UVA Darden Announces 2018 Genovese Fellowship Recipients

Three students at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business on 17 April learned that a fellowship would cover the cost of their second year at Darden.

In what has become an annual April tradition, alumnus Frank Genovese (MBA ’74) returned to Darden to personally announce the recipients of the Frank E. Genovese Second Year Fellowship, an award given to rising Second Year Darden students interested in pursuing a career as a general manager or owner-operator of a business.

The recipients of the 2018 fellowships are rising Second Years Stuart Ferguson, Michael Brophy and Lingyi Sun.

With the fellowships awarded for 27 years, the students join a group of fellows that numbers more than 70.

Ferguson, who plans to intern with Bain & Co. over the summer, said he was excited to “advance the spirit of the fellowship” by supporting Darden and giving back in the future.

“I am honored by the generosity of the award and Mr. Genovese’s vote of confidence in my future ambitions,” said Ferguson. “In that vein, winning the award is, in many ways, validation by a proven business elite that my future intent to run my own shop is achievable.”

Sun said she was similarly inspired.

“I’m incredibly grateful to Frank, the committee and Darden for this great honor,” Sun said. “Winning this award motivates me to work harder so as to paying it forward to give back to Darden.”

Genovese, who said he keeps in close contact with nearly all of the recipients, previously served on both the UVA Board of Visitors and the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees.

He is a member of the Darden Society, a recipient of the Charles C. Abbott Award — the highest honor bestowed by the Darden Alumni Association — and a member of Darden’s Principal Donors Society — the School’s highest designation for lifetime giving.