From the outset, Will Piepszak saw UVA as a place where he could find everything a college student could want: strong academics, an energetic sports culture, and a bunch of ways to have fun weekends. While that balance drew him to Grounds, he made his choice to pursue Commerce from a desire to engage with multiple disciplines.
“I didn’t really have a natural affinity for any real subject in school. I enjoyed them all, and I kind of thought business was the intersection of them all. I like logistics. I like working with people. And I like problem solving. So I figured I’d try my hand in business,” he explains.
The Commerce School’s emphasis on teamwork profoundly influenced Piepszak. “The kind of collaboration in the classroom is pretty unmatched,” he says. “McIntire prioritizes working in groups over anything else.” He quickly came to value this collaborative approach, especially during his summer internship at PwC’s health transformation practice in New York, where he found himself constantly learning new things while adapting his working style to gel within a new team.
At the end of his third year, he was named a Joseph Miniotas Communication Scholar. It was a significant moment for Piepszak, one that caught him by surprise. “I was honored and humbled. When I found out in class, the whole block turned around and looked at me and smiled and gave me a thumbs-up,” he recalls. “Professor [Aaron] Noland is awesome, so I feel really honored that he chose me,” Piepszak says, acknowledging him with strengthening his presentation skills.
Concentrating in IT and completing the Business Analytics Track, Piepszak is intent on becoming well-rounded in various aspects of business. It’s clear that he has an enthusiasm for communicating and engaging with others; his peers and McIntire faculty alike have said as much about him as well. “I’m just a really talkative, chatty person. So whenever we had downtime, I asked the people around me how their weekend was,” he says, reflecting on how his natural social skills have been an asset in his academic journey. Even Noland would sometimes call on him to help engage the class in conversation.
“There was one time we were doing presentations, and there was a five-minute period where nothing was going on, and Professor Noland asked me if I had something,” Piepszak says. “Then we started talking about what you would choose if you could only have donuts or ice cream for the rest of your life. It’s an awesome debate to have with people.”
In a more serious and pivotal moment, Piepszak mentions that during the Integrated Core Experience, he worked with a diverse group of students on a project for global travel insurance company Allianz. Their innovative idea involved installing kiosks in airport terminals to insure flights and provide interactive features like selfies and games. “It was a really fun idea,” he says, crediting his teammate for the concept’s ideation. “We had a great group.” The project underscored for him the value of diverse perspectives and effective teamwork, elements he considers to be the most seminal of the Integrated Core curriculum.
Piepszak says that success at the Comm School centers on the importance of building relationships and approaching the coursework with an open mind. “Prioritize making friends and getting to know the other students,” he advises McIntire newcomers. “Get to know your team, and get to know your other ICE block. Once you have that foundation of friendship, everything else kind of gets a little bit easier.”
Outside the classroom, Piepszak carries that outgoing quality to extracurricular activities, where he’s developing more aspects of leadership and teamwork skills. He really enjoys playing on the club basketball team, which he describes as his favorite activity at UVA. “It’s just the buds going at it. It’s definitely my favorite thing about UVA,” he says. He’s also part of the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi, which has provided him with networking and learning opportunities in various industries. “It’s a great place to get prepared right off the bat for your early career.” He’s a server at Boylan Heights on the Corner as well. “It’s my favorite job I’ve ever had because I can go in if it’s a busy shift and work hard. And if not, I do my homework,” he says.
As Piepszak looks towards his future, he is eager to start his career in consulting. “I think it gives you exposure to a lot of different fields. I don’t have one kind of path I’m eager to follow. I want to explore all my options. I think consulting is a good spot to do that.” While he is keeping many possibilities in mind, he remains open to diving into specific industries if he finds something that truly excites him, mentioning healthcare, media, sports, and music as potential interests.
In his internship and beyond, Piepszak continues to rely on his McIntire communication skills and teamwork experience. His ability to engage and connect with others has been instrumental in his success thus far, and knowing how to communicate and collaborate with people with diverse work styles is sure to serve him well in the future.