Alumni Spotlight: Shady Elbassiouny ’19

Before coming to Duke

After my undergrad, I worked for General Motors and Mars Inc. Before attending Duke MEM, I was managing a startup with a couple of my friends for one year.

Why I chose Duke’s MEM program

Duke’s MEM program is one of the oldest MEM programs, and Duke is part of the MEMP Consortium. That made me certain that I am applying to one of the best MEM programs in the market. Beside all that, Duke’s MEM program was the most flexible program as I was not confined to certain courses and I had the freedom to choose different courses within Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering and other Duke graduate and professional schools. This flexibility was one of the most important aspects for me.

Top places to visit in Durham

• Devil Pizzeria
• Duke Forest
• Durham Bike Co-op

My favorite Duke MEMory

When I was part of the “4 Guyz” consulting team, which represented Duke MEM in the first Design and Pitch competition. We competed with great teams from MIT, Northwestern, and other MEM consortium schools, and we won!

After the MEM program

I work with Tyrata Inc., which is a startup spun off with technology developed at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering. I am looking to develop Tyrata’s business in the Middle East and Africa. For the long run, I am planning to found my own startup and community service organization.

My advice to new students

Duke and Duke MEM have many resources. You will not be able to do everything. So, prioritize your efforts to have the best experience. Secondly, keep networking or relationship building—these the most important skills you will learn during the Duke MEM program. For sure, you will learn a lot from your Duke and Durham network.