JM Simms has always been drawn to places where conversation matters, ideas are tested out loud, and bonds are formed by sharing ideas. His preference guided his undergraduate experience at a small Division III college, where the class sizes were small and the professors knew every student by name. It’s also what ultimately led him to the M.S. in Global Commerce (MSGC) Program at UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce.
“I’ve always liked interacting in class and having a relationship with my professors,” Simms says. “I loved the idea of knowing for a fact that every class I took, the maximum amount of people would be around 15.”
Finding Comfort among Cultures
JM Simms
At Rhodes College, Simms double-majored in International Business and Spanish, partly by design, partly by instinct. Language study, in particular, became a way for him to ensure that college left a lasting mark on his experience.
Language is also what led Simms abroad multiple times, which included study and work experiences in Central America and Europe. One summer, he worked for a small logistics company in Costa Rica, where he served as a bridge between U.S. customers and local operations. “A lot of the job was translation and customer service. I could fully understand the nuances of what everyone was saying, including when someone wasn’t being the nicest, which was a valuable experience for myself and the company (I hope),” he says.
While in Spain, Simms even spent a summer as an au pair, caretaking for a seven-year-old. “I loved it. It was like having a 30-day trial of being a dad, and I realized pretty quickly I’m not ready,” he jokes.
Bridging a Gap at McIntire
Those overseas experiences shaped both his comfort operating across cultures and his awareness of how much context matters in international work. They also revealed a gap.
While his undergraduate studies exposed Simms broadly to finance, marketing, management, and accounting, he felt he needed a stronger way to connect those disciplines in practice. “That’s why I felt like grad school was necessary,” he explains. “I needed to hone in my skills and take everything I learned in undergrad to the next level and apply it to more real-world situations rather than just in a classroom.”
Left to right: JM Simms, Campbell Marsh, Ted Owen, Spencer Hurst enjoy a UVA football game
The MSGC stood out, not only because of UVA’s name recognition, but also because of how the program blends global context, small cohorts, and applied work. In reference to the program’s name, Simms admits that he “didn’t really know what a ‘master’s in commerce’ meant at first,” thinking that it felt a bit niche. “But once I started researching, it felt like a better word to describe what McIntire is doing. It’s a mix between political science and business, which is extremely important to understand. What this program also does really well is teach us how to take our technical skills and market them.”
Equally important to him was the cohort structure. With fewer than 30 students in his class moving through the program together, discussion is both rigorous and personal. “We spend hours and hours together,” he says. “You can say something provocative for the sake of conversation, and people understand where it’s coming from. And if someone doesn’t, we can hash it out because we know each other so well.”
Becoming a Storyteller
Academically, Simms sees the program as a shift from technical mastery to translation and storytelling. “Undergrad teaches you the technical skills,” he says. “This program teaches you how to explain them, how to stand up and tell a story about what you know, why it matters, and how it can help someone.”
That emphasis shows up clearly in courses centered on global challenges and current events, where students are expected to lead discussions, defend their thinking, and respond to unscripted questions. “If you can’t explain why you believe something, then you better figure it out pretty fast,” he explains. “We spend a lot of time talking about all of the biggest, broadest challenges that humanity has faced for many years.” While he isn’t naïve about what he and his peers will be able to solve through an intense discussion, he sees that type of exchange essential to understanding how to bring that knowledge and sharing of ideas to market and to be an agent for positive change in the world.
Those moments can be uncomfortable, but that’s the point. “The things that made me grow the most were the things I was super uncomfortable doing,” he says, recalling some of his early language-learning experiences. “It can be frustrating, but it’s a good thing. We’re not going to have a university walking us through our jobs next year.”
Moving forward with a Global Business Mindset
Looking ahead, Simms is particularly excited about the Berlin portion of the program and the opportunity to study alongside students from across Europe, Asia, and beyond. “Being in class with people from all over the world really changes how you think,” he says. “I’ve worked abroad, but I’ve never had this level of in-depth conversations with people from other countries and cultures.”
While at McIntire partner school ESMT Berlin, he is most excited to interact with the large global brands that the school brings in to further put their academic studies into business context. “To hear from big multinational companies like BMW and Mercedes is such a great opportunity,” he says.
Professionally, Simms is still refining his long-term path, but his goal is clear: international work that spans borders, cultures, and ideas. “I like being in those situations,” he notes. “There are a lot of nuances to the different places you can go, and I want to be entrusted to go overseas and have an impact.”
For Simms, the MSGC program isn’t just about arriving with a fixed plan. It’s about building the confidence, perspective, and adaptability to navigate complexity when the plan isn’t obvious. “I was looking for something that was going to make me grow,” Simms explains. “And this program does exactly that.”
