We head to Durham, North Carolina, in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students to meet some new members of the Duke University Fuqua School of Business Daytime MBA Class of 2026.
The Duke Fuqua MBA Class of 2026, which numbers 427 students, is filled with diverse, accomplished individuals from across the globe, each bringing unique perspectives and experiences to the program. Women make up 51 percent of the new class, a record for the school, and 41 percent are international students. U.S. Students of Color—U.S. domestic or permanent resident students who identify as African American or Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, Hispanic American or Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and those who are multiracial or multiethnic—number 56 percent. Historically underrepresented U.S. minority students—U.S. domestic or permanent residents students who identify as African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and those who are multiracial or multiethnic—make up 40 percent of the class.
During their undergraduate years, the middle 80 percent of their GPAs landed between 3.17 to 3.89. Thirty-eight percent had earned degrees in engineering/natural sciences while business & accounting followed at 29 percent. Nineteen percent pursued liberal arts and 11 percent majored in economics. Sixteen percent of students hold advanced degrees and 18 percent of Duke candidates were first-generation college students.
When it came time to take the GMAT, the Fuqua MBAs’ middle 80 percent of scores ranged from 660 to 760. For those who opted to take the GRE, the middle 80 percent combined Quant and Verbal range came in at 305 to 330. Finally, the middle range (80 percent) of scores for students who took the Executive Assessment landed at 149 to 161.
Prior to arriving on campus, the Duke Fuqua MBA Class of 2026 averaged six years of work experience. Nineteen percent of the class comes from the financial services industry and another 18 percent from consulting. Fourteen percent had worked in tech, followed by 11 percent in health. Seven percent each hailed from government or the non-profit/education fields. Eleven percent served in the military.
In the following pages, we meets some students behind the class profile. Carolina León Hopfenblatt, from Santiago, Chile, brings a retail and e-commerce background from her work with Columbia Sportswear and H&M, focusing on the evolving challenges of South American online retail. Additionally, Kassim Camilo, a former Radar Crew Chief with the United States Marine Corps, carries a focus on community, leadership, and a desire to transition into healthcare consulting. A former British Army Officer, Eliot Digby-Jones, aims to transition his healthcare and military operations experience into the biotech and pharma industries. Team Fuqua also welcomes Parth “Ash” Singh, co-founder of a social impact firm, who has a deep commitment to equity and public sector innovation. We also hear from Prenessa Lowery, whose background in product and channel marketing from IBM and Zayo developed her analytical and creative strengths as she looks to pursue a career in brand management. Finally, Suman Murthy, a management consultant from Bangalore, India, combines her consulting expertise with a passion for accessible education.
Together, these students exemplify Fuqua’s core values of teamwork, leadership, and social impact, making the Daytime MBA Class of 2026 a dynamic, diverse, and highly driven group poised to lead in various industries globally. Read on for their stories, advice for admissions and more.
