The final exam in Professor Marcia Pentz’s Advanced Business Speaking class looks a little different from the usual McIntire assignment. No, she wasn’t asking students to break down a case study, pore over data, or even give a business presentation.
The test? Delivering a three-minute standup comedy set.
For fourth-year Margo Kaye, that meant hoping all of her punchlines would land with her classmates.
“I felt like I could talk and make jokes, but to be on the spot felt very daunting,” she says, reflecting on the possibility that she’d be facing an unresponsive room of her peers.
She had practice of sorts, having written a regular humor column for the student newspaper, The Cavalier Daily. But this method of delivery was completely new territory.
Margo found the source of her material close to home. Living in a house of eight girls, she had plenty to work with. “They are such a source of laughter, joy, and energy for me,” she says. “So I thought about what I laugh about with my friends and how I could translate that.”
The set came together through trial, practice, and a helpful bit of feedback from her roommates. By the time she stepped up to perform, she leaned into what she knew best: conversational humor, observation, and connection. The experience was more than a performance. It reflected a broader focus she’s developed at UVA: learning how to communicate complex ideas clearly, whether to classmates, students, or executives.
Margo, an IT and Management concentrator from Atlanta, GA, developed a keen interest in communication, especially honing the ability to connect across different audiences and ideas.
From early on, Margo was drawn to opportunities that would stretch her skills and her perspective. While minoring in Business Spanish, she spent a summer in Valencia, Spain, where she found herself pitching startup ideas in a second language. The experience developed her fluency and her confidence. Back on Grounds, that same curiosity led her to explore sign language for two semesters, adding another layer to her growing interest in communication.
By the time she entered the Comm School, those experiences began to converge. In courses like Cybersecurity as a Business Risk with Professors Ryan Wright and Bryan Lewis, Margo learned to navigate highly technical material while keeping accessibility front of mind. “It encouraged me to get comfortable with the technical aspects so that I could talk about them in a way that’s understandable to someone who doesn’t have the benefit of that expertise,” she says. What had started as an interest was becoming a clear strength: translating complexity into clarity.
That ability came into even sharper focus during her internship with PwC in New York, where she worked in technology consulting within the cyber and risk space. Often positioned between deeply technical teams and senior executives, Margo found herself acting as a crucial link. “We were the middlemen between the cyber team and their C-suite,” she explains. It was another reminder that communication was central to making meaningful progress.
She continued to build on that foundation in more personal ways at the Comm School. As a Teaching Assistant for Professor Ryan Nelson’s Strategy and Systems class, she worked closely with students to untangle complex material, finding the experience especially rewarding. “When I’m in the room with students and answering questions to provide clarity, it is really gratifying,” she says. Whether in the classroom or beyond it, she found energy in helping others reach understanding.
That enthusiasm had her apply to become a McIntire Ambassador, leading tours and connecting with prospective students and their families. Talking about the Comm School comes naturally to her because she knows it well and genuinely values what it has given her. “It’s very easy to speak about McIntire because I really do love it so much,” she says.
Margo Kaye and fellow McIntire Ambassador Isha Jain speak with a student.
As graduation approaches, Margo is preparing for her return to PwC in New York, where she will join the firm full time in a technology consulting role. She is looking forward to the work, the people, and the energy of the city. “I felt like it was perfectly suited to my concentrations and my interests,” she says of her position and Manhattan, pointing out how much she enjoyed going to see standup comedy shows.
For now, she’s making the most of her final weeks at UVA, being present for moments that bring everything together for her with skills she’s been refining these past four years: connecting with people, sharing ideas, and finding laughter where she can.
The McIntire Ambassador team gets a sneak peek inside Shumway and Cobb Halls before their opening last year.
