Something Clicked

Before Class of 2007 classmates Jessica and Jason Sinnarajah met at Darden, each had an early moment when they knew the School was right for them. For their relationship, the moment of realization came later.

They first met on Grounds in April before their First Year, but it took some time to become close friends during that year. The couple didn’t begin dating until their Second Year when “something clicked” between them.

“Our relationship was really built on a strong foundation of friendship,” Jessica says. “Not everyone can say that.”

Their growing love for each other was part of everything coming together at Darden in terms of network, career and, of course, a relationship. Fit was something they both found in their careers after Darden, as well.

For Jessica, her ability to empathize led her to talent acquisition and talent management.

“I had not intended to go down that path, but I ran a [profit and loss] business, and I absolutely hated it. But I had this knack for connecting with people, for understanding what they wanted to do with their career, or their education, and how it might all fit together.”

Those skills have helped her in roles in business school admissions at the University of California-Berkeley Haas School of Business, two boutique search firms, internal executive search and now the startup Turing, an AI-powered tech services company.

“There is a need to have a match in terms of experience and business objectives, and in terms of personality and style, so that executives can get along even when they disagree,” she says. “But the other piece is really digging into the things they are not asking for in an executive and understanding their business very, very well.”

Jason’s career has been varied and geographically diverse, with stints as a senior business executive at Google, Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, The Weather Company, Ziff Davis and, most recently, the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.

At every stop, he’s put his high-level business operations skills to work to generate opportunities for his companies and their partners.

During his time in media with Ziff Davis and The Weather Company, he managed partnerships with Apple, Google and Facebook and expanded both companies through M&A opportunities. Most recently with the Buffalo Bills, he oversaw business operations for the team during the last three seasons. “Throughout the 15 or 16 years since I’ve graduated,” he says, “the Darden degree has really helped me because of the adaptability, being able to think on my feet, think through multiple solutions, and figuring out how to work in different work environments.”

The Sinnarajahs time after Darden has also been marked by continued service to the School and a sense of appreciation for the education and the power of the Darden network.

“I think the vast majority of us would attribute a lot of our success in our careers to what we learned at Darden,” Jason says. “And I think it’s really important to remember that. The network is really strong, it’s very vibrant, and no matter how you give, it’s really important.”

— Tom van der Voort