Hello all. We are back for Soph’s Digest winter edition. Welcome to all the new connections, professors, and mentors added to the newsletter. For those who are new or understandly need a refresh, Soph's Digest is a snappy quarterly update on all things pertaining to my career exploration journey. I welcome any advice, thoughts, or suggestions about the happenings I've shared below so please feel free to reach out!!!
If there's anything I learned these past few months, it's that I should probably keep my Zoom background indefinitely blurred and that The Morning Brew is WAY better as a podcast than as a newsletter. If you no longer want to be included on this newsletter, please let me know as well.
TLDR (Too Long, Didn''t Read)
DBRS Investment in Consumer Panel was a success!
Ongoing learnings with Laura Baker at 72&Sunny
Highlights from spring semester classes at Duke
A consulting recruitment trip to AtlantaÂ
NEW Side Hustles with Uber and Anthos Consumer Lab
Current reads & listens: podcast recommendations and exciting topics
Gratitude Shoutouts
A huge thank you to the Duke alum Lisa Blau who moderated the Duke Business of Retail Society (DBRS)-hosted Investment in Consumer Panel. It was an incredible discussion with leaders from VC, Private Equity, and Investment Banking firms who specialize in retail and CPG. Lisa facilitated a fantastic conversation that touched on key tensions and future trends in the industry over the next five years. The insights were invaluable, and I’m glad we got to share these voices with the Duke community
Regular conversations with Laura Baker at 72andSunny continue to shape my understanding of the agency ecosystem. I really appreciate Laura's nuanced insights on the space and am inspired by her love for brand consulting. These conversations have expanded my view of the ways brands leverage agencies to grow and why there's so much to learn here.
Asks
How is AI affecting your job? I'm deeply curious about how AI is changing the way we work and how young hires are expected to leverage it in the industry.
Work/School
Bain CREW (Connecting and Resourcing Empowered Women) in Atlanta: I am incredibly honored to have been selected for a female-only summit at Bain & Co., marking my first exposure to the consulting world. It was an empowering experience, and I’m grateful for the connections I made during my trip last week. Atlanta is a retail hub and several conversations from summit focused in on the consumer industry (which of course I absolutely loved).
Professor Rick Singer’s class has been one of the most tactical business classes I've taken at Duke. From exploring Netflix’s company values to discussing the evolution of culture at Uber, we’ve covered a lot of real-world examples that challenge traditional business thinking. My team is diving into a final project in the next few weeks on Eli Lilly. The pharmaceutical industry is one I'm not too familiar with but am excited to explore.
Storytelling skills are top of mind this semester. As I progress in my Journalism minor, I’m learning to craft long-form profiles. I’m reading four lengthy profiles to learn from this art done at it's best (ex: The Journalist and the Murderer) each week and working on a semester-long piece on Jennings Brody, owner of beloved boutiques and cafés across Durham.
Podcasting in a Changing Media Landscape has opened my eyes to the power of sound and texture in storytelling. As an avid Morning Brew and Skinny Confidential listener, this class has exposed me to a plethora of more niche and diverse topics and auditory techniques. I’m producing a final podcast that blends interviews with student influencers and PhD Marketing professors at Fuqua to examine the meaning and power of influence today.
Side Hustle Spotlight
I’m dipping my toes into field marketing and recently signed on to be a Campus Ambassador for Uber through Home From College. We’re working on an activation for March Madness x Uber One at Duke- I am curious how successful this on-campus activation will be and I am eager to put it together.
Every week I look forward to the Friday evening Anthos Consumer Lab Zooms where 7 bright college students pitch companies as a cohort to the Anthos Venture Capital team every week. We’ve been discussing cult brands, new trends in fragrance, emotion-connected skincare, and some chaos with Party City.
Finding little ways to practice my love for branding and Gen Z buying power out of the classroom remains a joy. I’ve been building on my ‘Short & Spicy’ concept, where I pitch brand marketing and product development suggestions on TikTok. Recently, at DBRS, we had a fun Poppi Pop-Up club wide competition —check it out here. I’m excited to bring more creative and interactive brainstorming to the team.
Fails + Small Wins (because that's life).
Accenture Innovation Challenge (AIC): I last minute decided to join the AIC for client, the Special Olympics. It was a tight timeline and a frustrating experience at times. While I loved the concept, executing a top-tier pitch deck (with strong data, visuals, and structure) was tougher than expected. Watching powerhouse teams from Notre Dame and UPenn present immaculate PowerPoints made it clear we fell short, but it was an eye-opening lesson for next time.
No Strings Attached Launch: Managing the startup incubator wing of Campus Enterprises has also been a grueling experience with some small rewards on the horizon. Given that my Devils Uncovered startup folded last semester, I was hesitant to dive back in. Now, after a month of brainstorming with Next Ventures, we finalized a new idea and launched NoStringsAttached. This is a curated resale marketplace tackling overconsumption at Duke. In Week 1, we pulled in $200 in revenue. Our plan is to start small with a MVP on Instagram and build from there.
Current Reads & Listens
McKinsey on Consumer & Retail Podcast: Always great insights on the latest industry trends.
Today, Explained by Vox Podcast: Loved the episodes The Sphere and The Making of a Beauty King (Sephora).
To the Top (Book) by Jenna Fisher: Thank you, Jenna Fisher! She recently sent me a copy of her book to school and I am eager to dig in.Â
Personal Updates
We kicked off the year with a trip to Brazil, exploring the breathtaking Iguazu Falls. Traveling with our Brazilian family friends made the experience even more special, giving us a true local perspective. Feeling incredibly grateful for the adventure.
The loss of our home in LA has been a tough chapter, but the memories and connections keep me grounded.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I am grateful for the time and support of all mentors and connections.
Talk in the Spring!
Sincerely,
Sophia