Penny CEOs
The Penny Pilgram George Leadership Initiative cohorts are lead by the Cohort Executive Officers (CEOs)
Monica Balakrishnan
Major: Neuroscience major and Political science minor
Year: Junior
Favorite Penny Memory: Definitely a stand out memory is the annual retreat where I got to make some really great memories and connections with people in my cohort and it really is a great experience that PPGWLI provides for us!
Neeharika Rao Chintalapudi
Major: B.E. in Civil Engineering and B.S. in Computer Science
Year: Junior
Favorite Penny Memory: The Penny Retreat was so fun and relaxing! I loved getting to spend time with the cohort, making friendship bracelets and hearing from our public speaking coach, Nikki.
Victoria Ko
Major: Chemistry and Biology, Science and the Public Certificate
Year: Junior
Favorite Penny Memory: I loved the community building at the overnight "Swinter" Camping Retreat and monthly cohort meetings!
Nirali Patel
Major: Biology, global health minor
Year: Senior
Favorite Penny Memory: Balloon tower challenge during one of the Penny meetings.
Grace Romero
Major: B.A. History, Minor in Political Science and Environmental Science and Policy
Year: Senior
Favorite Penny Memory: In the spring of 2024, Julia Korn (Duke alumni, business CEO, and TEDx presenter) visited the Penny cohort to give us a presentation about imposter syndrome. Julia's lecture was interactive, and she encouraged conversation, allowing the audience to share our experiences with imposter syndrome as females at Duke. This discussion felt incredibly validating, and Julia left us with tips for building self-confidence in the future. I appreciate the Penny program for giving me opportunities like this one aimed at self-empowerment and leadership development.