My Duke Product Lab Experience

PM I was my introduction to the world of product. I took the course as a junior on the recommendation of a friend, having zero knowledge of what product was or how it could turn into a career. I loved the class, but I had no clue that it would be the catalyst for my career.

During the semester, the instructors announced a new applied course: PM II. It sounded interesting, but I didn’t think I could take it since I already had a full course load in the fall to complete my double major. That summer, as I worked as an engineering intern at an energy company, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my interests were elsewhere. My mind kept wandering back to product class. I hopped on a call with former professor Isaac Park to learn more about PM II, and I decided to take a leap of faith, overloading my senior fall to squeeze it in. That decision changed everything for me.

In PM II, I worked with BabyBumps, a surrogacy startup, to deliver a fully functional surrogacy management web app, navigating a major pivot along the way. I fell in love with the fast-paced problem-solving and found real purpose in our interviews with surrogates and intended parents.

I followed that semester up as a Product Management Fellow, mentoring student PMs. That role grew into helping launch Product Lab, pairing student teams with industry partners to build real tech products, adapting the “internship-in-a-semester” model from PM II. I worked on a Product Lab project myself as Lead PM for GameRun, building an AI-driven analytics tool to deliver personalized training insights for elite baseball athletes.

Aside from the rare opportunity for hands-on product work, the best thing about being part of Product Lab is the mentorship, particularly from Anna Wilson. I feel blessed to have someone so accomplished yet so caring in my corner to guide me through everything product.

After Duke Product Lab

After graduating from my 4+1 Master of Engineering Management program, I joined Appian as a Product Manager on the Total Experience team, directly impacting how users interact with the platform. Outside of my main role, I’m continuing work on GunnerPool, a fantasy sports platform built for tournament formats. I love that I can continue to apply the lessons I learned from Product Lab in my professional life.

I am so grateful for the hands-on product foundation that Product Lab provided. I wouldn’t have been able to hit the ground running in my career without the real-world experience of shipping products with actual stakeholders. I’m looking forward to staying connected with my peers, and I can’t wait to see how Product Lab grows and furthers its impact on the lives of students.