“Mentorship has always been something that has fulfilled me during my time at UVA,” reflects Peyton Burda, a double-concentrator in Finance and Information Technology. Since stepping on Grounds, she’s embraced opportunities at every turn to guide and learn from others, all the while preparing for a future in business strategy.
Originally from Burke, VA, Burda has been heavily involved in various student organizations, including Enactus, where she has moved from being Project Consultant to serving on its student advisory board. She has been a Resident Adviser for two years and was a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary, volunteered with Madison House’s CASH program, and was part of the Virginia Ambassadors. She has also held the role of Teaching Assistant in an undergraduate Fintech course and in two graduate-level Financial Analytics courses, as well as served as a career peer coach in the Commerce Career Services office, where Burda helped other students with interview prep, resume reviews, and general recruiting advice.
Through her various roles, she served as an official McIntire Mentor this past year to new Comm School third-years, guiding them as they transition to the School by helping them get used to the Integrated Core curriculum and understand the resources available to them.
“What I really like about these mentorship positions is I feel like I get to learn as much from the mentees as I do if I were being mentored by someone else,” she shares. “I get to see their new perspectives and way of approaching situations and then get outside my bubble to hear about different experiences and what other people are passionate about. I found that really enriching.”
Through these mentorship experiences, Burda has not only broadened her interpersonal understanding but also deepened her commitment to integrating diverse perspectives into her academic pursuits and career goals.
Reflecting on her path to studying Commerce, Burda notes the influence of older sister Caroline (McIntire ’21) for giving her some familiarity with the School before she chose to apply (coincidentally, both sisters were both in Block 1). Though she initially explored the liberal arts through Economics, Religious Studies, and Statistics, Burda would see the interconnected nature of business and society and became drawn to the universal application and impact of Commerce studies as a foundation for connecting disparate subjects and industries.
“Some people come into UVA having an idea that the Comm School is what they want to do, but what really surprised me is how many students come in really not having any idea that McIntire could be a fit for them,” she says. “What really surprised me about some of the younger students I’ve spoken to is how diverse their interests are, especially outside of business, and how they’re able to connect a lot of them, whether that’s philosophy, policy, math, science… I’ve heard people doing all sorts of things that shock me to this day. It’s exciting to see how out of the box people are able to think and see the value in McIntire, despite not taking a so-called traditional business path.”
Her academic rigor is matched by her keen interest in the ethical and practical applications of AI, explored through courses like The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence with Professor Dorothy Leidner and Foundations of Machine Learning and AI with Python with Professor Jingjing Li. These courses have equipped Burda with frameworks to approach AI responsibly and the technical skills to understand machine learning models, inspired by her strategic role at Bank of America. During her internship there, she provided recommendations for the bank’s short- and long-term AI strategy, an experience she found intellectually stimulating, since the company encouraged open-minded exploration.
Burda’s pursuit of internships has also been pivotal. Her role as a Savings & Membership Intern at Navy Federal Credit Union focused on process improvement and operational support, while her work at Bank of America as a Strategy and Management Summer Analyst provided insights into integrating AI within business strategies. Witnessing the open-minded approach to AI uses at BoA reaffirmed her belief in fostering innovation within industry, reinforcing connections made in her coursework.
Of the challenges she faced at McIntire, she says they mostly centered around time management for team projects amid driven peers. It’s helped her to value intentional collaboration. “It’s easy enough to delegate things to do separately,” she says, “but that time together, really spending it, not just hoping all the pieces fit back together, but really tweaking everything together and getting everyone on the same page has been super important.”
As she looks forward to graduation, Burda intends to travel and savor a well-deserved break before starting her career as a Strategy and Management Analyst at Bank of America in Boston. She prepares for new adventures while appreciating the motivated community that McIntire offers: “Everyone’s so driven and always running 100 miles an hour. So I’m looking forward to taking a breath and celebrating everything we’ve worked for.”
