In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Daniela Fernandez. Daniela is a student in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2023, and she applied to Darden through the Future Year Scholars Program. Daniela talks about her career prior to Darden – including a stint at Mattel serving as a regional brand manager for Barbie – as well as how she decided to pursue an MBA. She also reflects upon her first year at Darden, her plans for the summer and some of her extracurricular activities, including the Darden student/faculty band and the Cold Call Chorus.  e podcast, we catch up with Daniela Fernandez. Daniela is a student in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2023, and she applied to Darden through the Future Year Scholars Program. Daniela talks about her career prior to Darden – including a stint at Mattel serving as a regional brand manager for Barbie – as well as how she decided to pursue an MBA. She also reflects upon her first year at Darden, her plans for the summer, and some of her extracurricular activities, including the Darden student/faculty band and the Cold Call Chorus.  

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Lindsay Bralower. Lindsay is a recent graduate in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2022, and she also applied to Darden through the Future Year Scholars Program. We talk with Lindsay about her MBA journey, what attracted her to the Future Year Scholars Program, what it’s like being a “double ‘Hoo”, and where she’ll be heading after graduation.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Cecilia Rios Murrieta. Cecilia is a graduate in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2022, and she is also a founder. We talk with Cecilia about her MBA journey, including her background in the Mezcal and spirits industry as well as her new venture, JAS. JAS (Joie Avec Sans) is an alcohol-free beverage brand that allows everyone to participate in the social ritual of drinking without compromise, by mindfully creating beverages that emulate the look, taste and mouth-feel of traditional alcoholic beverages.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Yeti Ogunwumi. Yeti is a second year student in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2023, and she is also President of Building Goodness in April (BGIA), a student organization dedicated to keeping marginalized homeowners living in warmth, dignity, and decency, and to improving the facilities of local community groups. We talk with Yeti about her background in architecture, her passion for art, why she was excited to be a double ‘Hoo, her plans for BGIA in the year and much more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Vashti Barran (Class of 2023). Vashti is a second year student in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2023, and, in this wide-ranging conversation, she reflects upon her MBA journey – from growing up in New York City, to college in NYC, to her career in the non-profit sector, to Charlottesville and her first year as a Darden student. Vashti is President of Humans of Darden, a student organization that seeks to form stronger connections among the humans of the Darden School of Business, and she also shares her plans and vision for Humans of Darden in the year ahead.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share the 13th installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Manel Baucells. Baucells teaches quantitative analysis courses in Darden's MBA and Executive Education programs. Baucells' research focuses on incorporating psychological realism into consumer behavior models by considering factors such as reference point formation, mental accounting, psychological distance, anticipation, fatigue, and satiation; and examines how these factors influence risk and time preferences, consumer choices, and managerial decisions. We talk with Manel about his interest in quantifying the unquantifiable, why he’s passionate about the case method, as well as his research around attaining happiness. He also shares insights about Darden’s newly re-launched PhD program as well as his Behavioral Decision Making elective.

Senior Assistant Dean for Admissions, Dawna Clarke, joins us for our annual spotlight on the new Full-Time MBA application. Dawna shares insights about the application, including her favorite essay question, tips for choosing a recommender, advice for candidates considering a test waiver request and more. She also talks about the importance of approaching the MBA application process with both joy and excitement.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share the 12th installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor June A. West. West is the Marjorie R. Sands Associate Professor of Business Administration, and she specializes in organizational communication, leadership, strategy, and change management. She teaches in Darden’s MBA, Executive MBA, Executive Education programs, iLab Innovation Incubator and the Center for Global Initiatives, where she offers for students a global course that takes place in Bahrain, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. In the year ahead, she will also be teaching the Leadership Communication course in Darden’s newest MBA format, Part-Time MBA. We talk with June about her interest in communications, what led her to Darden, and why she’s so passionate about working with students. She also reflects upon her work with Darden’s Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE), a program with UVA’s School of Education, as well as her current research interests, including hot topics in communications.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with June Sun. June is a student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2023, and she is the Chief Investment Officer for Darden Capital Management, an organization comprised of 24 second-year students chosen to actively manage six investment portfolios for the Darden School Foundation, including the newest fund focused on REITs, which launched on 1 April 2022. We talk with June about her journey to Darden, why she’s passionate about Finance, her plans for the summer ahead, what she’s looking forward to accomplishing in her CIO role and more.

In this special episode of the Darden Admissions podcast, we spotlight the recent Finals Exercises at the University of Virginia and the Darden School of Business. Every year, the Darden ceremony features student speakers who are nominated and voted upon by their classmates. We’re excited to share the remarks from Alex Smith (MBA ’22), the Full-Time MBA student speaker as well as Joe Stanley (EMBA ’22), the Executive MBA student speaker. You will also hear reflections and introductions from by the outgoing Darden Student Association (DSA) President DeMario Moore (MBA ’22) and outgoing Executive Student Association (ESA) President Catriona Stadtler-Ayer.