Daytime MBA Student Breanne Leakey

"Throughout my application journey, I had numerous conversations with current students who were not only willing to help but genuinely excited to see me succeed. As a result, I felt like I was a part of the community before I had even gotten accepted to the program."

Daytime MBA

Class of 2024
Industry:
Energy or Finance

Prior Education:

University of the West Indies - St. Augustine

Hometown:
Kingston, Jamaica
Nationality:
Jamaica

Why I Chose Fuqua

I chose Fuqua for its incredible sense of community. Fuqua has been very intentional about cultivating a unique MBA experience through their strong diversity recruiting efforts. It has resulted in the “Team Fuqua” culture. Team Fuqua is more than just a buzzword, it’s about belonging, support, and acceptance.

 

Before Fuqua

Before Fuqua, my career at NextEra Energy encompassed two distinct roles within power generation. Initially, I served in a field engineering capacity, overseeing two solar sites and assuming responsibility for equipment reliability, contractor management, environmental compliance, and inventory control. Subsequently, I transitioned to a shared services engineering role, where I specialized in enhancing workforce productivity across our solar, wind, and storage fleets. In this capacity, I conducted data analysis, constructed PowerBI dashboards, devised key metrics and KPIs, and played a pivotal role in designing processes to drive fleet efficiency.

After Fuqua

My post-graduation plan is engaging in a leadership development program, potentially focusing on finance leadership, either within energy or financial services. Pursuing my MBA, sparked interest in finance, but my passion for energy remains unwavering. I’m exploring ways to either merge these interests or make a well-informed decision between them. Despite no prior finance exposure, courses like Corporate Finance and Project Finance enriched my knowledge for my future role. Moreover, my growth as a leader at Fuqua, where we emphasize being leaders of consequence, will be invaluable in industries like energy and finance where ethical considerations are complex and significant.

5 Best Fuqua Activities

  1. Inclusion Week (Daring Dialogues are amazing).
  2. Wine Around the World.
  3. Whitewater Rafting in your second year.
  4. Blue Cup! (Let’s Go Duke!)
  5. Orientation is pretty fantastic.

My Fuqua Activities

Duke Energy Conference Co-Chair

Admissions VP for BBSA and Energy Club

DEI Council Representative

Admissions Fellow

EDGE Impact Scholar

"Co-chairing Duke’s Energy Conference, overseeing a team of 13 across 5 workstreams, has been my most significant leadership challenge at Fuqua. It taught me delegation, conflict resolution, decision-making impact, strategy, and planning. I’ve grown an incredible amount from this opportunity and despite the hard work, the lessons learnt were invaluable."