of American healthcare, could really benefit from more engagement.