Experience Darden

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Shane Dikolli. Dikolli’s primary research interests focus on the performance evaluation of CEOs spanning both analytical modeling and empirical analysis, and he currently serves as an editor at The Accounting Review. We talk w...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jessa Ursabia. Jessa is a rising second year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2025, and she is also the President of Darden’s Graduate Women in Business Club. In this conversation, we talk with Jessa about her background, her decision to pursue an MBA, applying to Darden through the Consortium, her plans for GWIB in the year ahead, her...

In this episode of the podcast, we spotlight the Parents of Darden student organization with a conversation with Lisandro Sagastume and Hailey Webster. Lisandro is a recent graduate in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and Hailey is a rising second year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2025 and both have served as leaders of Parents of Darden. We talk with Lisandro and Hailey...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Kristin Scruggs. Kristin is a second year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2025, and she also serves as VP Academics for Darden’s Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) student organization and will lead the tutoring program for first year students in the coming year. We talk with Kristin about her background in speech pathology, her decisi...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Amari Brown, Chris Woodfolk, Camilla Zhang and Beth Siyoum. Amari, Chris, Camilla and Beth are rising second year students in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2025, and they are also Darden’s newest Consortium liaisons. In this conversation, Amari, Chris, Camilla and Beth reflect upon their MBA journeys, what the Consortium has meant to them during t...

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we catch up with Carlos Bortoni. Carlos is an MBA/M.Ed graduate in Darden’s Class of 2019, and he currently serves As Senior Director for the Batten Institute’s new launched “Tech Hub,” a cross-departmental effort to advance Darden’s presence and standing in technology through thought leadership, faculty and student engagement, and stakehol...

In this special episode of the Darden Admissions podcast, we catch up with Jen Coleman. Jen is the Executive Director of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services at Darden, and she also serves as an Executive Coach and Career Consultant. We chat with Jen about her background, what brought her to coaching, how she works with alumni, her advice for prospective students and more. All Darden al...

In this special edition of the podcast, we are excited to share another installment from our ongoing Women@Darden event series featuring Executive Fellow and Professor of Practice Carolyn Miles (MBA ’88). This wide-ranging conversation hosted by Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Clarke touches on Miles’ advice and insights for prospective and admitted students, her work as CEO of Save the...

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we’re excited to highlight an upcoming event – the University of Virginia Venture Capital Conference taking place at Sands Family Grounds in Arlington, Virginia on Friday, 12 April. In honor of this year’s conference, we recently connected with two second year students in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, Malcolm Stewart and Ellie Jamis...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Audriana “Sloane” Grey. Sloane is an MBA/M.Ed student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and we recently connected with her to talk about her background, how she decided to pursue an MBA, how she’s explored her entrepreneurial interests during her time at Darden, her role as President of Building Goodness in April and more.  For more insig...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Vincent Truong and Jill Howland. Vincent and Jill are first year students in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2025, and they were recently elected to serve as the President and Executive Vice President, respectively, of the Darden Student Association (DSA). We talk with Vincent and Jill about the MBA journeys, their experience at Darden so far, h...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jon Rickords. Jon is a second year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and he is also the outgoing President of the Sobriety Initiative, a Darden student organization that seeks to provide a welcoming community at Darden and foster inclusivity by hosting alcohol-free events, individually or in partnership with other clubs. We talk w...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Anna Fife (MBA ’14). Anna is the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for Darden’s Batten Institute, and we recently connected to talk with her about her background, what led her to Darden as an MBA student, and what brought her back to Darden for her role with the Batten Institute. Anna also shares insights about Darden’s Batten Scholars progra...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Aidan Connell. Aidan is a MBA/M.Ed student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and we recently connected with him to talk more about his background, his decision to pursue an MBA/M.Ed dual degree, what he’s enjoyed about his second year, his advice for prospective students and more. Aidan also shares more about a case he is currently writin...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Yonah Greenstein. Yonah is a second year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and we recently connected with him to talk about his background, what led him to Darden, his work with the Prison Reentry Education Program (PREP), his experience as a Tri-Sector Leadership Fellow and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Ty Sheets. Ty is a second year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and we recently connected with him to talk about his background, his decision to pursue an MBA, his experience moving to Charlottesville with a family, his favorite class from his time at Darden and more. During this interview, we also discuss the Kington Scholarship...

In this special edition of the podcast, we are excited to share another installment from our ongoing Women@Darden event series featuring Senior Associate Dean, Professional Degree Programs Yael Grushka-Cockayne. Grushka-Cockayne's research and teaching activities focus on data science, forecasting, project management and behavioral decision-making. Her research is published in numerous academic an...

In this special edition of Darden Admissions’ podcast, we talk with Marc and Shizuka Modica about Darden’s global course offerings. Marc is a Senior Lecturer in Business Administration with broad international experience in negotiation, communications and conflict management teaching and consulting. Shizuka is a lecturer and adjunct faculty member, and she is an expert on high performance, meaning...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Ibukun Aiyemo. Ibukun is a second-year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and we talk with her about her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her Darden, adjusting to life as a first year MBA student, how she spent the summer after her first year, what she’s enjoyed about her second year and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Seiver Jorgensen. Seiver is pursuing an MBA/Master of Engineering dual degree, and she is currently completing her first year at Darden. We talk with Seiver about what attracted her to the MBA/ME dual degree, what led her to Darden, and what she’s enjoyed about her experience so far. As she shares in the conversation, Seiver is neurodivergent, and w...

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Jim Naughton. Naughton is an Associate Professor in the Accounting area at Darden, and his research examines how financial, legal, and regulatory institutions shape both financial disclosure and economic choices. We talk with...

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Les Alexander. Alexander is an experienced professor, venture capital and private equity investor, corporate executive, and investment banker, and he is a Professor of Practice in the Finance and Strategy, Ethics & Entrepr...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Melissa Thomas-Hunt and Yael Grushka-Cockayne. Melissa is the Senior Associate Dean for Darden’s Residential Full-Time MBA program and Yael is the Senior Associate Dean for Darden’s Professional Degree Programs. We talk with Melissa and Yael about the fall semester, highlights from the past few months, what they’re looking forward to in the spring,...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Alankritha Bhushan and Madison Carey. Alankritha and Madsion are second year students in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and they serve as VPs Conference for Darden’s Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) club. We talk with Alankritha and Madison about their respective MBA journeys, what attracted them to serving on the GWIB leadership board, high...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with second year Full-Time MBA students Hoi-San Guan and Chloe Ramnarine to discuss Darden’s First Generation and Low-Income College Student Initiative (FGLI). The goal of this initiative is to foster community and a sense of belonging among first-generation and/or low-income (FGLI) college students at Darden. We talk with Hoi-San and Chloe about their M...