Lola James
"The camaraderie, the genuine desire to support one another, and the palpable Team Fuqua spirit have been both surprising and inspiring. I anticipated a competitive, cut-throat business school environment, but Fuqua has proven to be the best career decision I've made. Here, being anti-team is the exception. In meetings or conversations, I expect someone to step up and help me with a challenge, just as they can expect the same from me. This mutual support makes learning both easy and enjoyable. It's a testament to how intentional Fuqua's admissions team is in selecting the most amazing students to fill our classrooms."
Daytime MBA
Prior Education:
MSc Public Health
Why I Chose Fuqua
I chose Fuqua because I wanted to learn business in a space where the person next to me was just as committed to my success as I was to theirs. Coming from a social impact background, collaboration has always been second nature to me, and I’m intentional about choosing environments that nurture, not stifle, my natural team spirit. Fuqua’s emphasis on intelligence quotient (IQ), emotional quotient (EQ), and decency quotient (DQ) deeply resonated with me. I knew I would be learning alongside diverse, driven individuals who are not only intelligent but also genuinely committed to making the world a better place. I often describe myself as one born with the heart for impact, developing my head for business, and strengthening my hand for public policy.
Before Fuqua
Before Fuqua, I was an impact consultant. In 2021, I co-founded TL James Consulting, an impact consulting firm, to help businesses design and implement their corporate impact strategies and build scalable solutions that align purpose and profit. Some of our clients included PepsiCo West Africa and Heineken Nigeria. During that time, I was also an impact consultant for Nigeria's top marketing communication firm, Noah's Ark Communications. I led the firm's impact strategy, contributing to The Young African Bookworms Initiative, an education nonprofit that empowered roughly 1,300 marginalized children in Western and Northern Nigeria by providing educational materials, fostering social-emotional learning, and enhancing computer literacy. I was responsible for initiating, designing, implementing, and evaluating all education programs. My day-to-day activities included strategic planning, grant writing, project designing, stakeholder management, and external communication. Before these roles, I was the National Project Manager at Breast Without Spot, a cancer control nonprofit, where I managed cancer prevention programs across 18 states in Nigeria and drove measurable improvements in public health, having earned my master's in public health.
After Fuqua
My overarching career goal is to become a tri-sector leader working at the intersection of business, public policy, and social impact, leveraging market forces to drive sustainable social and economic transformation. In the short term, I plan to gain more experience in impact consulting within a Fortune 500 company, in a role such as Manager of Corporate Responsibility, Sustainability, or Stakeholder Engagement. In this capacity, I aim to lead the design, implementation, and evaluation of high-impact programs that align corporate strategy with both financial performance and broader social and environmental goals. My long-term plan is to return home to Nigeria and scale my startup, TL James Consulting, an impact consulting firm. I will leverage insights from my global corporate experience to help local businesses create sustainable social and economic impact alongside financial success.
5 Tips for Maximizing Your Time at Fuqua
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Don’t wait—whatever you need to do, start now. Procrastination adds unnecessary stress. When something needs to get done, tackle it head-on.
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Live by your calendar, but remain flexible. Schedule everything—from classes to reconnection time with family and downtime to stay grounded. Flexibility prevents guilt and anxiety when things don't go exactly as planned.
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Prepare, show up, and engage. Read your cases before class, attend classes consistently, and be fully present. Active participation pays off when it’s time to study the course content, especially if you're a non-traditional student.
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Move your body. Regular exercise keeps your mind sharp and helps you manage the intensity of the MBA experience. Duke offers a variety of indoor and outdoor recreational spaces, including pickleball and tennis courts, swimming pools, and hiking trails.
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Step outside the Fuqua bubble. Attend social and speaker events within the broader Duke community and seek opportunities to take classes at other schools. Duke is bigger than Fuqua, and it's very easy to forget that.
My Fuqua Activities
Rooted in Durham: Life Beyond the Classroom
How to Write a Compelling MBA Essay: Top 3 Tips
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Take Your Time: Don’t try to write your essay in one sitting. Your mind is unlikely to capture all your most meaningful experiences in one go. I’ve learned that, no matter how smart you are, it is unlikely that your mind will retrieve all your experiences at once.
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Make It Specific to Fuqua: Show that you genuinely know Fuqua in your essay. If you can replace the name "Fuqua" with another school and the essay still works, it’s probably not specific enough—and may not land you an interview.
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Understand the Purpose of Each Essay: Know the intent behind each prompt. The 25 Random Things essay is about you, the Contribution essay is about us, and the Optional essay is your chance to address any gaps or lingering questions. Don’t mix up their purposes.