As another generation of business school students conclude their studies we ask them to reflect on Graduation Day and the lifelong impact of their studies… 

• Name: Sebastian Jara Castillo
• Career plans after graduation: Consultant at Bain & Company; Partner Don Salazar Coffee
• Institution: Duke University’s Fuqua Business School
• Degree: MBA
• Graduation: May 2026

How does participating in a graduation ceremony help you emotionally mark the end of your student journey and prepare for what’s next? 

After Last Day Of Class we all kept trying to stretch the MBA out a little longer: beach week, BBQs, going out to our usual places. The ceremony was the point where you could actually feel the MBA had ended. Having not only all of us together, but with our families present made it feel like it had truly ended.

What does it mean to you to be recognised publicly for your learning and accomplishment – and who do you feel you’re representing as you cross the stage? 

Honestly, I felt I was representing my parents. For as long as I can remember, they worked hard to provide for my brothers and me, so we could focus on working hard at whatever made us happy. I feel very lucky for that. My dad would always tell us he wanted us to become “citizens of the world.”

“I’d like to help as many entrepreneurs as possible take an idea and bring it to life.”

-Sebastian Jara Castillo

Doing my MBA at one of the most internationally diverse business schools felt like as good a start as any toward becoming that. Seeing my family in the stands is one of the best memories I have of these two years, for sure.

In a world where learning never really ends, what does ‘graduating’ mean to you – and what kind of impact do you want to make with what you’ve learned? 

Graduating from Fuqua means the school is telling you that you’re ready. That’s why the day felt bittersweet, nostalgia mixed with excitement, because everyone knew a new chapter was starting.

Regarding what impact I want to make, I’m a partner in a specialty coffee business back home in Peru, called Don Salazar. We want to take Peruvian coffee to the world, and we want to do it while paying farmers properly and giving them a structure that gives them and their families security.

I’m also starting a career at Bain & Company, which will give me the opportunity to learn from great professionals how to help organizations maximize their potential, because eventually I’d like to help as many entrepreneurs as possible take an idea and bring it to life.

What is the single most memorable aspect of your studies that you will remember long after graduation? 

What it meant to do an MBA in Durham. I knew I wanted to be in a college town, because that let most of us live within two or three blocks of each other, which made it easy to build real friendships and, from there, amazing memories: nights out, weekend getaways, treks to other countries, and helping each other navigate the any challenges along the way. I don’t think any of us will get to recreate that later in life. I’m going to miss it.

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