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 newest CASE Scholar Jonathan Woodward. You can read about our other scholars here.
Jonathan began his career as a 6th grade English/History teacher in South Central Los Angeles. It was through teaching that he discovered his passion for education and drive to help build a more equitable education system for all students, regardless of their zip code. Prior to Fuqua, he worked in many corners of education, from program management for a national teacher policy advocacy group (Teach Plus) to talent acquisition at the largest charter school network in Los Angeles (Alliance College-Ready Public Schools). He wants to help organizations in the urban education sector create more sustainable business models and talent management practices. He firmly believes that top talent in our classrooms and communities will lead to the greatest impact on behalf of students and families.
Why Fuqua?
Jonathan visited Fuqua in the spring of 2016 through the Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) program. He was struck by the real presence of the Fuqua culture, specifically the Team Fuqua spirit. He’ll never forget trying to find a classroom at Fuqua, asking a student for directions, and having the student not only tell him where the classroom was, but also walk with him to the room just in case he got lost—this experience was unique to Fuqua. The Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), played a significant role in Jonathan coming to Fuqua. He felt the unique program offerings, such as the Sustainable Business & Social Impact (SBSI) conference, the Fuqua on Board program, and CASE Launch Pad would all be incredible opportunities for him as he seeks to further develop his skills in the social impact space.
What impact do you hope your future education will allow you to have on the world?
Jonathan came to business school to better understand how the business world works. Through his coursework and experiential learning opportunities with CASE, he plans to apply best practices learned at Fuqua to social sector organizations. It is his sincere hope that he may play a role in helping to extend the reach and impact of organizations serving disadvantaged communities, particularly those who see education as the main catalyst for change.
Share one of the 25 facts from your application essay
My favorite way to get to know people is to ask them hypothetical questions. One of my favorites is: “You’re a big shot concert promoter and need to find three acts (living or dead)––an opener, someone to follow and a headliner. The headliner gets the most stage time and the opener gets the least. Who are your three acts?” Mine are, Bill Withers, The Beatles and Michael Jackson.