Happy Mother’s Day: Vivian Hu Reflects on Raising Baby Daughter in First Year at Darden

By Jay Hodgkins


Earning an MBA is considered an immersive and transformational experience, and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business‘ purposefully intense experience is known for its rigor. That reputation led Vivian Hu (Class of 2020) to consider delaying pursuit of her MBA when she found out she was pregnant after earning admission to several top MBA programs.

But when Hu decided she wanted to “raise my daughter and also achieve my dream to further advance my career” so that her daughter could say “I have a strong mother,” she chose to start her MBA program at Darden while eight months pregnant thanks to support from Darden staff prior to enrollment.

While her First Year was full of challenges — from the academic to giving birth in November to raising her baby daughter while maintaining a full time class schedule — Hu said the support of her professors, fellow students and staff have left her full of gratitude.

“Coming to Darden was the best decision I have ever made in my life,” Hu said. “Darden has truly empowered me to become who I really want to be.”

Watch the video above to hear Vivian’s story.

About the University of Virginia Darden School of Business

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

 

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Darden School of Business
University of Virginia
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