Elena Céspedes Subirá

University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

“Lead with empathy and kindness.”

Hometown: Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Fun fact about yourself: I have never had a cup of coffee.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Georgetown University, Bachelor of Arts (Government Major, History Minor)

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Parsley Health, Operations Lead

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Pfizer, Strategy and Consulting Team, Summer Associate

Where will you be working after graduation? Pfizer, Strategy and Consulting Team, Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• VP of Leadership, Darden Student Association
• Consortium Fellow
• Darden Golub Capital Board Fellows Program
• Lemuel E. Lewis Bicentennial Award for Global Leadership

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? During Spring Break, I traveled to Tanzania with the hopes of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, with a group of four Darden friends. It is one of the hardest things I have ever done – mentally and physically. In the end it became less about reaching the summit, but about the team that got us there: the guides, porters, and each other.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? While working at Accenture after undergrad, I had the opportunity to participate in a pro-bono project developing a strategic plan for an immigration legal aid nonprofit in my community. It was a full circle moment being able to apply the skills I was building through client work to a cause I was deeply passionate about. The experience left a mark, as I went on to volunteer with the organization for two years after the project wrapped.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Darden because, coming from a political science background, I knew I had knowledge gaps to fill and Darden’s academic rigor felt like the right place to do that. I was also drawn to the case method, knowing it would consistently put me in uncomfortable situations where I had no choice but to speak up, ask questions, and defend my thinking. Before committing to Darden, I visited Charlottesville to make sure I was making the right choice and while there the staff, faculty, students I met made it a very easy decision.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite professor at Darden is Gaurav Chiplunkar, who taught my Global Economies and Markets course. Gaurav has a gift for making sure no one is left behind in the classroom by asking multiple students (back-to-back) for different explanations on foundational concepts until they were truly internalized by the entire room. He also brought great laughter to subjects that could feel dense or intimidating. Beyond the classroom, Gaurav has been a friend and confidant, embodying the kind of faculty-student relationship that makes the Darden experience special.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course at Darden has been Financial Crisis and Civic Reaction with Scott Miller. The course traces the anatomy of financial crises from the South Sea Bubble of the 1720s all the way to the present day, uncovering the patterns, human behaviors, and structural failures that make each crisis familiar and distinct. We developed a historical lens through which to understand modern financial markets recognizing that while the instruments and institutions may change, the dynamics of speculation and contagion remain consistent.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? One of my favorite Darden traditions is the Global Food Festival held each September. Here, students set up tables showcasing home-cooked dishes from their cultures and home countries. More than just a celebration of food, the festival is a reflection of Darden’s appreciation for diverse cultures and perspectives, and a reminder that some of the richest learning happens not in the classroom, but around a shared table.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would tell myself to come in with a much more open mind about recruiting and career paths. It’s easy to arrive at business school with a fixed idea of what success looks like, but some of the most interesting opportunities I encountered were ones I never would have considered on day one. I would have given myself more permission to explore and have curious conversations rather than trying to map everything out from the start.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?The most impactful case of my Darden experience came in my first quarter. It involved chickens with contact lenses. An HBS case, “Optical Distortion, Inc.,” explored how a small company set out to market red contact lenses designed to reduce aggression among chickens in close quarters. The ultimate lesson was truly understanding the customer, in this case the farmer. Their feed costs, flock mortality rates, and frustration with the painful practice of debeaking. It set the tone for how I would approach the marketing cases after it.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Coming from New York City, I quickly came to appreciate the luxury of a spacious apartment with a washer and dryer close by, things one only dreams of in the city. It gave me the chance to pause and be intentional about who and what I spent my time on after four years in the city. Beyond that, Charlottesville itself won me over. The town offers a natural beauty that never gets old. It has a great music scene, delicious wineries and breweries, and beautiful hikes.

What business leader do you admire most? One professional I greatly admire is Sallie Krawcheck, founder and CEO of Ellevest, a digital investment platform built to close the gender investing gap. Her career trajectory, from Wall Street executive to advocate for women’s financial empowerment, demonstrates that leadership is not just about climbing the ladder but about what you do when you get there. Sallie embodies the kind of purpose-driven leadership that I aspire to bring into my own career.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? A small example of how AI is being incorporated into our coursework is the way in which we are being assessed. In my Technology and Ethics course, every assignment permitted the use of AI, but with a meaningful caveat: for every 100 words AI generated, students were required to critically comment on and meaningfully improve upon the output. This constraint pushed me beyond passive consumption of AI-generated content, forcing me to interrogate its assumptions, fill its gaps, and sharpen its reasoning. It was a powerful reminder of how AI can quietly substitute critical thinking and the intellectual muscle you lose when you stop doing it yourself.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? One of the Darden classmates that I admire most is Sinmi Oyekola. Sinmi has a rare ability to command any room she walks into with quiet confidence and grace. She is sharp, with a gift for distilling complex ideas into clear, accessible language that brings everyone into the conversation. She leads with purpose and intention rooted in her Christian faith. As President of Darden’s Graduate Women in Business, she led a conference this year on leading in uncertainty, a testament to her leadership. And if that weren’t enough, she has a fragrance collection of over 30 scents.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

* Continue approaching every professional experience with curiosity and a sponge-like commitment to learning.

* Leverage my Golub Capital Board Fellows experience to serve on a nonprofit board after graduation, turning classroom governance lessons into real-world board work.

What made Elena such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Elena contributes – and impresses – on many fronts. Across two electives together, Elena stood out for both her academic strength and her admirable character. Through her writing and participation in class discussions, she has impressed with her depth of thought and rich insightfulness. Elena embraces both new and classic ideas, finding application for them not only in business and contemporary society, but also in her own journey and envisioned next chapter. Intellectual honesty and ambition for self-knowledge and improvement are hallmarks of her character, resulting in ever enhancing her abilities as a leader and role model.

Elena’s strength and humility have earned her the esteem of her MBA classmates, who elected her to a student leadership position in which she served as the leader of and liaison to all club presidents. In this demanding role, Elena acted upon her dedication to service and her intentionality in building community. Through her work, she excelled in managing wide-ranging details, moving impactful endeavors forward, and contributing to classmates, the student executive team, and the Darden administration. Elena is a thoughtful, caring, servant leader with a penchant for action. She is a standout among the Darden class of 2026, which has been fortunate to benefit from her wide-ranging contributions.”

Jacqueline Doyle
Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Darden

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