Poets & Quants Spotlights Darden Graduate on ‘Best and Brightest’ List
By Dave Hendrick
Poets & Quants recently spotlighted a University of Virginia Darden School of Business student as part of its Best and Brightest MBAs series.
The group of MBAs, which the publication described as “problem solvers who didn’t blink in situations where there was neither roadmap nor resources,” includes Isabel Fortuno Seitzer (MBA ’22), a William Michael Shermet Award-winning student in the Class of 2022.
Seitzer, who accepted a job with the Starbucks Global Growth and Development team after graduation, recounted starting new traditions following a pandemic-altered year and enduring connections with classmates.
Why did you choose this business school? The Darden community is well known in the MBA world, and it did not disappoint upon arrival. Even with a first year full of event size restrictions and many virtual events, I have never felt so connected to a group of people. I feel constantly supported and encouraged by these folks and will genuinely miss them having them as a part of my daily life when I leave Charlottesville.
Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would push myself to take a few more classes outside my comfort zone. The few times I did were strong learning experiences, and I met people that were pursing wildly different career tracks. This expanded my overall experience at Darden.
What surprised you the most about business school? It was the way everyone’s background can have an impact on the conversation and ultimate lessons learned from cases we cover in class. Some students start the MBA experience with some trepidation because they feel that their nontraditional background may hold them back or put them at a disadvantage. I have found that to be wholly untrue. In fact, many times those from nontraditional backgrounds have the most insightful comments to make. It’s this diversity of thought and experience that makes me enjoy each day here.
Read the full Q&A on Poets & Quants.
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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