Poets & Quants Highlights 3 Class of 2026 Grads in Latest ‘MBAs to Watch’
Poets & Quants in September released its latest “MBAs to Watch” list, featuring three alumni from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in its showcase of top Class of 2026 full-time MBA graduates from around the United States.
Below, read highlights from Poets & Quants’ Q&As with Darden’s “MBAs to Watch.”
Elena Céspedes Subirá (MBA ’26)
Why did you choose this business school? I chose Darden because, coming from a political science background, I knew I had knowledge gaps to fill and Darden’s academic rigor felt like the right place to do that. I was also drawn to the case method, knowing it would consistently put me in uncomfortable situations where I had no choice but to speak up, ask questions, and defend my thinking. Before committing to Darden, I visited Charlottesville to make sure I was making the right choice and while there the staff, faculty, students I met made it a very easy decision.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite professor at Darden is Gaurav Chiplunkar, who taught my “Global Economies and Markets” course. Gaurav has a gift for making sure no one is left behind in the classroom by asking multiple students (back-to-back) for different explanations on foundational concepts until they were truly internalized by the entire room. He also brought great laughter to subjects that could feel dense or intimidating. Beyond the classroom, Gaurav has been a friend and confidant, embodying the kind of faculty-student relationship that makes the Darden experience special.
Carlos Pardal (MBA ’26)
What was your favorite course as an MBA? “Applied Security Analysis” with professors Joe Andrasko and Will Snellings. The course involves building and defending real investment theses against hard pushback. What stayed with me was the concept of “deliberate practice”: the idea that expertise comes from effortful, reflective repetition that most people avoid because it is uncomfortable. That idea has changed how I approach my own development well beyond investing.
What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? It was Cold Call, our Thursday happy hour at Darden. At many schools, there is a structural distance between faculty and students. At Darden, it is the opposite. I have often spent my Thursday afternoons continuing a complex class discussion with a professor over a drink, picking up a conversation that started in the classroom days earlier. It is the weekly ritual that makes our integration of rigor and humanity visible. It proves that we can push each other to be world-class professionals while still remaining a close-knit, supportive community.
Read the full Q&A with Pardal.
Charlotte Vance (MBA ’26)
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? In our “Data Visualization and Analytics” elective, we were encouraged to use AI to build regression models. In class, we compared the AI-built models to student-built models that either didn’t use AI at all or used the AI model as a base and refined it further. What I appreciated about this approach was how it demonstrated the need and benefits of human judgement. AI can get us to a strong starting point quickly, but the real value came from refining those models with context, judgment and domain understanding. It reinforced that AI is a powerful tool, but not a substitute for tactful decision-making.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I absolutely want to be on the board of a nonprofit at some point. I’ve been the beneficiary of the work of many and feel compelled to use my business expertise to ensure other individuals can benefit from those same services. Secondly, as someone who plans to work in sports, I’d also love to win a championship with an organization. Sometimes it can be easy to forget the larger ‘why’ behind your work, and I can only imagine how inspiring and fulfilling it would be to witness how much a sports team can mean to a city and larger community of fans.
About UVA 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 and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact.
