Elsa Treviño
" 'Team Fuqua' is a community of people that will be there to help you in any way they can. It is a promise you make to be there for people and care about your peers, and trust me, you’ll see your efforts multiplied x400 when you need it. 'Team Fuqua' is real and it’s a way of showing up for your friends and peers."
Daytime MBA
Prior Education:
ITESM (Monterrey Tech)
International Relations, 2012
Why I Chose Fuqua
For me, Fuqua was a very clear choice. I needed a top university to make it worth my time and money. When you move a family of five, the stakes are much higher. I needed a place where my family could not only survive but thrive. I am a mother of three children and wanted them to have space, friends, and lots of playtime. North Carolina has one of the best outdoor experiences in the U.S., and that resonates with young families. Plenty of year-round outdoor activities are enjoyable for any age, from beaches to ski mountains, from pumpkin carving to strawberry picking.
I love everything about Fuqua but am most passionate about the classes and my friends. All of the programs are excellent and Fuqua has some of the best faculty in the U.S. that shine brightly during class. I have seen friends discover a passion for a specific topic because of the professors, and this makes a classroom vibe with good discussions. It's a very exciting feeling.
Before Fuqua
I have been in the venture capital and tech industry for 13 years. I began working at a venture capital fund and then transitioned to an early-stage startup. For the past eight years, I have focused on venture capital with my own VC fund. Creating this fund has given me holistic skills in management, administration, deal sourcing, procurement, project management, analytical skills, and more.
After Fuqua
Fuqua opened up my world to health care. Though I am not pursuing the Health Sector Management (HSM) certificate, I have been exposed to many health care classes. This had been an industry in which I lacked knowledge and experience; today, I can analyze startups in the health care industry as holistically as I would with startups in other industries.
5 Favorite Fuqua Clubs or Activities
- Latin American Student Association (LASA). All affinity clubs are special and give a sense of belonging to all students. They are your home away from home and LASA hosts the best parties year after year.
- Building Outside Leaders at Duke (BOLD). This club has been an experience outside my comfort zone, and I loved it! They organize treks, authentic camping trips (sleeping in tents), rock climbing, and more.
- Golf Club. I love this club because it is for everyone. You can come in never having touched a club, or you can be an experienced golfer, and you will find it worth your time. They arrange lessons, range shooting bonding activities, and hold the MBA Masters tournament at home. Duke University's golf course is top-notch and a beautiful work of art.
- Fuqua Fit. They scout the area for fitness classes and offer them for free. It's an excellent way to bond with friends and try new fitness classes.
- Campout. Every year, we camp outside Cameron Indoor Stadium to enter the lottery and win a season ticket to the men's basketball games. This is always so fun and a nice way to connect with fellow graduate students.
My Fuqua Activities
Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Duke I&E)
FoundHER Challenge
Latin American Student Association (LASA)
Golf Club
Private Equity
3 Must-take Classes at Fuqua
- Negotiations with Grainne Fitzsimons. She is one of the best professors at Fuqua, and her classes are simply well-thought-out, planned, and amazing.
- Operations Strategy with Robert Swinney. He is also one of the best professors at Fuqua and has the ability to make complex problems easily digestible by anyone.
- Financial Statement Analysis with Rahul Vashishtha. Some say Fuqua's best classes are the finance classes. I also think the management concentrations hold some very important soft skills for your career, and this class with Rahul is mind-expanding and genius.