Elizabeth Cohen’s impact at UVA might be found in an unexpected place: the stables past Barracks Road. As a member of the Virginia Riding Team, she was elected Alumni Chair, a role she recalls as loosely defined, with few clear responsibilities. She decided to change that.
Over the course of several months, Elizabeth dug through decades of records at The Barracks, using Google and LinkedIn to track down former teammates. Her work culminated in a large-scale alumni gala that raised more than $15,000, critical support for a team that independently funds the care of 30 horses. Just as important, she rebuilt a community that had been dormant for years.
That instinct, to step into something undefined and make it her own, carried into her next decision.
If you ask her about her decision to move to Texas after graduation, the fourth-year will tell you it was a matter of timing and a desire to try something new. Born and raised in Ashburn, VA, she grew up traveling to visit her mother’s family in Latvia, but had only ever lived in the Commonwealth. As she moved through McIntire, she realized that staying close to home might mean staying too comfortable. “I decided early on in college that if I didn’t move out of Virginia now, I don’t think I ever would,” she says.
That intentionality led her to a summer internship at Bain & Company in Austin. It was a leap that paid off in ways she did not expect. At Bain, Elizabeth found herself immersed in technology cases for major global brands and was given real responsibility. “They placed such a heavy premium on ensuring that I had ownership over my work,” she explains. “They were very intentional on both teams I worked with to make sure that there was a little piece of the puzzle that was carved out just for me.”
She found herself presenting to senior managers and expert partners, an experience that bridged the gap between the classroom and the boardroom. “The experience really gave me the space to feel like I had the confidence to bring my education from theory into practice,” Elizabeth says.
She is also quick to credit McIntire for her readiness. Elizabeth points to Professor Ryan Nelson’s systems class as being “spot on” with helping her to fundamentally understand how systems work and the way improvements can make systems function better for businesses of all kinds. Meanwhile, her communications class with Professor Marcia Pentz gave her the “conviction” she needed to present her work confidently to executives. “It was uncommon to have comfort talking to people higher up than us at this stage in our college careers, yet McIntire prepared me well for these moments,” she notes.
Even as she prepares to return to Bain full time this October, Elizabeth is still working with the larger McIntire community. She serves as a Case Writing Assistant for former McIntire Dean Carl Zeithaml, who taught her during her Copenhagen study-abroad semester at partner school DIS; she and Emily Bronstein (McIntire ’26) are helping to translate professional partnerships into educational materials.
“Emily and I sought the opportunity to continue to work with Dean Z outside of school and outside of UVA — we really enjoyed his class both because of how much we learned about global markets, but also because of how committed he was to each and every student’s professional and personal growth,” she says. “He is an excellent mentor, and we are grateful to work with someone who truly is a legend at McIntire. It is exciting to work on a project that will support study-abroad students, faculty, and professional partnerships for years to come.”
As she looks toward a five-month summer before starting her career in Texas, Elizabeth will continue working with Zeithaml and Emily on case writing and will begin her tenure on the McIntire Young Alumni Council. But perhaps most of all, she’s looking forward to spending time with her relatives, including a trip to Alaska to celebrate her father’s 60th birthday. “Ultimately, it’s the summer of doing what I love with my family,” she says. Elizabeth is moving on to big things in Austin, but she leaves the UVA community much more connected than she found it.
