Alys Herbert (she/her) is a Full-Time MBA student in her first year of study at the Darden School of Business. Originally from London, England, she now lives in Charlottesville as part of our residential program!
Read on to learn about her journey to Darden and her decision to become a gender equity representative in her class section.
Hometown: London, England
Pre-Darden background: Pre-Darden, I worked for eight years in the advertising industry in media planning, social innovation strategy and branded content partnerships. I lived in both NY and LA so am enjoying being back in Charlottesville, especially having attended UVA for undergrad also (go Hoos!)
Post-Darden goals/plans: I hope to pivot to the client side, working in product or brand marketing in the tech industry.
What attracted you to serving as a gender equity rep and can you describe the scope of your role?
I have always found strength and inspiration from the female-led communities that I have been a part of. Be it attending an all-girls’ high school, mentoring members of my sorority or playing on female sports teams, I have seen and experienced the importance of building up women into becoming the best versions of themselves. So many times, self-doubt can erode one’s confidence and especially in what can be a daunting environment at business school, I knew I wanted to play a role in fostering community for the ladies of my section. Whether it be providing words of encouragement via text or hosting gatherings outside of class, I enjoy bringing the Section A women together where possible.
The role also involves creating and maintaining a larger community of respect and trust between all members of the section and providing opportunities for learning. Especially on the gender front, discussing gender or its ensuing dynamics within all of the spaces we occupy (school, work) does not have to be a conversation fraught with tension. Rather, I see it as an opportunity to dig deeper into how we view our own identities and abilities and those of our classmates. For that reason, I strive to approach any dialogue from a place of curiosity. It is important to me that all students feel comfortable with sharing in a non-judgmental environment and also being comfortable with points of tension as that is where the most growth occurs. I hope to work with the other Gender Equity reps to plan more dialogue-related events this year as well!
What section are you in? What section traditions are your favorite?
Section A (Go Lions!) Every day, someone different receives the lion (a cute stuffed animal!) for something meaningful they may have said or done in or out of the classroom. It reminds us at the end of each day to remember to appreciate a classmate for something impactful they may have done, no matter how big or small.
Favorite Darden experience and/or class so far?
As a creative, big-picture thinker, I can sometimes stay at the 30,000 ft view and am less comfortable diving into details. Based on this, I found Decision Analysis with Saed Alizamir very enlightening in how to think more strategically about decisions and their impact. Even laying out the different ways a decision can be broken out in a decision tree reminded me of the importance of slowing down one’s analysis to evaluate more effectively.
