Experience Darden

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Rich Diemer. Rich is Managing Director for CAV Angels, a non-profit network composed of UVA alumni, faculty, parents, students, and friends of the University whose purpose is to elevate the entrepreneurial ecosystem for UVA alumni by educating, connecting, funding, and mentoring the extended UVA startup community. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Rich about his backgro...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Izzie Mirghani. Izzie is a recent graduate in UVA’s MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) Class of 2026, and we caught up with him to talk about what attracted him to the MSBA program, how the MSBA curriculum helped him sharpen his communication skills, how AI is integrated into the program, how his career goals evolved over the course of the program and more.  For more insights...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Obi Ozeife. Obi is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and he is also a leader of Darden’s Healthcare Club. We talk with Obi about what led him to Darden, what interests him about healthcare, what the Healthcare Club has planned in the months ahead, the life sciences and biotech scene in Charlottesville, and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about ...

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we catch up with two Darden faculty members, Professors Rob Phillips and Manel Baucells. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Rob and Manel about Darden’s PhD program. They discuss the structure and philosophy of the program, what makes Darden’s program distinctive, how someone might know if pursuing a PhD may be right for them and more. For more insig...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Justin Powers. Justin is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and we chat with him about his science background, his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, what he enjoys about the case method, his interest in venture capital and biotech and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover D...

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 Dr. Tracey Hoke. Dr. Hoke is trained as a Pediatrician and Pediatric Cardiologist, and she is the inaugural health Chair, Innovation in Healthcare Operations at UVA Health. We talk with Dr. Hoke about her medical career, what led her to Darden, the ...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Gaby Siem. Gaby is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she is also the President of Darden’s Graduate Women in Business club. We talk with Gaby about her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, how she’s spending her summer, her plans for GWIB in the year ahead and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, ...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Willie Green. Willie is the new Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions at the Darden School of Business, and we talk with him about his background, what he enjoys about admissions, what attracted him to the role, and his advice for prospective students. Willie also shares insights and tips about the recently launched Full-Time MBA application. For more insights, tips, and stories about ...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Akshada Shrotri. Akshada is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she is also VP of Admissions for Darden’s Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) club and the VP of Marketing for the Darden South Asia Society (DSAS). We talk with Akshada about her background, what brought her to Darden, the role second year students play in supporting first year students at D...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Deborah Agoye. Deborah is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she is also the President of Darden’s Black Business Student Association (BBSA). We talk with Deborah about her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, how she plans to spend her summer, her plans for BBSA in the year ahead and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the D...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Juan Manuel Rozas and Krishna Rajesh. Juan Manuel and Krishna are recent graduates in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2026, and we chat with them about their background, moving to the United States to pursue an MBA, how their career goals evolved during their time in Darden, how B-Speak, a personalized English language coaching service, helped them with their onboarding experie...

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 is a member of the Darden’s Accounting faculty, and his primary research interests focus on the performance evaluation of CEOs spanning both analytical modeling and empirical analysis. We tal...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Haley Mendlin. Haley is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she applied to Darden through the Future Year Scholars Program, Darden’s deferred enrollment program. She is also VP of Finance for the Healthcare Club and serves on the Darden Disability Alliance. We talk with her about her decision to apply to Darden, what she’s enjoyed about learning t...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Tomás Bicudo. Tomás is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and he is also the President of Darden’s Latin American Student Association (LASA). We talk with Tomás about his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, his role on the GenAI student advisory board, serving as a tutor for the Global Economies and Market course, brewing beer with Three Not...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Pauline Jaffe. Pauline is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she also applied to Darden through the Future Year Scholars Program, Darden’s deferred enrollment program. We talk with her about her decision to pursue an MBA, how she decided when to start her MBA program, how she explored her career goals and interests during her first year, her plans for ...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Dan Levetown. Dan is a recent graduate in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2026, and we talk with him about his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, his cleaning start-up, Refresh Routine, his favorite courses at Darden, his recommendations for things to do in Charlottesville and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to che...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Julia Boyer. Julia a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she has a number of leadership roles – VP of Finance, Consulting Club, VP of Women’s Engagement, Golf Club, VP of Career and Alumni Engagement, Graduate Women in Business (GWIB), and Forte Ambassador. We talk with Julia about her background, her decision to pursue an MBA, what motivated her to...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Alem Bello. Alem is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and he is also the Admissions representative for the Darden African Business Organization (DABO). We talk with Alem about his decision to pursue an MBA, coming to the U.S. to study at Darden, the role DABO played in his MBA research process, what he’s enjoyed about life in Charlottesville, his plans fo...