Duke’s Fuqua School of Business offers scholarships each year to individuals with social sector backgrounds who are looking to acquire business skills for use in their pursuit of social impact. The CASE Social Sector Scholarship brings in amazing students who add a richness to the Fuqua student body and bring their unique perspectives to the classroom. We are proud to announce our new CASE Scholars with this week featuring Hannah Ford. You can read about our other scholars here.
Hannah has spent more than 13,000 (!) hours in the ballet studio or on stage. The art form captivated her and shaped her into who she is today. She believes that the arts have a tremendous power to bring people from a variety of backgrounds together to share in a common human experience – something our world desperately needs. She wants to see the arts world survive and thrive in the 21st century but she is concerned about the sustainability of the current business model. This is what brings her to Fuqua.
Why Fuqua?
Hannah chose Fuqua because of the school’s genuine focus on building leaders of consequence. This is something that she heard Dean Boulding speak about again and again whether in the media or on campus. She also felt that it was evidenced in the unique opportunities Fuqua offered through CASE and the Fuquans she encountered. She found Fuquans to be genuine, kind, and wanting to have a positive impact on the world. Whenever she reached out to Fuquans, they always offered her an hour or more of their time and to put her in touch with others. This was very unique.
What impact do you hope your future education will allow you to have on the world?
Hannah came to business school so that she could begin to develop a foundation in understanding sustainable business models, strategy, and problem solving. She feels that the arts world is a business just as much as it is a means of doing good. In order to create a sustainable arts model, leaders must be cognizant of best business practices. Hannah believes that this future model should be grounded in genuine community engagement, intersect with technology, and support the creation of new work that speaks to political, cultural, and economic issues of the day.
Share one of the 25 facts from your application essay
My great-grandmother Frances Nolde is one of my heroes. She had her own radio show, performed on Broadway, and flew planes in the 1940s, even winning a transcontinental air race. Last year, my grandfather and I received, on her behalf, a Congressional Medal of Honor for her efforts flying with the Civil Air Patrol in WWII.