The Duke in Silicon Valley 2016 students are from a wide variety of backgrounds and majors across the University from Music to Biomedical Engineering, they represent the diverse array of entrepreneurial interests.  Read below to learn more about this year’s outstanding cohort of 20 adventurous Duke University students hailing from around the country!

Tunde Abu

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Tunde is currently a Rising Senior from Columbia, MD studying Mechanical Engineering. Throughout his time at Duke, Tunde has strived to be involved in a diverse array of activities.  Tunde was a member of the East Campus Council, as well as the executive board of the National Society of Black Engineers. After his freshman year, Tunde participated in the DukeEngage civic engagement program in Cape Town, South Africa.  There, he interned at the District Six Museum facilitating student programs, and updated their archival history. After his sophomore year, Tunde interned at SmithGroupJJR, an architecture firm in Washington DC where he designed and analyzed HVAC systems for large scale corporate developments.  In his junior year, Tunde studied abroad at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey.  Tunde is very excited at the opportunity to learn at one of the world’s hubs of innovation. After completion of the program, Tunde will be interning at MAXIMUS Consulting in Washington DC.

                                      Madison Boyan                                         

madisonMadison is a rising junior at Duke University, majoring in Public Policy with an Economics minor and a certificate in Markets and Management Studies. Madison was born in New York City but now lives in Spring Lake, a small beach town in New Jersey. This year she participated on the Young Trustee Nominating Committee and is also involved with Duke Makers, a 3D design and printing club. She is thrilled to be participating in the Duke in Silicon Valley program this summer and is exited to be immersed in the innovative culture of the area!

Rachel Bransom
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Rachel is a rising junior majoring in Computer Science, minoring in Economics, and pursuing a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Born and raised in London, England, Rachel is excited to visit Silicon Valley for the first time and experience the heart and soul of the tech industry. Rachel is interested in startups and software design, and so is eager to learn more about both how new companies form and grow, as well as how the world’s largest high-tech corporations function. She hopes to work in software development for a startup after Duke and use her experience doing DSV to build a solid foundation for that. Beyond her interest in business and entrepreneurship, Rachel enjoys running, hiking, cooking, and traveling.
Lanre Danmola
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 Lanre is a rising junior at Duke University majoring in Mechanical Engineering and pursuing a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Lanre grew up in the small town of South Orange, New Jersey just outside of New York City. At Duke Lanre is a member of Design for a America, a growing club that enables students to design innovations to tackle complex social problems. Additionally he is the philanthropy chair for his fraternity on campus. In his spare time Lanre enjoys golfing, traveling, playing sports with friends and discovering unique music. He is eager to spend the summer in Silicon Valley, where he one day hopes to live, and learn how to develop one or more of his many ideas into a successful venture.
Ali Frank
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 Ali is a rising sophomore at Duke University. She is majoring in Psychology with an Economics minor and a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Coming from New York City, she is looking forward to experiencing a different pace of life on the west coast. She is excited to learn about the technological and business development hub in California, and she hopes to have some free time to hike and explore Silicon Valley further. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, reading, spending time with friends, and exploring new places.
 
Trip Goff
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 From Davidson, North Carolina, Trip is a rising sophomore at Duke University intending on majoring in Computer Science with a certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Trip is also the incoming Marketing and Design Intern for The Innovation Co-Lab, the center for entrepreneurial and technological endeavors, at Duke. Additional extracurricular involvement includes membership on the Kunshan Student Ambassador Council (KSAC), the intermediary body between Duke University and it’s China Campus, Duke Kunshan University. As part of KSAC, Trip spent a week in China in February representing Duke during Duke Kunshan University’s orientation. Lastly, Trip is a member of Duke’s club table tennis team, and is the team’s Safety Officer on its Executive Board.
Ed Hannush
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Ed is majoring in Political Science with a concentration in Political Economy, and is pursuing certificates in Innovation & Entrepreneurship and P.P.E. (Philosophy, Politics & Economics). He spent his last summer working as a sales intern at Silvi Groups in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a large construction material supplier (ready mix concrete, sand, stone, cement). While interning, he continued to work on his sneaker and clothing consignment business, and as the Duke University Director of Business Development for Fresh Prints Inc., a custom-apparel service. Mr. Hannush is also involved in Greek Life on campus as a member, and the Vice President of Programming, for the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.
Anna Hoover
Anna is a rising sophomore at Duke University pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Neuroscience. Growing up in Washington DC, Anna has seen first hand the importance of communication and public policy in politics and is looking forward to learning about how these principles play out in the startup environment of Silicon Valley. Academically, Anna is very passionate about computer science, neuroscience, and research. Driven by this love of research, she has held research assistant positions at Georgetown University and the National Institutes of Health. Ultimately, she is interested in how neuroscience and computer science can be integrated to create new and innovative solutions to the world’s problems. At Duke, Anna is on the executive board for Duke’s Red Cross Club, and a member of various other student organizations such as Wiser, a nonprofit that runs a school for girls in Muhru Bay, Kenya. In her free time, Anna loves hiking, running, cooking, and reading.
Ben Hubsch
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 Ben is a rising sophomore at Duke University pursuing a major in Computer Science, a minor in Economics, and a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.Ben grew up in Los Angeles, California and is an avid LA sports fan. He has an unparalleled love for Mexican food and fried eggs on burgers. On campus, Ben is passionate about student programming and is heavily involved with the Student Organizational Finance Committee and the Duke University Union. He looks forward to his time in Silicon Valley and hopes to develop a deeper appreciation for entrepreneurship; perhaps he will be inspired to start a company of his own one day.
Qusai Hussain
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Qusai is a rising sophomore at Duke University studying Computer Science, Public Policy, and Economics. He was raised in Coral Springs, FL, after his family immigrated to the U.S. Prior to entering Duke, Qusai spent much of his time working for his congressman both in his district and in Washington D.C. After developing an interest for entrepreneurship, he is excited to the explore the Bay Area and be immersed in the start-up culture in Silicon Valley. During the program, he hopes to make meaningful connections and learn more about the intersection between technology and public policy. At Duke, he is a member of Duke’s entrepreneurship SLG, Design for America, and enjoys playing IM basketball. Outside of school, he likes to travel, watch basketball, swim, play poker, and read. He also likes to play around with Alibaba.com and is currently learning options trading.
Kevin Kuo
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 Coming from Granger, Indiana, Kevin is a rising junior at Duke University majoring in both Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. In addition to being a biker and a mediocre breakdancer, he has done data science research with the Information Initiative at Duke, worked as a teaching assistant, and is part of the operations team for HackDuke, an organization dedicated to educating students about technology and letting them show off their technological projects. But regardless of whatever circuit, symbol, or student he works with, from Granger to Duke to –eventually– Silicon Valley, Kevin has always wanted to create the “new” within the ordinary — whether it’d be a new app idea, a new mathematical structure, a new HackDuke activity, or a new way to look better on the dance floor.
Ben Lee
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 Ben is a rising junior at Duke University. He is majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Economics and a certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Ben was born in South Korea, but has lived the majority of his life in Las Vegas, Nevada and briefly in Seattle, Washington, and is a passionate Seattle sports fan. At Duke, Ben participates in the the TV team for online publication the Standard and Duke Club Rugby. In his spare time, he enjoys playing, writing, and discovering music and spending time with good friends. Through Duke in Silicon Valley, Ben hopes to learn and gain experience in the mechanisms behind start-ups and the meaning behind becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Ying Ni
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 Ying, a rising senior at Duke University, is majoring in Music, minoring in Economics, and pursuing the certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She’s from Vancouver, Canada and loves sports and music. For Ying, Duke in Silicon Valley will be an opportunity to explore the Entrepreneurship hotspot, while learning how to build and sustain a great company.
Claire North
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 Jin is a rising junior at Duke University. She is double majoring in Neuroscience and International Comparative Studies along with Innovation & Entrepreneurship certificate. She grew up from Seoul, South Korea and Boston, MA. At Duke, she is a member of the business fraternity, Scale & Coin, as well as a choreographer for her urban dance team, StreetMed and a Duke tour guide. Outside of Duke, she is involved in the startup, Papilia. Her other interests include discovering new places that she wants to go back around the world and finding new movies and music to enjoy. She is very excited to be at Silicon Valley because she has been very interested in tech startups and wanted to be part of the community since very young.
Amanda Shorin
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 Amanda grew up in Palo Alto and is now a rising sophomore at Duke. While unsure about what she wants to major in, she is considering Economics or Public Policy, and is interested in the Decision Science and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificates. In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time with friends and family, hiking, reading, and traveling to new places. Growing up in the Bay Area, Amanda has always been inspired by the new ideas and innovations that have come out of here. She is looking forward to gaining a new perspective on Silicon Valley this summer and is hopeful that the experience will help give her a more focused direction as she pursues her interests in the coming years.
Aditya Srinivasan
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 Aditya is a rising junior at Duke University. He is majoring in Electrical/Computer Engineering and Computer Science and pursuing a certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Born and raised in Hong Kong and India, he has observed large amounts of disparity, and an intense appreciation for technology’s ability to narrow societal barriers. This has cultivated his longing to one day work in Silicon Valley, a technological hub with continuous disruption and innovation. He is excited to learn from seasoned leaders, make lasting connections, and be inspired. At Duke he is involved with a startup that distributes low-cost 3D-printed glasses to developing countries, dances on Duke Dhamaka, and helps other students learn through his roles as a teaching assistant and peer tutor. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports such as soccer and volleyball, and musical instruments such as the guitar and drums.
Nick Vega
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 Nick is a rising junior at Duke University. He is pursuing a BS in Economics, a BA in Computer Science and a Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Nick is originally from Westport, Connecticut and his interests include baseball, piano and spending time with friends. At Duke, Nick is a shareholder in Duke’s biggest student-run company, Campus Enterprises, where he serves as the Director of Next Ventures.Nick also serves on the Duke Student Alumni Board, plays the piano for Duke Catholic Center’s services, and is an active brother of Delta Sigma Phi. Although he remains uncertain of what his future entails, Nick looks forward to learning more about Silicon Valley’s dynamic and fast-paced culture through the program!
Aman Venkateswaran
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 Aman is a rising junior at Duke, majoring in Mathematics with a possible certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Growing up in New Delhi, India, Aman has been very interested in social start ups, having taught music (guitar and vocals) to disadvantaged children for years. Hoping to develop this into a wide-reaching idea later, Aman desires to create a series of music schools/programs that cater to them, merging music and teaching, two of his primary interests. He wishes to build on these interests, along with those in energy, technology and cyber security in the Valley, where he is excited at the possibility to meet and interact with true game-changers across fields. He is also interested in poker, food, tennis, films and traveling.
Taylor Wilson
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 Taylor is a rising sophomore from Anchorage, Alaska. She plans on pursuing majors in both Computer Science and Visual Media Studies, along with the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate. Growing up in Alaska, she has cultivated a love for nature and all activities related to exploring the outdoors. After her time in Silicon Valley, Taylor will be joining a Biosphere Expeditions team where she will be tagging and conducting research on whale sharks and coral reefs with a group of volunteers in the Maldives. She also spends time running her foundation, Good Soil Foundation Fund, dedicated to ending human trafficking and assisting to reeducate and redirect victims.  Her other interests include hiking, skiing, watercolor painting, playing guitar, and, her newest interest, attending hack-a-thons. She is looking forward to her time in Silicon Valley and to picking the brains of all the bright, motivated individuals she will get the opportunity to meet. Taylor hopes that this experience will further her interests in entrepreneurship and enlighten her as to what it takes to be a start-up in a hub like Silicon Valley.
Jean Yenbamroong
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 Jean is a rising sophomore at Duke University pursuing a major in Computer Science with a minor in Economics. Jean was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and is excited to explore a different part of her home state through Duke in Silicon Valley. The program will provide her with invaluable insight on the many innovative companies situated in the Valley. At Duke, she is involved in a student-run food magazine called The Bite, a fashion and lifestyle magazine called Form, an online publication called the Standard, and the Duke Students’ social media team. Most of her remaining free time is spent scouting out and trying new restaurants and ice cream shops.
Alexander Zaldastani 
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Alex is a rising junior at Duke University and majoring in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science while pursuing a certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. He was raised in San Francisco where he quickly figured out that Silicon Valley was a perfect place for him. He is excited about learning the business side to the tech world during his time at DSV. On campus Alex participates at Hackathons and is an active member of the Wayne Manor SLG. Alex also enjoys EDM, scuba diving, skiing, frisbee, and competitive horseback riding.
Judy Zhu
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 Judy is an undergraduate student at Duke University and an aspiring tech entrepreneur. Her startup, Genie, is a mobile app that allows users to find people nearby with matching help requests. Genie is set to launch at Duke in the fall of 2016. Beyond her pursuit to establish a company, Judy loves making cookies for residents in Wilson dorm, longboarding to class, and flying kites on the quad on windy days. She hopes her adventures will open up infinite opportunities to dream big, fail early, and chase feels.