Passing It On: How One UVA Darden Student’s Kombucha Starter Became a Metaphor for Mentorship
Jessa Ursabia (Class of 2025) swirls a glass jar, watching the scoby — a gelatinous, living culture — drift in its tea-filled home. Soon, it will belong to someone else.
From Burnout to Breakthrough: How UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Helped One Student Redefine Success
Madeline Peterson (Class of 2025) had built a career most would envy. She drove market expansions at a real estate tech firm, won million-dollar contracts at a cloud computing company and thrived in high-pressure enterprise sales. She was always moving — closing the next deal, chasing the next opportunity, stacking achievement upon achievement.
Lagos Hustle Meets Darden Grit: How a Nigerian Risk Manager is Shaping Global Business
Anuoluwapo Rogers (Class of 2025) stands up in a crowded room. One of the senior executives of global network services at American Express has just opened the floor for questions. And Rogers, a summer intern at the company, does something that sets him apart.
How One Visionary Entrepreneur’s Legacy is Fueling the Next Generation of Startups
The untimely passing of Damon DeVito (MBA ’94) in 2023 left a profound void but also galvanized the Darden community to celebrate his legacy. His mission continues through the newly established Damon DeVito Venture Velocity Fund. Created by J. Hunter Reichert (MBA ’94), Ian W. Ratcliffe (MBA ’94) and other members of the Class of 1994, the fund’s Fearless Founder Award supports students who embody the entrepreneurial ethos DeVito championed.
How a Family Restaurant Sparked Vincent Truong’s Career Transformation at UVA Darden
Vincent Truong (Class of 2025) didn’t have to look far for inspiration when deciding his career path. Growing up in Orange County, California, his family owned a Vietnamese restaurant, and even though it has since shuttered, it sparked something lasting in him.
From the Slopes to Startups: How Madelyn Merchant is Carving Her Path in Fintech
“Pizza! French fries! Pizza! French fries!” Madelyn Merchant (Class of 2025) yelled, coaxing a group of preschoolers down a beginner ski slope in Sun Valley, Idaho. It was 2018, and Merchant, fresh out of undergrad, had traded the office grind for the fresh air of the mountains. She had always wanted to be a ski instructor, and here she was, guiding her students through the basics, teaching them how to steer their skis with simple shapes. But there was something else she was learning in those moments on the mountain — something that had little to do with skiing.
How Two Business School Classmates Are Bringing Comfort to U.S. Navy Sailors
Reyes and Reid Townsend (MBA ’00), who first crossed paths as classmates at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, never expected their bond would lead to this — a project to build the first-ever United Service Organizations (USO) centers aboard U.S. Navy ships.
UVA Darden Student Isabela Batista’s Journey from Favela to Finance
When Isabela Batista (Class of 2025) left her growing business in Rio de Janeiro to attend the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, she wasn’t just pursuing an MBA — she was pushing her limits.
Shape the Future of Ethical Leadership: How Darden’s Institute for Business in Society is Paving the Way for Societal Impact — and Why Your Support Matters Now
The Institute for Business in Society is more than just an academic center; it’s the umbrella under which Darden does its most impactful work in ethics.
Uniting Research and Teaching: The Case for Faculty Excellence
When you step into Professor Yo-Jud Cheng’s classroom at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, you immediately sense the energy and depth of knowledge she brings to her students.
Venture Capitalism and Strategic Philanthropy in Action: George Tahija’s Fight Against Dengue
George Tahija (MBA ’86) has taken an unconventional approach to public health — helping release bacteria-infected mosquitoes to curb the spread of dengue fever in his home country.
From Mexico City to the World: How Alumni Elevate Engagement Beyond Borders
In the heart of Mexico City, Jose Maria Zertuche (MBA ’00) and Markus Kritzler (MBA ’04) have built not just careers, but a thriving community of supporters for the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
