After completing my degree in Applied Physics with minors in Computer Science and Spanish (4.0 GPA) and two years of full-time volunteering/leadership for my church, I applied to several top MBA programs for both full-time and deferred programs straight out of school. I did this for various reasons, hoping but not really expecting much, and was accepted to UVA Darden's deferred admission program after being waitlisted. Now, I am holding my spot at Darden while reapplying 3 years later to a targeted set of M7 schools I would prefer to attend. I worked for a year as a contractor in data analytics, software development, and board advisory services for engineering SaaS companies, and now I have started a new full-time position as an associate software engineer at a large financial services company, working on full-stack web development for online dashboards for wealth management services. I expect to work in this position for the next two years until matriculating at my program of choice in Fall 2027. I expect to complete at least two certifications in the next year for my role (Google Cloud Platform and Scrum Master certifications), and to apply in Round 1 of 2026. My short term goal after completing my MBA is to return to this industry, and hopefully this company, as a product owner following a path in product management. Broadly, my long term goals include executive leadership in global financial services technology. I took the classic GMAT in 2023 after casual study for about 3 weeks, so I am looking to greatly improve my score before applying again.