UVA Darden Student Named a Schwarzman Scholar

06 December 2021

University of Virginia Darden School of Business student Nicholas Keeley (Class of 2022) is one of three UVA students recently named a Schwarzman Scholar, gaining the opportunity to earn a Master of Global Affairs degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

As detailed in UVA Today, Keeley, who is pursuing the dual MBA/Master of Data Science dual-degree program offered jointly by Darden and the UVA School of Data Science, will study for a year in China in a core curriculum focused on leadership, global affairs and modern China.

The three UVA students are among the 151 scholars chosen from 106 universities in 33 countries. Keeley said he plans to use the opportunity to further his interests in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Nicholas Keeley of Lexington, is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree at the Darden School of Business and a Master of Science in Data Science in the School of Data Science.

Keeley is aware of the opportunities that may be open to him.

“First, I’ll be exposed to prominent business and political figures, as well as the Schwarzman Scholar network,” Keeley said. “I hope that these connections will be mutually beneficial, particularly as I venture into the entrepreneurship space. Second, I’ll finally be able to brush up on the Chinese I studied in college and hopefully attain business fluency. This would open doors to work at offices in China.”

In addition to rekindling his Mandarin proficiency and building a network, he wants to explore the machine learning and artificial intelligence startup community in Zhongguancun, China.

“I’m also looking forward to getting to know my cohort,” Keeley said. “The UVA Schwarzman awardees I’ve met so far are incredibly impressive.”

Keeley said he feels supported by his two degree programs at UVA.

“The Master of Science in Data Science program is one of a kind and was a huge draw to the University for me,” Keeley said. “They’ve been extremely flexible and accommodate taking an MBA simultaneously at Darden, which is a difficult academic scheduling feat to overcome.”

Keeley said attending Darden has been the best academic experience of his life.

“The faculty here are unrivaled and the uniquely rigorous core curriculum enforced at Darden, coupled with pure adherence to the case-study method, sets its students apart when they join firms following graduation,” Keeley said. “It often flies under the radar, due to its relatively remote location, but I hope it stays this way – it’s a special place where the student body wants to be overwhelmed by learning and that’s not necessarily what all MBA applicants want out of their two-year experience.”

Read the full piece on the UVA Schwarzman Scholars on UVA Today.

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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Molly Mitchell
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Darden School of Business
University of Virginia
MitchellM@darden.virginia.edu