By Christina Xu
Name: Leiyang (Leon) Wang
Hometown: Boston, MA
Birth Place: Beijing, China
Pre-Darden Education: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Doctor of Pharmacy, 2004-2010
Work Experience: LAC+USC Medical Center, Impatient Pharmacist & Pharmacy Supervisor, 2014-2016;
United States Air Force, Biomedical Sciences Corp Captain, 2010-2013.
With experience in both hospital administration and military services, Leiyang did not follow a traditional path to business administration education. Leiyang shared, “I barely had any idea about MBA programs when I started my research. Before I started my MBA, I was focusing my education and work in pharmaceuticals and health sciences, but I always knew that I wanted to do something more challenging, something with a bigger impact, and something that will allow me to drive change within organizations. I focused a lot of my attention on the opportunities after graduation. When I searched for MBA programs, Darden came into sight as a result.”
“Darden has gone above, and beyond my expectations. Darden offers a close-knit community that provides abundant global opportunities.” Leiyang reflected upon his participation in global activities on grounds, “I will participate in the Darden Worldwide Courses to Uganda in my first year this May. I will also serve as the president of the Asian Business Club at Darden (ABCD) in my second year. ABCD is the premier affinity and career club that promotes diversity and help students achieve career success.”
Leiyang shared his passion for ABCD. “ABCD’s goal is to promote Asian culture to the Darden community. The club organizes activities among not just people with Asian ethnic background, but anyone who is interested. We currently have about 120 members, many of whom have diverse experiences from many parts of the world.”
According to Leiyang, ABCD organizes both social and recruiting-oriented activities on grounds. “The annual Lunar New Year event is a signature activity organized by ABCD. We have exciting performances from talented members, and we partner with Wine and Cuisine Club (WACC) and serve various Asian cuisines to the Darden community. Next year, we will continue our cooperation with WACC and more affinity clubs on grounds in the future, such as Latin American Student Association (LASA), Darden South Asia Society (DSAS), and others. Regarding recruiting-oriented activities, we aim to connect our members with companies in developed nations in Asia, such as China, Japan, Korea, by hosting company webinars to answer questions, building alumni networks, and organizing industry treks. For example, ABCD organized a Hong Kong trek during which students visited banks in Hong Kong. We also plan on organizing a technology trek to Silicon Valley in the upcoming year.”
Leiyang shared his vision for ABCD’s upcoming events in the rest of this year and next academic year as well. “For the rest of this semester, we have the Welcome Week, during which we will host brunch for incoming students to answer questions about the school, and informal night-time social events for mingling and having a good time. For next fall, we have the Korean Barbeque Cookout, the Sushi Rolling Social, and Welcome Back event lined up.”
Leiyang strongly recommends the Darden MBA to future applicants. “The percentage of high-quality job offers in consulting, investment banking, and other industries is impressive compared to peer schools. Research shows how well Darden students do in their careers. It is the ideal MBA program for students seeking great opportunities after graduation and strong global involvement.”
