3 UVA Darden Students Receive ‘Best and Brightest’ Honors

Poets & Quants has named multiple University of Virginia Darden School of Business students to its annual list of the 100 Best & Brightest MBAs. The compilation, drawn from Full-Time MBA students in the Class of 2024, recognizes students for academic accomplishment, extracurricular achievement and potential.

The publication describes the honorees as students who “personify the can-do spirit of business as a whole” and “were the class coaches, champions, and confidantes — the ones who set the pace and the expectations and raised the bar as fast as they raised their hands.”

The three Darden students on the list — Peter Lee Hamilton, Saamia Noorali and Malcolm Stewart — were selected from 226 nomination from 74 business schools around the globe.

Peter Lee Hamilton

Hamilton, a dual-degree student with the UVA School of Law, immersed himself in both the Darden classroom and extracurricular activities during his time at UVA, serving as chairman of the board of the JD-MBA Society and editor of the Virginia Law & Business Review and winning first place in the Darden Venture Capital and Investment Competition.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Darden because of its commitment to the case method and community-driven learning. As someone coming from a legal background, it was important to me to join a program that emphasized academic rigor in its approach to teaching the fundamentals of business. On top of that, I wanted to be surrounded by classmates who also cared about being part of a community-driven education experience where we each had to bring our best to get the most out of the class. The case method, and especially the use of the Socratic method, creates a super-charged environment that promotes student engagement and learning. Due in large part to both my classmates and professors, Darden’s case method lived up to expectations!

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What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course has been Maximizing Leadership in Sports and Business. As a seminar class, the opportunity to have space to step back and learn about personal development and leadership through reflective sessions with my classmates was invaluable. Not only that, being able to take a seminar class physically located in a historic Pavilion classroom on the University of Virginia’s Main Grounds (a UNESCO world heritage site) was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The reflective setting combined with the insightful comments and questions from classmates and professors, has made the course one whose lessons impacted me far outside the bounds of the class.

Saamia Noorali

Noorali, who served as president of the Middle East and Islamic Student Organization (MEISA) while at Darden, said she chose the School because it seemed like the ideal program for a student with a non-traditional background. Noorali, who holds a master’s degree in political science from Duke University, plans to work at McKinsey & Co. after graduation.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Nothing. I worked as hard as I could—reading every case, attending every Darden Cup event, and actively participating in social clubs. While I may not have gotten as much sleep as I would have liked, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

What is the biggest myth about your school? Darden is known for its academic rigor and certainly lives up to it! As challenging as the curriculum is, every part of Darden, from schedules to learning teams, is thoughtfully designed to ensure you succeed.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? The people! Charlottesville attracts some of the most successful and generous people in the world, people who selflessly share their time and wisdom with Darden students. I was lucky enough to cross paths with one such person. Rick Kulow, an award-winning entrepreneur, became one of the best mentors I’ve had in life. As a college town, it does not take long for people to find a supportive community both within and outside Darden.

What surprised you the most about business school? How much I came to love my section mates! I never thought it was possible to feel so attached to a random group of ~60 individuals, but by the end of the first year, they had become family.

 Malcolm Stewart

Stewart, a Future Year Scholar and Breakthrough Scholar at Darden who gave the valedictory address to his fellow graduates as an undergraduate at UVA, built a successful photography and filmmaking business before coming to Darden. A portfolio manager with the student-led Darden Capital Management, Stewart plans to work at Brown Advisory as an associate portfolio manager after graduation.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Charlottesville, Virginia is such an incredibly unique and beautiful place. There’s an amazing wine and food scene here that most people wouldn’t expect, and it’s so close to the mountains that it’s tough to beat a place like this to attend school.

What surprised you the most about business school? I was surprised most by how much I enjoyed the case study method. It was an immersive way to learn not only from the professors, but also from the hundreds of other students that each bring with them their backgrounds, experiences, and expertise.

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What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The top two items on my professional bucket list are to increase access to the asset management industry for underrepresented groups, and to one day serve on the board of the Darden School of Business so that I can do my part in helping to continue the school’s growth and improvement.

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