For working professionals, going back to school to pursue an MBA means rearranging life for a few years. Each student’s path to Darden looks different, but one thing stays the same. Invest in yourself. It’s worth it.
UVA Darden Admissions, Professional Degree Programs happily hosted another installment of My Darden Journey. The session is a place for current students to share their experience of earning an MBA while balancing work, life and everything else. Last week, three students presented their journeys.
Highlights from the presenters:
Amanda Freitag Thomas, Executive MBA Class of 2025
Executive Vice President at WordStrides
Why an MBA?
“I’m someone who has spent a lot of time thinking about an MBA, and I am thrilled I’m actually doing it.
I work in the education industry, and have been in this space my whole life, I just never had the experience in the business side of it. I got “on the job” training and over the course of my career I decided I really want to be at an executive level. Either running a company or starting my own. I wanted to validate what I learned on the job and it made a lot of sense to get an advanced degree.
Pursuing this was a conscious decision to invest in myself. For parents, especially mothers, I went back and forth deciding if I should spend this money on myself or on my children, and yes, I absolutely should be spending it on me. It has absolutely paid off, and it’s an investment in the future of my family. I did notice a lot of the dads in the program were never doing that mental math, they always saw it as an investment.
I bet on myself, and I’m happy I did. I’m proud of myself and my family for helping make that choice.”
The impact of the program
“Everything I wanted to accomplish, I have accomplished. I’ve absolutely leveled up at the organization to the point where people are noticing and commenting on it. But, as a parent, I completely underestimated the impact of my kids being able to see me and my husband prioritize my education.
My oldest started Kindergarten and we were able to pack our backpacks together. And if she was nervous about making friends, I could tell her that I was too. We’re having this shared experience at a time that’s very impactful for them. They see me studying and working hard and when I get good grades, we’ll celebrate by going out for ice cream. And even when I don’t get good grades, they know I tried my best so we can get ice cream anyway.”
Kirby Landon Johnson, Part-Time MBA Class of 2025
Program Manager at Collins Aerospace
Why an MBA?
“I had been thinking about doing an MBA for a while. I came from a liberal arts background and all my training had been “on the job” experience. A big goal of mine was to develop as a leader, I love working with people and getting to grow as a people leader has been the best experience I’ve gotten out of Darden. I’ve been promoted since starting the program and now lead a team. It comes with its own challenges, but the things I’ve learned at Darden have prepared me for this next chapter of my life.
Something that was really exciting for me is that the Part-Time MBA Class of 2025 is the very first graduating class of the program. We are the guinea pigs. It was exciting to be part of shaping a program into what it’s going to become.”
Creating a support system
“My family is the reason I’ve been able to do this. My husband is so hands-on, and super supportive. It’s wonderful to have him take on a more hands-on parenting role and having that time with our daughter has made them really close.
The other parents in the class have been a huge support for me. I was six months pregnant when I started the program, continued to take class through maternity leave, and I now have an almost two-year-old. It’s wild.
There is some kind of magic fairy dust that brings the learning teams together. We went through the core classes together, and now into electives we still lean on each other so much. Helping each other with notes, case prep and even some of the quantitative classes, it’s amazing to have that support.”
The impact of the program
“The biggest take away has been confidence. I used to be more of a listener in meetings, and it’s been challenging but it’s a reflection of how resilient I am, how smart I am and how much I’ve learned. It’s given me the confidence to speak up and share my ideas when I wouldn’t have done that a couple of years ago.
Through the cases at Darden, they really emphasize that there is more than one way to answer a problem. There is value in different perspectives and using different strategies to approach situations.
The thing I’m proudest of throughout this whole journey is being a role model for my daughter. She’s really little, so I don’t think she’ll remember a lot of this time, but it’s something that I hope she looks back on when she’s older and is proud of me for. I know I’m really proud of myself for going down this road and showing that I can do hard things. This has been such a valuable experience in my life and I’m really grateful for it.”
Ishita Yammer, Executive MBA Class of 2025
Founder and Managing Principal of D1 Solutions
Why an MBA?
“My goal of earning an MBA was to learn and enjoy the process. I didn’t have any specific goals or career goals, but my time at Darden did put me on the entrepreneurial path.
I love learning. Earning an MBA has been a life long goal for me that was put on pause while raising a family. When my daughter started college, I felt it was the final opportunity for me to say ‘yes’ to going back to school. I did say ‘yes’ and I’m really happy I did. This is an example to my children to have goals, and it’s okay if you don’t achieve them right away. You can pick them up again later in life.”
Finding support
“A lot of people came together to help me make the choice of where to get my MBA. I had to cut back on a lot of the things I do, running, cooking, socializing etc. and just do them on a smaller scale. Plus my husband did pick up a lot of the slack at home. Something that helps me balance everything is taking one day of the weekend off from any school or work. I come back energized and ready to take on whatever I need to.
There have also been a lot of challenges while going through the program. I was diagnosed with breast cancer two weeks before starting the program. After talking with Brett, the program team and professors I decided to go through surgery and start the program. Darden really is part of my healing journey.”
Impact of the program
“The program has given me the confidence to go out on my own and start my own business. My first hire was even one of my peers in my cohort. It has given me a deeper knowledge of business, so I can now meet with investment bakers and understand what they’re saying.
I have found so much support, and now have 120 new friends who all believe in me.”
To hear more about their stories check out the full session below!
