Charlie Healy will be the first to admit that balancing his UVA coursework and extracurriculars didn’t come easily. But gaining the perspective and maturity to find his way forward, Healy has built a solid foundation for what promises to be a successful future.
The Finance and Accounting concentrator is effusive about the impact of the Comm School’s Integrated Core Experience (ICE). Recognizing its real-world applications and its ability to expand students’ horizons while exposing them to the diverse perspectives of their peers made for rich class discussions and collaborative projects that encouraged him to see things in a new way.
“The structure of the Integrated Core is really great because it made me interested in stuff that I didn’t even realize I was interested in,” Healy says. “It made me a well-rounded student as well.”
He points to the interactive sessions of Strategy and Systems facilitated by Professors Carl Zeithaml and Ryan Nelson for impacting his worldview for the better: “We would come in having read an article or two and then freely share our thoughts, which would lead us down all these different rabbit holes of other topics. It was interesting to hear people’s perspectives in that class because everyone had a very different background, including student-athletes and international students.” Healy credits McIntire with its ability to bring people together to regularly share different ideas that lead to more profound understanding.
Academic experiences like those at McIntire seamlessly connected to his internship at Morgan Stanley in the mergers and acquisitions group, which translated into a full-time offer. Excited about returning to the New York area, the Ridgewood, NJ, native looks forward to starting his career in the city’s dynamic professional environment after graduation.
But before a job offer was imminent, and when graduation was still far in the distance, Healy already knew he wanted to apply to McIntire. Unexpectedly, choosing to work at the student-run Cavalier Daily newspaper helped to reinforce his decision to major in Commerce. Serving as CFO provided him with practical experience in managing a nonprofit, which further confirmed his academic interest. “The experiences that I had at Cav Daily made the decision to study business easy for me,” he explains. “I got to use the skills that I started to develop in high school to actually make change in the organization.”
In addition to his commitments at The Cavalier Daily, Healy’s dedication to organizations like the Raven Society, where he served as Treasurer, the Virginia Venture Fund, and Tamid, where he acted as Director of Consulting, significantly contributed to his development and ability to work in large groups and effectively collaborate. Through these extracurriculars, he was able to first apply what he had been learning in class in real-world scenarios, gaining valuable insights in areas such as event planning and budgeting.
But it’s the soft skills that Healy says have been a key aspect of his education at McIntire and something he sees as crucial for his career success.
Balancing technical know-how with interpersonal abilities has been a focus, particularly through classes taught by Professor Gary Ballinger. Healy emphasizes, “His Organizational Behavior classes were impactful for me. Professor Ballinger hammered home that while the hard skills are important, there’s going to come a point where people will turn to you and ask your opinion. Knowing how to speak to people professionally, communicating your ideas, and thinking on your feet are important lessons that helped me a lot this summer. A lot of people I interned with came in knowing a lot of the hard skills as well, but I was able to differentiate myself by having really genuine conversations. That’s one of the biggest things that McIntire has taught me.”
Healy has had some perspective about overcoming challenges related to staying on top of his many commitments, a reality that many students face. “I ended up stretching myself a little bit too thin, and there came a point when a lot of it became too much to manage on my own,” he candidly admits, referring to juggling academics, extracurriculars, and professional recruitment. The experience taught him the importance of seeking assistance when he needs it and maintaining open communication, recognizing that collaboration is key to managing demanding schedules. “At some point, you just need to take a step back, ask others for help,” he advises.
Outside of academic, extracurricular, and professional pursuits, Healy treasures memories of his time at the Comm School that provided much-needed breaks from academic pressure and helped him form lasting friendships, such as the icebreaker kickball game with his ICE block and McIntire’s Day of Service at Green Dogs Unleashed.
Looking forward, Healy is keen to maintain the relationships he has built both on Grounds and in New York’s active alumni network. “I’m really excited to keep the UVA connection going,” he says. “Based on the alumni I’ve talked to, everyone is super passionate about staying engaged after they leave. It really doesn’t end with graduation.”
