Jaclyn Tossavainen (Class of 2026) shares her inspiring journey from working on U.S. Navy submarines to Section C camaraderie at Darden, her passion for empowering women in business and her role as a gender equity representative (GER).
Jaclyn’s story is a testament to the vibrant and inclusive community that makes Darden a place where students thrive. Continue reading to learn about her Darden journey!
Hometown
I’m a proud Navy brat! I don’t have just one hometown, as my family moved around quite a bit, ranging from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Northern Virginia, and the Pacific Northwest in Bremerton, Washington. I loved the adventure of moving and feel grateful for the opportunity to build connections and create memories in so many corners of America.
Pre-Darden background
Submarine Officer in U.S. Navy
Post-Darden goals/plans
While at Darden I plan to launch an entrepreneurial dream of mine to start a company that empowers women in front-line service careers, through creating a stylish and performance-enhancing undergarment apparel line. I am excited to continue to celebrate women in business across the world, especially those breaking into male-dominated industries!
What attracted you to serving as a gender equity rep and can you describe the scope of your role?
I joined the Navy Submarine force because the challenge motivated me and I was excited to be part of a force that was making groundbreaking steps to integrate women onboard. I am grateful for the unique experience I had in being an early part of that effort and wanted to share some of the lessons I learned in the successful empowerment of women in a male-dominated community.
As gender equity rep I am passionate about helping to cultivate authentic, vulnerable and productive conversations about the role of gender in business. I care about being a strong advocate for the unique voice of women in the classroom, while promoting an inclusive space for all genders. 
I enjoy tackling conversations about the “tough stuff,” for example balancing gender roles at work as well as at home, family and career planning and managing gender-related conflicts in the workplace. I believe we all benefit from hearing each other’s diverse experiences and perspectives, and I’m committed to being a strong advocate for these important dialogues.
What section are you in? What section traditions are your favorite?
I am in Section C, the C-monsters! My favorite section tradition is kicking off class with our section cheer. My classmates are motivating and intense, and it gets my energized, focused, and ready to bring my best to class each day because I can see that my teammates around me are doing the same thing. People get really into it — yelling as loud as they can and slapping the desks. I appreciate my section’s dedication so much! We are THE BEST!
Favorite Darden experience and/or class so far
I love first coffee! Aside from the fact that I am a totally obsessed with coffee, it is such a cool 35 minutes of every morning that brings all of Darden together. I try to tell myself that I am going to “do work” and without fail every day find myself chatting and connecting with people up until the very last minute of First Coffee. Walking into First Coffee is so cool because people are laughing, smiling and genuinely excited to see each other. It’s a great reminder of what a welcoming and supportive community Darden is.
Darden’s Gender Equity Representatives are dedicated to keeping gender issues at the forefront of discussion and fostering community within their section and across the First Year class.
