Since its inception in 2018, McIntire’s Commerce Cohort program has been fulfilling a critical role for first-year UVA students interested in business education.
Providing academic, personal, and career development support through introductory sessions for high-achieving, high-need students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds has proven to be much more than a well-meaning concept: Year after year, the program has effectively grown the number of its participants who apply to and graduate from the Commerce School, demonstrated increased academic performance before and during the Cohort experience, and seen a substantial number of internships and professional positions secured by those participants who became McIntire graduates.
Coursework helps students develop a sense of purpose, resourcefulness, capability, and community. In fall 2024, students heard talks on subjects ranging from academic tips, mentorship, and global opportunities to Commerce School curriculum and its concentration areas. Guest speakers included Mitch Chapic (McIntire ’24), Analyst with Investure; McIntire Dean Nicole Thorne Jenkins; Professor Adam Koch; Kelly Lindsay (A&S ’99), Strategic Initiatives & Operations Specialist with UVIMCO; Professor Andrea Roberts; Garrett Trent (A&S ’10, M.S. in Commerce ’11), Human Resources Manager with Investure; and a host of McIntire staff, alumni, and Commerce students who shared their experience and insight.
The fall of 2024 welcomed 32 students who elected to take advantage of all that the Cohort has to offer. Of the latest group, 19 are first-generation college students (known as “first-gen” students for short—those whose parents had not completed a four-year university degree) benefiting from the connections formed through the shared learning community. Beyond learning about crucial University and McIntire resources and academics, the Cohort students were invited to many social and networking events, including an overnight retreat to Graves Mountain Lodge and a business-ready shopping spree, among other exploratory and preparatory modules organized by instructors Pierce Coughter, Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Marketing, and Sharice Welch, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions.
First-gen students often find themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to the college application process and are reliant on others outside of their family to help them navigate the terrain. As such, the Commerce Cohort is fulfilling a need to bring support to students new to the entire UVA experience, exposing them to the many opportunities available across McIntire.
We spoke to three first-gen Comm Cohort students—Kamani Confident from Brooklyn, NY; Devin Smerdon from Gate City, VA; and Camille Villalobos from Stafford, VA—to get to know how the program is fostering their potential for success.
Accepting the Invitation
The decision to join the McIntire School’s Commerce Cohort program is an impactful one for many students, each finding their unique reasons and motivations.
Confident says that the decision was deeply influenced by a brief internship experience he had with Bank of America. “I admired how they went about situations and the relationships that they have with their clients and how they are so important,” he says. He found the interpersonal and social aspects of studying business particularly appealing. Reinforced by a burgeoning interest in giving presentations and leading client engagements that he cultivated during school projects, Confident felt that the Comm Cohort would offer invaluable chances to further explore his interests.
Smerdon approached the program with curiosity, captivated by the immersive vision of the program. “I thought it was a great opportunity to see if commerce is something I’d actually excel in,” he says. “It’s a very socially driven career field, and I love the fact that your interactions with people dictate how well you perform.” The balance of social interaction and numerical analysis in the Commerce major excited him, as it aligned with his natural strengths and career aspirations in finance.
For Villalobos, the decision was straightforward yet adventurous. “I had no idea what [the program] was. I just signed up because it sounded like a business class,” she admits. “I said, ‘Great! Put me in.’” Without being familiar with the Cohort’s specifics, she joined due to her interests, and she took a leap of faith that it could unlock access to new horizons.
Gateway to Growth
Confident, Smerdon, and Villalobos each had their own reasons for embracing the Comm Cohort opportunity.
Admiring the program’s commitment to supporting students from various backgrounds, Confident says it’s providing essential resources—such as often overlooked necessities like a suit for professional occasions. He reflects, “I felt so cared about.”
Smerdon appreciates the immersive yet low-pressure environment created by the program. He describes the experience as an avenue to engage with industry professionals and learn about McIntire without the intensity of high-stakes commitment. “It’s a very good opportunity for people to see without actually being in a high-stakes environment,” he notes, emphasizing the value of thoughtful exposure to real-world commerce settings.
For Villalobos, the program has been a gateway to opportunities previously unreachable. She enthusiastically remarks, “I love it. I think it has opened up doors for opportunities that I would have never had before.” From interaction with guest speakers to being equipped with business attire, the cohort offers vital resources and connections. Villalobos cherishes the personalized guidance and community spirit, sharing her gratitude for being part of a program that continually enriches her academic and professional journey.
In these students’ experiences, the Commerce Cohort’s supportive and enriching environment paves the way for both personal and professional growth.
Smerdon feels as if the program has given Cohort participants a host of opportunities with which to immerse themselves: “We’ve met with the Dean; we’ve met with multiple companies. We’re just talking to people from these companies, people in the Comm School, and it’s giving us an idea of who these people are, what their companies do, what McIntire as a whole does.”
Villalobos agrees. “I’m so beyond grateful that I’m in this program,” she says, crediting Coughter and Welch for their instruction. “It has drastically changed everything for me. Every single class, they bring in a guest speaker or a CEO of a company or just someone from different Commerce backgrounds like Marketing, Finance, and Accounting, and then afterwards, we get their LinkedIn, or we have dinner with them, and I would have never met those CEOs otherwise.”
Firsthand First-Gen Support
Confident says he’s “very thankful and appreciative” for those who have been donating to fund the Comm Cohort program “because not many people think about the lower-income, first-gen students that do make it to UVA and then are trying to find their way.”
“First-gen means that your parents are likely less connected to the business world. For first-gen students, we don’t know what we’re really going into, so the Comm Cohort brings these companies and alumni from business into the classroom and have them talk to us and inspire us,” he says, noting that speakers provide much needed information and a type of psychological relief about their potential future employment journey.
He references the essential role the Comm Cohort’s mentorship program has had, having paired him with UVIMCO Director Jeffrey Barnes. “I get to talk to him and ask him about anything I want. And I found out that he was also a first-gen. During our first meeting together, we literally just talked about life. That was so meaningful to me,” Confident recalls, saying that they then discussed more concrete advising such as preparing for interviews and presenting his experiences. “It really resonated with me because he genuinely wants to help me, and it makes me feel good because I feel like I have a support system here.”
Looking forward, Confident strives to one day pass on what he learns in the same way that his mentor has been supporting his future. “I want to be able to sit down with a first-gen student or someone who doesn’t have that support at home and give them advice and lead them in a direction. I’d like to be in a position to mentor somebody about what they can do to be successful.”
A social, outgoing person, Smerdon relishes the University environment, as it allows him to make friends from different communities on Grounds and gives him a chance to be an active member of Scholars of Finance and One Generation Network.
“I chose Scholars of Finance because it’s a finance club and there’s an ethical emphasis that really attracted me to it and who I am. And I’m involved with One Generation Network because I’m a first-generation student, and I want to be able to help other people,” he explains. “I’ve been given a lot of advantages compared to what some others might have, and I want to be able to help uplift them,” he says.
Smerdon feels that the Cohort is giving him access that many other first-gen students don’t have “because our parents determine a lot of the network we’re given access to as children. So I feel like being able to make these connections through the Cohort evens the playing field more.”
Villalobos says the program’s filling in a huge knowledge gap for her. “Coming into UVA, there was no one to tell me these resources are available. I didn’t have an older sibling that came here or that was in the Comm School. A lot of information in college you have to figure out on your own, so being able to have those connections has been amazing and something I didn’t think I’d get—especially this early on as a first-year.”
She also insists that those she’s spoken to within the Comm Cohort and throughout McIntire have an irrepressible willingness to freely give support, advice, and time.
“My Cohort leader, Lauren Meyer (McIntire ’26), has been phenomenal. She drops her study and her homework to come meet with us if we have any questions or we need to talk about classes or Comm School—like any questions we have about ICE. I’m so grateful for her. There’s also been third- and fourth-years that come to speak to our class and they’ve always been willing to meet with us. Everyone’s so helpful.”
