The Best of All Worlds

Carolyne Hilton (McIntire ’95) will always come back. Her time at the University is still very much with her.

She felt a connection from the beginning. Hilton’s experience at the McIntire School of Commerce was somehow what she knew it would be when she first visited Grounds. “It just pulled me in,” she said. A member of McIntire’s advisory board since 2016, Hilton always looks forward to trips to UVA from her home in Marietta, Georgia.

As a prospective college student coming from a predominantly white and Jewish high school in New Jersey, she appreciated how much more diverse UVA was and attended a weekend event for Black students. Although she was accepted by other distinguished universities, she let her parents know her choice was UVA. “I knew it was where I should be, that I would be happy there, and that’s where I was going.”

Hilton did consult her father about her major—and she took his advice. As an engineer with an MBA, he wanted her to have a good education and solid career so suggested business. She applied to the competitive Commerce School. “It was hard as all get out,” she said. “And it was the best of all worlds!”

The faculty at the school stood out for Hilton. “You had professors who cared about you,” she said. “I remember waiting in line early in the morning with my notes in front of professors’ offices. They always made themselves available to all of us.”

Hilton believed her professors invested as much in their students’ educations as students did. “Or even more. They were fair but challenged us every day. I needed challenges. I also needed people who cared—and they did,” she said. What she learned and her experience in facing challenges were invaluable, in law school and afterwards.

“I had a finance and marketing concentration, then did some internships. I spent one summer at Salomon Brothers in New York at 7 World Trade Center, taking the train from New Jersey every morning. It was eye-opening to be near Wall Street with all those people, and it made me realize I needed to rethink what I wanted to do.” 

She had taken a business law class at McIntire that she found interesting and thought, “I could do this,” then took the LSAT and applied to law school at the last minute. Her time at the University of Georgia Law School was rewarding, and she developed strong relationships there. “Law school, well, it’s hard, yes. But once you go through the Comm School, you’re used to learning about difficult, unfamiliar topics, and the Socratic method—taught by Professor Michael Bills in my finance class—really prepared me.”

Bills, now a visiting scholar at McIntire, used a deck of cards with students’ names on them. “If he drew that card with your name, you were called to the front to answer questions during the entire class. It was terrifying, so you prepared like you’d never prepared before. He was my favorite professor; he was intimidating, but he really cared. He invited us to his house for dinner at the end of the semester. You knew he was there because he loved to be there.”

Even after her first year of law school, during Hilton’s clerkship at Miller & Martin PLLC, the largest law firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee, her McIntire education gave her added confidence. She completed two summer clerkships at Miller & Martin, and was 21 when she interviewed for her first one, but her maturity was often noted. “I think they thought it was my job experience. Much of it was that—and the Comm School preparation. I understood business and brought practical business experience to the table. I knew how to network, find answers, and how to write well. We wrote a lot in the Comm School.”

After practicing law with Miller & Martin, and a career including positions at Coca-Cola Enterprises and The Coca-Cola Company, Hilton is now in-house counsel for JAS Worldwide Management, Inc., based in Atlanta. Just as her business education has been translatable throughout her career, she’s now applying it and her experience to advise the school. She also supports the school as a member of the Rotunda and McIntire Dean’s societies and devotes time to mentor students and engage with prospective students, making sure they have similar opportunities.

She’s done this before. Hilton was a peer advisor through the Office of African-American Affairs and a resident advisor at Tuttle. She takes students under her wing, staying in touch with many and with Sylvia Terry, former associate dean. Along with the OOAA and the McIntire School, the Black Bus Stop was a gathering spot where Hilton felt at home. “I had reason to spend a lot of time at the BBS,” she said. “It’s where everyone congregated. It made UVA special for me.”

From her view on the advisory board, Hilton sees that the school is even more rigorous today. “I also have a glimpse into how intentional and thoughtful they are about running it,” she said. “Carl [Zeithaml] was incredible, but Dean Jenkins is her own bit of amazing. She’s my shero in a lot of ways.”

What inspires her about McIntire and UVA now? “It’s not just one thing,” she said. “To see how the Grounds have changed, well it’s a different place. It keeps me coming back to see what the future’s going to look like, and the future is so bright. There’s something about greatness in this place, and it’s amazing to see.”