Our group comes from an incredibly diverse background — we’re from all over the continental United States and have an unbelievably wide array of academic and extracurricular interests. From Computer Science to Biostatistics, Journalism and Communications to Economics, and History to International Studies, we represent a great cross-section of students at Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest.

Read on to learn more about us! Click on a student’s name to view a copy of their résumé.

Alex Katz
Senior, UNC-Chapel Hill
Alex is a rising senior at UNC majoring in Management and Society, with two minors in Spanish for the Professions and Entrepreneurship. Alex graduated from the Park School of Baltimore, which instilled in him a love of learning and a passion for progressive education. At UNC, Alex has helped to bring innovation and fresh ideas to campus through a student-submitted ideas portal, he has served on his fraternity’s executive board, and he has picked up a passion for entrepreneurship through the UNC E-Minor that he plans to act on in the coming years. In his free time, Alex enjoys playing squash, going to concerts, waterskiing, and perfecting the Chipotle burrito bowl. This summer he will be interning at VaynerMedia– a social media consulting agency with offices in New York and San Francisco.

Andrew Ghobrial
Junior, UNC-Chapel Hill
Andrew is a rising junior at UNC majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Entrepreneurship and Arabic. Andrew is from Fayetteville, North Carolina but still calls Egypt, where he was born and lived until age nine, true home. In his free time, Andrew enjoys keeping up with tech news, tinkering with his computer, listening to music, road trips, and eating Mediterranean food among other things. At UNC he is a member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity where he serves as webmaster. Andrew is an aspiring entrepreneur looking to apply his programming skills in a start-up environment. After the program, he will be staying in Mountain View, CA while interning at Oration Health in Foster City, CA as a developer. Andrew has greatly enjoyed his time in Silicon Valley and its culture and vows to return again next summer.

Arthur Gosnell
Junior, Duke University
Arthur is a rising junior at Duke University studying Economics with a minor in Political Science.  Born and raised in Westchester, New York, Arthur is quite new to the California lifestyle and the Bay Area, but nevertheless sees a future for himself here.  In the past, Arthur has worked for non-profit organizations in New York City, such as Legal Aid.  In addition to interests in innovation and entrepreneurship, he is also an avid sports fan.  A member of the Duke Club Tennis Team, Arthur loves playing sports with friends, attending sporting events, and cheering on the Blue Devils.

Brian Strubbe
Junior, Duke University
Brian is a rising junior at Duke studying Economics, Statistics, and Finance. Brian grew up in Omaha, Nebraska but frequent childhood trips to his grandmother’s North Carolina home had him dreaming about Cameron Indoor and southern food. Brian has interests in analytics, strategy, and investing and has loved the time he has gotten to spend in the startup world. His first opportunity was as an analyst at a small, innovative home flooring manufacturer in Omaha called Snapstone and then in business development at tech company in the Triangle named Maxpoint Interactive. Maxpoint is a hyper local digital advertising solution that helps retailers and brands drive in-store traffic through display, video and mobile advertising.  In his free time Brian loves music, pick-up basketball, movies, and the hopefully improving St. Louis Rams. 

Connor Gordon
Junior, Duke University
Connor is a rising junior at Duke University majoring in Computer Science and pursuing a certificate in Markets and Management Studies. Born and raised in Dallas, (the Great State of) Texas, Connor developed an early interest in entrepreneurship through his love for theatre. In high school, he participated in over 25 theatrical productions but asked upon coming to college, “why learn to market and sell yourself when you can learn how to operate and manage a more consistent, easier-to-blame entity – a business?” At Duke, Connor is a member of Cooper SLG and Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, hanging with friends, and fitting the occasional slice of pizza into every meal. Following Duke in Silicon Valley, Connor will be working at Texas Instruments as a database development intern.

Courtney Sanford
Senior, UNC-Chapel Hill
Courtney studies Biostatistics, Environmental Studies, and Entrepreneurship at UNC. She is particularly interested in the intersection of innovation and entrepreneurship with public health, education, and other social issues. After seeing and experiencing the entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley, Courtney is excited to be staying in Mountain View for an internship at LinkedIn after the program ends and hopes to find a job at an entrepreneurial company after graduation next year. Her other interests include foreign languages, brainteasers, and hanging out by the pool with her fellow DSVers.

Diana Liu
Junior, Duke University
Diana is a rising junior at Duke majoring in Economics with a Finance concentration, and pursuing two certificates in Markets and Management Studies and Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Diana grew up in the heart of Wisconsin, only ten minutes away from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her internship for Social Entreprenuer Corps last summer inspired her to continue on a path of innovation and entreprenurship. She loves the culture and spirit of Silicon Valley and hopes to eventually work out here some day. At Duke, Diana is a member of Duke Venture Forward, Business Oriented Women, and Kappa Kappa Gamma. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, shopping, and spending time with friends and family. Diana loves to travel and will be studying in the Duke in London: Finance program for the remainder of the summer, and will also be studying abroad in Madrid, Spain for fall of Junior semester. 

Ifeoma Anyansi
Junior, Duke University
Ifeoma is a rising senior at Duke University majoring in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental Engineering. She is also pursuing a certificate in Markets and Management. This previous summer, Ife worked as a business development and marketing intern at a start-up promoted to increasing awareness to green issues and providing consumers with environmental-friendly clothing options. She also previously served as the Marketing Director within the Junior Class Council dedicated to uniting the class with fun and exciting events. For the first two years of her undergraduate career she has worked as a tutor for America Reads & Counts program. During junior year, she was accepted into the Boeing Grand Challenges K12 Outreach Fellow’s Program in the Pratt School of Engineering. Here, she learned the 14 Engineering’s Grand Challenges of the 21st century and passed the knowledge on to the youth in the Durham community. This summer, she will serve as an intern to the Duke STEAM challenge. She will help coordinate outreach for the first chapter of the challenge which aims to bridge the gap between STEM subjects and arts, socials sciences, and the humanities by challenging groups of students to create an interdisciplinary solution to a real word problem. She hopes to continue to gain relevant experience to launch her career involving both management, entrepreneurship, and engineering and appreciates the opportunities Duke in Silicon Valley has to offer.

Janvi Shah
Junior, Duke University
Janvi Shah is a rising junior at Duke University studying Neuroscience with a certificate in Markets and Management Studies and a minor in Finance. Hailing from Fremont, CA, Janvi grew up in the Bay Area, surrounded by its culture of innovation. Inspired by her parents’ careers in research and entrepreneurship, she is looking to work at the intersection of science and business, and has cultivated an interest in neuroeconomics, global health, and social entrepreneurship. Janvi will be spending the remainder of the summer participating in Duke in Geneva, Switzerland, studying international business. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking vegetarian meals, taking photos, and traveling.

Julia Milch
Senior, Duke University
Julia Milch is a rising senior at Duke University studying International Comparative Studies with a certificate in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and a minor in Economics. Julia is from Hewlett, New York but has always considered herself a California girl at heart. After watching her grandfather and father run their family business, Julia was inspired to learn more about entrepreneurship and starting a business of her own. She loves the buzzing culture of the Bay Area, motivating her to compete in the Duke Start-Up Challenge in the Spring. In her free time Julia loves swimming and running, prompting her to complete her first Olympic distance triathlon, the NYC Tri, in 2011. Julia hopes to participate in another endurance race by the end of this upcoming academic year.

Kerry Nelson
Senior, Wake Forest University
Kerry Nelson is a rising Senior at Wake Forest University majoring in Communications with minors in Journalism and Film Studies. Growing up engulfed in North Carolina’s collegiate scene, Kerry discovered her passion for college athletics at an early age, prompting several internships in sports including UNC Women’s Soccer, Wake Forest Media Relations, and most recently NBC’s coverage of the 2012 London Olympics. She hopes to one day find a career in Sports Marketing or Sports Media. Following the Duke in Silicon Valley program, Kerry will be interning with SportsBoard, a San Rafael startup that has developed mobile player assessment software to automate college recruiting process.

Mark Koslow
Junior, Duke University
Mark Koslow is a rising junior at Duke University studying computer science and economics. He is originally from Reading, Pennsylvania. In his free time, he enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with friends and family. After the program, he will be working as a developer for a start-up in Palo Alto and then studying in London in the fall.

Michael Marion
Junior, Duke University
A native North Carolinian and Durhamite, Michael is a rising junior at Duke studying Computer Sciencee.  Michael has always been interested in new technologies and innovation —  he crafted a mockup of an Internet-ready wristwatch out of cardboard in the second grade, although he’s still waiting to hear back from Microsoft regarding its development. Michael also holds passions for business development, entrepreneurship, teaching, and public speaking as the grandson of a former Dean and current professor at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.  

A strong interest in both software development and design rubbed off on him at an early age after his family bought their first Macintosh computer; he has since become an Apple devotee. In his spare time, Michael is a rabid fan of his Duke Blue Devils as a Line Monitor and Cameron Crazie in Cameron Indoor Stadium in addition to a borderline-obsessive web developer and designer. He vows to one day become an entrepreneur, learn how to surf, and learn the ancient art of Japanese Teppanyaki cooking, complete with onion volcanoes and shrimp in pockets.

For Summer 2014, Michael will be an Engineering Intern at SumAll in New York City. If you enjoy this blog, please let him know — he designed it!

Rachel Albright
Junior, Duke University
Rachel Albright is a rising Junior at Duke University, studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Finance. Born and raised in Southern California, Rachel feels right at home in Silicon Valley. She loves the energy and entrepreneurial spirit that is so pervasive in the Bay Area, and sees herself working for a tech company or start-up. In her spare time, Rachel loves to ride her horse, Bea, as well as cook, practice graphic design, and go hiking.

Samantha Klein
Junior, Duke University
Samantha Klein is a rising junior at Duke University studying Public Policy with a certificate in Markets and Management Studies. Even though she is originally from Short Hills, New Jersey, since arriving in California, she has conceded that the west cost definitely is the best coast. She has a passion for leadership and social entrepreneurship, immersing herself in as many HART leadership courses as the Public Policy department will allow her to take. Samantha will spend the rest of her summer interning before heading off for a semester abroad in Sydney, Australia. When she’s not busy studying disruptive enterprises, Samantha loves to bake, travel, and spend time with her family.

Scott LeVine
Junior, Duke University
Scott is a rising junior at Duke University studying Economics with a Markets and Management certificate.  He was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, and has always been a die-hard Blue Devil fan. His first time in California, Scott has enjoyed the intense entrepreneurial spirit and permanent sunny weather of the west coast. He now pictures himself potentially living there after his undergrad years. Scott is a member of the Kappa Alpha Order and of the Investment Club at Duke, with interests in the tech-side of business and how problems can be solved through innovation. Some of his hobbies include playing on Duke’s club lacrosse team, snowboarding, and playing guitar.  Scott will be returning to Durham after the program, working as a pool manager at a local country club and preparing for his semester abroad in Florence. 

Sebastien Vandenheste
Senior, Duke University
Sebastien is a rising senior at Duke. He is a History major, Economics minor, and is pursuing a certificate in Markets and Management. He is interested in technology and energy. In his free time, Sebastien enjoys sailing and golf. 

Shadi Feddin
Junior, Duke University
Shadi Feddin is a rising Junior at Duke majoring in Chemistry. Originally from Nebraska, Shadi spent a lot of time in Southern California growing up, training with Michelle Kwan’s coach as a competitive figure skater. She is thrilled to be back on the coast. Following this program, she will be interning at GSV Capital in Woodside. At Duke, Shadi is on the Executive Board for Duke’s Association for Business Oriented Women, a fervent salsa dancer in Sabrosura, and a former volunteer at the Duke Hospital. She looks forward to studying abroad in London in the Fall, then competing in the Duke Start-Up Challenge in the Spring.

Veer Gangwal
Junior, Duke University
A native Chicagoan, Veer is quick to lament the demise of his Chicago Bulls after Jordan’s departure from the team. After enduring the brutal hardship of the Marcus Fizer-Eddy Curry-Tyson Chandler era, he was able to overcome such difficult times and attend a university of notable renown. Veer is a rising junior at Duke majoring in Economics and is pursuing a minor in Computer Science. In the future, Veer hopes to become a successful entrepreneur and a distinguished autobiographer. In his free time, Veer enjoys listening to music (predominantly hip-hop) and is one of the foremost authorities in the art of finding celebrity doppelgängers.

Wilhelmina Ryan
Junior, Duke University
Wilhelmina Ryan is a rising Junior at Duke University majoring in Economics with an Markets and Management certificate. She was born in New York City and later moved to Westchester. She now lives with her family in Greenwich, Connecticut. This is the first time she has been to California and so far she loves the spirit of the west coast. She is an active member of Duke’s Association for Business Oriented Women. When she is not studying or with friends, she enjoys dancing and taking ballet classes. After the Duke in Silicon Valley Program, Wilhelmina will be interning as a financial analyst at Talend in Los Altos.