UVA Today

A political and social thought and economics double major as an undergraduate student, Abraham has since been an associate consultant at Bain & Co., and completed an externship at The Bail Project. He has also served on the strategy and operations team at the law firm Atticus, working on projects assisting disabled Americans. The scholarship gives him an opportunity to mix with his Knight-Hennessy cohort. 

“I’m most excited to befriend and learn from people I might never have crossed paths with otherwise,” Abraham said. “It’s probably not shocking that I don’t come across many aspiring engineers, astronauts or marine biologists in my current life, and it’s really exciting to know that’s about to change.”

Amelia Faraco-Hadlock

Amelia Faraco-Hadlock, a 2018 Phi Beta Kappa graduate in government with a minor in social entrepreneurship, will pursue a master’s degree in business administration. She has worked as a deputy legislative director for U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginia and seeks to build upon her policy work to uplift and empower children and families at a nonprofit following her degree. 

“Over the past half a decade, I have had the pleasure of serving as a policy adviser in the U.S. Congress, and making meaningful progress for children and families in Virginia and across the country,” she said. “Through the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program and the Graduate School of Business, I hope I will be able to find new, innovative solutions to bring more resources and awareness to the issues I have spent my career working to address.”

She wants to use the MBA to drive systemic change for gender equity as a social impact leader throughout her career. In addition to serving as a policy adviser on women’s rights, Faraco-Hadlock served as president of the Women’s Congressional Staff Association, where she led initiatives to bolster and grow a strong community for female congressional staff members.

Faraco-Hadlock hopes to build lifelong relationships and connections with the diverse cohort in the Knight-Hennessy program. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage with and develop solutions amongst this extraordinary group of leaders whose unique perspectives, but with a common underlying passion, could lead to the next generation of solutions to change society for the better,” she said.