Quinn Rhi

University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

“Political campaign strategist and non-profit fundraiser with a knack for community outreach.”

Hometown: New York City, NY

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was playing five instruments at one point in my life – when music was a more active hobby.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bowdoin College, Government and Legal Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Institutional Giving, Grants Administrator

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? The case method is conducive for an engaging learning environment. Part of the draw of business school is being able to not only learn from professors, but from peers of all kinds of professional and personal backgrounds. The case method is a daily opportunity to learn from the strengths of others and navigate differing perspectives – skills critical as a manager.

When I was coordinating city and state-wide coalitions prior to business school, the most fulfilling interactions and projects I had were ones in which people were able to contribute their expertise and varying perspectives. For example, maybe the project I was working on was a candidate survey. What questions should we ask potential candidates that non-English speaking Asian American voters would find the most relevant? Getting a variety of input on this question allowed for pain points and potential opportunities to be better pursued, given the limited resources the coalition had. Communication skills can always be improved, because the people one interacts with will hopefully change over the course of a career.

What word best describes the Darden MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far and why? We are resourceful and supportive of one another. For example, a few classmates banded together over the summer – even before school started – to lead sessions on accounting for those coming from more “non-traditional” backgrounds. There is some relief knowing that these are the classmates who will be part of my support network through the fall recruiting process. Recent alumni have also been helpful in generally settling into Charlottesville and providing advice on navigating the first year. Part of what I want in an MBA experience is a close knit community that can be generous with their knowledge and Darden has delivered thus far. I also look forward to contributing to the community and the growth of my classmates!

Aside from cases and classmates, what was the key part of Virginia Darden’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Two factors were the strength of the Finance Club, and the chance to manage a portion of the endowment as a part of Darden Capital Management as a second year. Coming from a non-profit background with an interest in finance, I knew I wanted to gain as much exposure as I could to banking and asset management. The pivot to finance would be manageable, but still quite aggressive given my background. As a result, I knew I wanted to have a supportive community throughout my recruitment process. I also felt Darden’s 400 member or so class size would be helpful in building relationships with people outside of my section, and beyond what industry I was recruiting for.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Virginia Darden? I am excited to be part of the Consortium community here at Darden. I will continue to contribute to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on campus and as a finance professional. When I was initially considering business school, I was nervous about having a lack of value alignment with my hypothetical, future classmates. As part of Consortium, I know that the support for DEI is present at Darden and at peer Consortium schools.

I am looking forward to going on hikes and trail runs as well. While attending undergrad in Maine, I picked up a love for the great outdoors. I haven’t had as many opportunities while living in New York and Washington D.C. the last few years, so I am excited to explore Shenandoh and pick up outdoor activities again.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I’m proudest of the multilingual Asian American voter outreach I did in New York City in 2018. I doubled the scale of the non-partisan multilingual outreach done by a coalition of Asian American nonprofits (compared to our activity in 2016). My role was externally facing, and provided an opportunity to think about how to build relationships, partnerships, and new programming. The first few months on the job, I was running around different districts to meet civic education staff, and there were many late nights during election season to run field work. I feel fortunate to have been able to oversee 10 student interns that summer as part of the outreach efforts as well.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? Throughout the pandemic, I was able to strengthen relationships with my family, several friends, and lean into my natural inclination to create communities. I developed a much deeper appreciation for community and peer support. Applying to graduate programs this past year was challenging at times, and a number of women I met through Forté MBALaunch (completely virtually!) became core support. Prior to this past year, I had not necessarily given as much thought or intention toward building or providing peer support. I tended to hear more about mentor/mentee relationships based around who had more seniority in a professional context.

I also had a renewed appreciation for my time in the nonprofit sector, where many of my colleagues are driven by a pursuit of justice for marginalized communities. The impacts of COVID-19 were felt differently across communities, and reflecting on the historical and systemic contributors of such dynamics can hopefully lead to a better future.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? I initially wanted to pursue an MBA out of a desire to expand my professional network, to gain proficiency across a general management curriculum and challenge myself to grow. Most of my professional network is in social impact work, but I knew that other sectors have leaders making critical decisions on the trajectory of companies, markets, and economies. After graduation, I hope to take on a more technical role than I previously have had by pivoting to the financial services industry, while building on some of the client-facing work and relationship building skills I have developed.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to Dartmouth Tuck, Northwestern Kellogg, Berkeley Haas, and NYU Stern.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Virginia Darden’s MBA program? Consider the different facets of your identity – not just your professional experience – and integrate them into your application. Think through your values, how you actualize those values, and most meaningful experiences you have had. Darden’s application is unique in that there are several shorter essays and prompts, rather than two or three longer prompts.

DON’T MISS: MEET UVA DARDEN’S CLASS OF 2023