By Atom Wang As a first day ice-breaking activity, we dove into an escape room challenge! Our group got assigned a horror-themed room—definitely not for the faint-hearted and rated one of the most difficult. It was intense, brain-bending, and we were (proudly?) the last team to escape. But with the room located in a beautiful upscale mall, the post-escape stroll
By Julia Zhu 1. SAN FRANN & Improv One of our first days together had it all. Iconic views of the Golden Gate, our first of many Equator Co>ees, and some slightly terrifying (but ultimately hilarious) improv set the tone for what would be the next few weeks. Getting oriented to our new summer home in San Francisco was exciting,
By Anjali Jejurikar Escaping Our Mindsets Thrown into an escape room on our very first day, our cohort had to quickly learn not just how to work together, but how to think differently. In just one hour, we leaned into creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving, and walked out not just as individuals, but as a team. The Start of Something Great
By Davidson Good Imagine, if you will, an office. A desk. A flickering fluorescent light. Standard-issue ceiling tiles. A glowing red exit sign. Maybe a potted plant in the corner. Functional. Mundane. Predictable. Now, throw all of that away. Replace the desk with an old-school arcade machine. The flickering light with warm sunlight pouring through floor-to-ceiling windows. The ceiling tiles
By Ting Ting Li Time flew by this week as DSV kicked into full gear. After a week of settling in, our schedules this week were filled with classes, site visits, & unforgettable conversations. In class, our focus was on monetization and building a brand, centered around the key question: “how does this make money?” Getting to explore various business
By Olivia Shim Our second site visit of the week was at the Computer History Museum (CHM). We saw how computer technology changed, from the first ENIAC computer to the current MacBook Pro. Visiting the CHM showed us real examples of the core ideas we explored this week in class, such as the power of exploring unmet needs in current
By Unzila Sakina If there’s one phrase that sums up my first week in the Duke in Silicon Valley program, it’s this: get comfortable with being uncomfortable . And honestly? I didn’t expect to love that feeling as much as I did. From the moment we checked into the hotel, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a typical
“There’s nothing better you could do during your freshman summer.” “You’ll meet your closest friends and so many amazing people.” “I can’t explain it but you’ll learn so much more by being in the Bay Area.” These were just a few of the recommendations I heard from Duke in Silicon Valley alumni when I was considering the program. Now that
Our First Evening Together. From the beginning, we were all about building community. Whether it was dinners, pool parties, or completely necessary Ross runs, we were always together, trying to get to know each other better. We had no idea where the next 4 weeks would take us, not just academically but also emotionally. Our First Visit. We hit up
Is that my bestie in a Tessie? Following our tour of the Tesla Factory in Fremont, the group was given the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of the Showroom vehicles. We later met with Duke Alum Charlie Haley, who gave us the inside scoop of Tesla and their business. San Francisco has a lot of interesting little nooks and
