We’re continuing our series introducing the Class of ’15 CASE Social Sector Scholarship recipients. We have already introduced Diana Vining and now are proud to welcome Loree Lipstein, profiled below!
Loree Lipstein comes to Fuqua from a career in the nonprofit sector. She worked in service-learning and community partnerships at a charter school network, as a fundraiser at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and most recently as Manager of Corporate Partnerships at KaBOOM!
While many experiences from each organization have stayed with Loree, her time working with patients and families at LLS have significantly effected how she approaches life and inspired her to continue to pursue social change. In Loree’s words, “From my work at LLS, and specifically from the patients and survivors, I’ve learned to not put off until tomorrow something I want to do today, to not sweat the small stuff and to appreciate the power of the people in my life.”
To introduce Loree to the CASE community, we asked her a few questions about her background and why she came to Fuqua. Welcome Loree!
What is one of your proudest accomplishments in life thus far?
Growing up I was the girl who walked the mile run every year in gym class. It’s fair to say I was not the natural athlete many of my friends and family were. After college I gave running a new try and was proud that through persistence and dedication, I completed my first marathon in 2008. I kept with running and got progressively better through 3 more marathons. My proudest moment was running fast enough in the 2011 London Marathon to be a Boston Marathon Qualifier. To go from the girl who couldn’t run a mile to the girl who earned the chance to run among the world’s fastest runners has taught me that with persistence, dedication and determination I can truly accomplish anything!
What or who inspires you?
This may sound strange, but people inspire me. On a daily basis I draw energy and inspiration from the people around me. Because I’m a people person, I constantly seek opportunities that allow me to meet and connect with new people and/or grow my existing relationships. The human spirit is a beautiful thing and I love watching it in action. Whether it’s a friend I’ve had since middle school or someone I met at Fuqua for the first time yesterday, I never cease to be amazed by how interesting and inspiring people are. The people in my life – those I’ve known forever and those who I have plenty of years to still cross paths with – add so much to my life and to the person I am. I am constantly inspired to be my best “me” simply so I can be that same kind of powerful positive presence for people around me.
Why Fuqua?
As a “double Dukie”, of course I love Duke. However, beyond returning to Duke because I know it’s a great university, I came back specifically because of Fuqua’s leading presence in the social sector through CASE. Business school was not an obvious choice for me, given my focus on the nonprofit/social sector. But, when I started to consider how to best make an even greater impact than my current work was doing, I realized that a sharper understanding of business, and how to leverage the power of business, would be key to achieving this goal. The opportunity to learn from those leading in the field at CASE and to work with them on the many unique opportunities Fuqua has to offer in the social sector made Fuqua an obvious choice for me.
What impact do you hope your Fuqua education will allow you to have on the world?
I hope that after my two years at Fuqua I can use what I learned about business and the business community to bridge the gap between the nonprofit and the for-profit sectors. While the gap has been closing recently, it’s still quite a gap. Both sectors have a lot to offer the other and can achieve truly great results for society by working strategically together. I hope my Fuqua education will help me play an important role in bridging that gap.
Share one of the 25 facts from your application essay
Hands down my favorite thing to do is laugh. I think there’s no better way to spend a day than laughing with people you love!