2026 Duke Sanford Graduates: Eric Fernando

After 15 years in Brazil’s federal government, Marcelo Gonçalves came to Duke to answer a question he could not ignore: why do policies that look strong on paper deliver such different results in practice?

Smriti Sharma MIDP’14 draws on her roots in journalism and training at Duke to shape global policy conversations, advancing collaboration across sectors and borders in her role as head of policy and strategy at Apple in India.

Aye Nyein Thu grew up in Myanmar. She sees education not just as a personal opportunity, but as a force that shapes how people understand and engage with the world.