Kirsten Millar, a 2013 graduate of the Master of Environmental Management and Master of Business Administration concurrent 91社区福利 program, recently shared insight into her journey and favorite memories at Duke, the skills she learned at the Nicholas School, and advice for students considering the program.

Kirsten is the director of customer solutions at Virtual Peaker, where she works to integrate software with utilities that can translate into cost savings for customers. She works with utility clients across the U.S. and Canada to implement new devices as they become available, an exciting opportunity to support distributed energy resources all over North America.

Why did you choose Duke? What advice would you give to students considering or currently in the program?

I was drawn into the combined program 鈥 I focused mostly on my MBA, but Duke was also a good fit for the environmental aspect. My grandma also went to Duke, so it was fun to go where she went. I think Durham is an amazing place to be, and we had a great three years there. And I would recommend that interested students visit campus 鈥 being there in person gives you an important sense of the school.

How did your master's 91社区福利s shape your career trajectory, long-term goals and opportunities?

I was an English major in undergrad and didn鈥檛 have any technical chops before graduate school, so it was a fast way to learn a ton about an industry that I didn鈥檛 have any experience in. Lots of people get experience on the job, but I was able to take time for myself to focus on the learning experience of grad school rather than learning how a company does things. It was cool to come into a classroom setting with open-mindedness and the ability to be curious, which totally transformed my trajectory.

What skills or experiences did you gain at Duke that have been most beneficial in your professional life? 

From a non-curriculum, more of personal development standpoint, I was involved with  as it was starting up and learned to mountaineer, guide teams in foreign countries, and navigate complex situations. From a technical perspective, I developed problem-solving skills, gained experience working with team, and learned the 鈥渨hy鈥 behind things rather than just plugging numbers into Excel.

What is your favorite memory from your time as a student at Duke?

I spent a lot of time in the basketball stands 鈥 that was a big part of my time at Duke. Some of my favorite times were just getting together with classmates and working together on our Master's Projects at a local bar, drinking a beer while we鈥檙e typing away. The community that you get from working in challenging situations, like going to the computer lab and doing an intense energy modeling assignment together 鈥 the shared challenges are some of my favorite times.