Year after year, McIntire builds on a tradition of scholarly momentum, intellectual curiosity, and an ambition to best serve students. This year carries added significance, as it marks the inaugural group of second-year students admitted to McIntire’s undergraduate program as Commerce majors. Across concentrations and class years, students are looking ahead with purpose, eager to apply what they’ve learned, explore the world through global programs, and take on leadership roles that extend far beyond McIntire.
From Classroom to Career: Applying Commerce in the Real World
Brian Cunningham (McIntire ’26)
Fourth-year student Brian says that the year ahead looks to be defined by growth, both entrepreneurial and academic. A Finance concentrator on the Entrepreneurship Track, Brian will return full time to Wells Fargo’s Healthcare Investment Banking group after graduation. In the meantime, he’s focused on scaling Papertags LLC, a venture he co-founded at the Comm School, with the goal of growing the company alongside his co-founders. “Born in McIntire’s Entrepreneurship Capstone, we have already reached profitability and are fulfilling orders for our smart NFC sticker solutions.”
He has ambitious plans for his business. “Our goal for next year is to expand our contract roster with local elementary schools, libraries, and equipment rental businesses,” Brian explains, “while continuing our joint events with UVA Honor and Student Council.” At the same time, he’s eager to deepen the technical skills that will support his career in finance: “Academically, I’m looking forward to expanding my entrepreneurship toolkit through innovation coursework and refining my valuation and modeling skills through upper-level Finance classes.” Beyond business, Brian is also preparing to represent UVA abroad through music, traveling with the Virginia Gentlemen to perform with the Chorale San Miguel in Mexico.
Brian Cunningham and fellow students perform during the UVA Lighting of the Lawn event.
Naya Akuete (McIntire ’26)
Fourth-year Naya sees the coming year, her last semester at the School, as both a culmination and a launch. A Finance and Information Technology concentrator with a track in Real Estate, she will follow walking of the Lawn in May by beginning her career at Amazon Web Services in Seattle. “As I prepare to graduate, I am most excited about using this transition period to apply what I have learned through coursework and projects to real-world settings,” she says. “I am especially looking forward to exploring interests that are aligned with my long-term goals and deepening my understanding of how business concepts can be applied beyond the classroom.”
That connection between theory and practice is especially present as Naya completes McIntire’s Real Estate Track, with classes like Real Estate Investment Analysis giving her a practical understanding of valuation and investment decision-making. Outside of the Comm School, she’s closing out her time at UVA in leadership roles that reflect both creativity and advocacy, including serving as Advocacy Director for V Magazine and as a moderator for the Center for American English Language & Culture, experiences that have helped shape her perspective as a future business leader.
A Global Perspective: Learning, Leading, and Growing Abroad
Bomi Ayandipo (McIntire ’27)
Bomi, a third-year whose academic interests span business, politics, and ethics, is setting her sights on studying abroad at HEC Paris. “I’m really looking forward to gaining a global perspective on business and learning how strategy and decision-making are approached in an international context,” says the Finance concentrator and Philosophy major who interned at Boston Consulting Group this past summer.
She views the opportunity as a natural extension of what she’s learning at the Comm School: “I’m especially excited to combine McIntire’s analytical and case-based curriculum I received through McIntire’s Integrated Core with exposure to European markets and diverse classroom perspectives.”
As a Philosophy student, Bomi is eager to explore how business decisions are influenced by political systems and moral frameworks. “Next year, I hope to bring what I learn abroad back to McIntire,” she says. “The opportunity to step outside the U.S. business environment while still building on McIntire’s strong foundation is something I’m especially grateful for.”
George Todorovich (McIntire ’27)
Global learning is also central to George’s plans, a Finance concentrator on the Global Commerce and Society Track. After internships in New York and Los Angeles, George will study abroad at ESADE Business School in Barcelona. Eager to gain an international perspective on business education and explore how firms operate in a global context, his interest in global finance is shaped by personal and familial ties to Serbia and a curiosity about emerging markets.
When George returns to Charlottesville, he plans to continue growing Common Cents, the financial literacy organization he founded. “Through partnerships with local high schools such as Charlottesville High School and St. Anne’s-Belfield, we’ve led interactive workshops and presentations to help students build practical money management skills,” he explains. “I look forward to scaling this impact when I get back from study abroad.”
Academically, he is especially keen to take advanced courses in investment banking, credit, and restructuring, noting that “McIntire’s emphasis on experiential learning and leadership development excites me most.”
Piper Toney (McIntire ’26)
For Piper, this year has already represented discovery through immersion. A Marketing and Management concentrator with a major in Media Studies, Piper kicked off 2026 with McIntire’s Business of Conservation J-term in Kenya.
“The J-term was such a unique way of learning about both the cultural and commercial aspects of Kenya,” she says, reflecting on game drives through the Masai Mara and seeing exotic animals in the wild. But what surprised her most was what she got from interactions with the people. “I had no idea how much I would appreciate our visits to local communities,” Piper admits.
“Connecting with local nonprofits for conservation, female empowerment, and early education was impactful in a way I didn’t expect. Applying those experiences to our culminating consulting project for the International Fund for Animal Welfare was eye opening for both our final recommendations as well as my personal worldview,” she says of the experience—one that reflects McIntire’s commitment to global, interdisciplinary education that challenges students to think differently about business and its role in the world. “I cannot wait to make it back to Kenya someday!”
Piper Toney kicked off 2026 with McIntire’s Business of Conservation J-term in Kenya.
Leadership in Action: Shaping Communities
Sarah Ettinger (McIntire ’26)
Leadership, analytics, and global engagement also define Sarah’s outlook. Concentrating in Management and IT, with tracks in Analytics & AI and Global Commerce and Society, she recently interned at J.P. Morgan and will return to the firm after graduation. Yet one of the experiences she’s most enthusiastic about in the coming year lies at the intersection of commerce and athletics, as she’ll be taking the Business of College & Professional Athletics course with the University’s Director of Athletics Carla Williams.
As President and Captain of the UVA Women’s Club Ice Hockey team, Sarah’s spent the past two years facing the complexities and realities of leadership, organizational strategy, budgeting, recruitment, and organizational management to help drive her team’s success. “I’m eager to learn about the broader business operations such as how schools manage stakeholders, build sustainable athletic programs, and adapt to newer dynamics like NIL and athlete branding,” she says.
Sarah also plans to continue her work as a McIntire Global Ambassador. “Hosting events like Bodo’s on the Lawn, Friendsgiving, and the Carter’s Mountain Sunset Series has been a highlight,” she says, noting her excitement to keep strengthening connections between international students and the UVA community.
Together, these students reflect the many paths that define the McIntire experience, one grounded in analytical rigor, expanded through global engagement, and strengthened by leadership and service.
