Allison Lee

University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

“Someone who is curious and loves exploring new places while capturing them on a camera.”

Hometown: Westchester, New York

Fun Fact About Yourself: I took a gap year after high school and had the chance to travel to South America and Southeast Asia. This sparked my love for traveling and led me to travel to all 7 continents.

Undergraduate School and Major: Harvard College with a major in Sociology and a minor in Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Manager, Media Strategy and Performance at Roku

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? The case method stands out to me because of the opportunity it offers to learn from diverse perspectives through tangible business problems. It strengthens your ability to listen, collaborate, and solve problems – skills essential to becoming a better manager.

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? In addition to the tight-knit community that Darden provides, the outstanding faculty really drew me to Darden. I have heard nothing but incredible things from students and alumni, regarding the faculty’s dedication to students.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Virginia Darden? I’m most excited to learn more about the Graduate Women in Business, Pride at Darden, and the Outdoors Club.

What are your early impressions of Charlottesville? When I visited Charlottesville, I was struck by its beauty and how kind everyone was. I can’t wait to explore more of what the city has to offer, like the food scene and hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I tried Bodo’s Bagels and can already tell it will be one of my favorite go-to spots.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of my biggest accomplishments in my career so far has been the chance to lead a team early in my career. I learned a lot about how to be a people manager, and it was incredibly rewarding to see my team grow over the course of their role. I look forward to bringing this experience to the classroom and learning how to become an even better leader.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2027? Why? I believe my unique quality is empathy. I’m always there to listen and provide support as needed. Empathy is essential to understanding and learning from one another, as we each bring our own unique life experiences.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Virginia Darden’s MBA program? A piece of advice that helped me during the application process is to really know your story and how Darden fits into your long-term vision. Reflecting on my personal, academic, and professional experiences helped me identify common themes, what challenges me and what gives me energy.

DON’T MISS: MEET VIRGINIA DARDEN’S MBA CLASS OF 2027

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