What do you get when you mix a Princeton Sociology background with the discipline of an elite middle-distance runner? For Sam Rodman (M.S. in Commerce ’26), the answer led him straight to the UVA McIntire School of Commerce and set him on a clear path toward the consulting career he’s been building ever since.
“I knew that I wanted to step into the business space,” Rodman says. “The M.S. in Commerce was the perfect opportunity.”
A Thesis That Changed Everything
It was writing a senior thesis that started to change everything. As a Sociology major at Princeton, Rodman spent his final year researching corporate social responsibility in the fashion industry, and somewhere in that process, something clicked. Business and social impact weren’t separate worlds. They were deeply intertwined.
“I had a lot of friends who worked in consulting or finance, and for the longest time I thought, ‘This is not for me,’” he says. But the more he dug into his research, the more he realized business offered far more room for someone with his interests and values than he’d ever given it credit for.
That realization led him to McIntire’s M.S. in Commerce (MSC), a program specifically designed for students who, like Rodman, don’t come from traditional business backgrounds.
“I really liked that the program is looking for people with diverse backgrounds,” he says. “It felt tailored to help bridge the gap between my undergraduate degree and where I want to go professionally.”
An Athlete’s Mindset in a Professional Setting
Rodman isn’t new to high-pressure environments. As a former Academic All-American and Team USA competitor in middle-distance running, he knows what it takes to balance demanding schedules, perform under pressure, and push through a steep learning curve. That same mindset has served him well at McIntire.
“I’m a part of five teams this semester alone,” he says. “As an athlete, I really thrive in that environment, but it’s been a learning experience figuring out how to operate in a team in a professional setting.”
What’s surprised him most is how much his classmates bring to that dynamic. “Everyone here has a rich life outside of class,” he says. “That creates a really supportive environment where people are genuinely invested in each other.”
Building Real Skills on the Business Analytics Track
Now focused on the MSC’s Business Analytics Track, Rodman is developing both the technical chops and the communication skills that consulting demands. From coding in Python to building AI models, he admits that the learning curve has been steep, but he means that in the best possible way.
“I’m learning things I would never have known how to do otherwise,” he says. “And I have professors who are leaders in their field teaching me every day.”
That real-world orientation showed up early. During a consulting externship with PwC, Rodman worked with a nonprofit to translate data insights into actionable recommendations, an experience that sharpened his understanding of what analytics work actually requires.
“It’s not just about drawing insights from data,” he says. “It’s communicating those insights effectively, especially to people without a data background.”
That balance between technical and interpersonal skills is defining his McIntire experience. In one class he’s learning to code; in another, he’s learning to negotiate and present findings to a room.
Faculty have played a big role in the “impressive balance,” Rodman has noted. He points to two professors in particular who have pushed him to think differently. “Professor Ira Harris really encouraged us to think outside of the box,” he says. “And in my Machine Learning class, Professor Brent Kitchens pushes us to explore AI on our own, but always with a business mindset.” It’s an approach that has helped him grow both as an analyst and as a strategic thinker.
Coming Home to UVA
Rodman, a Northern Virginia native, found that choosing UVA also carried a personal dimension. “It felt like a bit of a homecoming,” he says. “Being close to home means I get to see my family often, and representing this university has been an amazing experience.”
After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in consulting, with an eye toward potentially continuing his running career professionally as well. For someone who has spent his life navigating two demanding worlds at once, doing both doesn’t seem like much of a stretch.
His advice for anyone considering the MSC program is simple and direct: “There’s an invaluable element to the program, which is the people. You see classmates pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones and learning new skills. That’s really inspiring.”
And for those still figuring out their direction? “If you’re not exactly sure what you want to do, but you know you want to be in business, you’d be hard-pressed not to find something here that speaks to you.”
