Katie Williams   

University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

“Former professional ballet dancer, avid explorer, always seeking growth opportunities and challenges.”

Hometown: Honolulu, HI

Fun Fact About Yourself: I lived on a yoga commune in Hawaii during Covid and took on odd jobs so I could stay for free.

Undergraduate School and Major:

St. Mary’s College of California, BA

University of Pennsylvania, Master in Applied Positive Psychology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: American Ballet Theatre, Soloist Dancer  

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? The case method gives a holistic perspective of decision-making in the business world and encourages healthy debate and collaboration; it really showcases our diversity of backgrounds and contributes to deeper learning for all. It also anticipates many of the situations we will encounter in the workforce and gives us unparalleled experiential learning to help us become better managers, leaders, and collaborators.

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? Coming from a VERY nontraditional business background, I knew I would benefit from the world-class faculty, who choose Darden because they truly love to teach and want to see their students succeed. They strike a wonderful balance of being supportive and caring while challenging us to think critically (and always be on our toes in case we get cold called).

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Virginia Darden? I was never allowed to play sports because of my job, so I’m really excited to try skiing and golf.

Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized Darden was the right program for you? Why? As soon as I set foot on campus for my interview! My interviewer (Jannatul) and the entire admin staff made me feel right at home – the personalized support and resources available to students at Darden are truly extraordinary.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Negotiating through a strike vote to get my fellow dancers fair contracts, so they can afford to live in NYC and do what they love.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026? Why? I will be everyone’s champion! And hopefully serve as a reminder that despite some inevitable imposter syndrome, we all belong here and can add value from our unique backgrounds.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Virginia Darden’s MBA program? Start studying for your GMAT (or GRE) early and get it out of the way! That was the most stressful part of the process. Also, just be yourself. Darden selects people who are genuine and who can add to the wonderful community, not just in class but throughout the MBA experience.

DON’T MISS: MEET VIRGINIA DARDEN’S MBA CLASS OF 2026