Student Takeover: Andy Nguyen

For the next few weeks, students will be taking over the UVA Admission account on instagram (@uvaadmission). I thought I'd introduce each student here before they start posting on the account. Keep an eye on our Instagram stories to hear from Andy!

Name: Andy Nguyen

Hometown: Eastland, TX

Major: Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences and Youth and Social Innovation in the School of Education

Activities: The Raven Society, Sigma Phi Epsilon, QuestBridge, HoosConnected, No Tones Acapella, Vietnamese Student Association, and Madison House. Outside of extracurriculars: working with Cavalier Connect Fundraising and involved with multiple research labs on-grounds.

Favorite UVA Memory: CultureFest, where organizations came together to showcase their unique cultural dances, outfits, and foods in the amphitheater, or the midnight snowball fight during third year. 

 

Student Takeover: Lili Gomez

 For the next few weeks, students will be taking over the UVA Admission account on instagram (@uvaadmission). I thought I'd introduce each student here before they start posting on the account. Keep an eye on our Instagram stories to hear from Lili!

Name: Lili Gomez

Hometown: Woodbridge, VA

Major: Computer Science in the School of Engineering, Spanish minor in the College of Arts and Sciences

Activities: SHPE at UVA (the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), Girls Who Code, and Dressember. From SHPE, I was able to get an internship with Apple.

After Graduation: I'll be a full time software engineer at Apple.

Favorite UVA Memory: Some of my favorite memories at UVA were spending time in the Center for Diversity in Engineering with all my school friends, and my semester abroad in Valencia, Spain.

Student Takeover: Sydney Mannion

For the next few weeks, students will be taking over the UVA Admission account on instagram (@uvaadmission). I thought I'd introduce each student here before they start posting on the account. Keep an eye on our Instagram stories to hear from Sydney!

Name: Sydney Mannion

Hometown: South Orange, NJ

Major: I will probably be a Psychology major with a Sociology minor in the College of Arts and Sciences

Activities: Mixed Race Student Coalition, Hydra Club Ultimate Frisbee, Blueprint Leadership Program, working as a research assistant in the Social Cognition and Behavior Lab, and the Echols scholars program.

Student Takeover: Isabella Koch

  For the next few weeks, students will be taking over the UVA Admission account on instagram (@uvaadmission). I thought I'd introduce each student here before they start posting on the account. Keep an eye on our Instagram stories to hear from Isabella!

Name: Isabella Koch

Hometown: Loudoun County, VA

Major: Architecture in the School of Architecture with minors in Civil Engineering and Spanish

Activities: I am a student ambassador for the A-School, very involved in outdoors club and love to climb, event coordinator for an architecture organization called AIAS, working wardrobe for the spring drama production, and involved in various intramurals (volleyball, ultimate frisbee, softball, and soccer).

Favorite UVA Memory: My favorite memories at UVA come from either hiking with friends in the Shenandoah, going to food trucks on Fridays with my best friends, working in the architecture studios with my friends all day, and playing intramural volleyball with my friends when none of us had every played volleyball before. 

Student Takeover: Tyler English

  For the next few weeks, students will be taking over the UVA Admission account on instagram (@uvaadmission). I thought I'd introduce each student here before they start posting on the account. Keep an eye on our Instagram stories to hear from Tayler!

Name: Tyler English

Hometown: Norfolk, VA

Major: Global Studies (Global Public Health) and Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. Also pre-med.

Activities: I'm a part of organizations such as MedLife, M.O.C.H.A (Men of Color, Honor, and Ambition), S.O.C.A (Student Organization of Caribbean Awareness), C.R.A.V.E. Fashion, UVA Sports Medicine Volunteer Program, Resident Advisor, and Peer Health Educator. Outside of the University, I'm an Emergency Department Medical Scribe and Clinic Scribe.

Favorite UVA Memory: Having a snowball fight with my suitemates during my first year at Gooch. (Gooch-Dillard is a residence hall at UVA)

Student Takeover: Tabi Summers

 For the next few weeks, students will be taking over the UVA Admission account on instagram (@uvaadmission). I thought I'd introduce each student here before they start posting on the account. Keep an eye on our Instagram stories to hear from Tabi!

Name: Tabi Summers

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Major: Architecture in the School of Architecture with minors in Architectural History, Urban and Environmental Planning, and Real Estate Finance.

Activities: Outside of class, I am vice president of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) chapter at UVA. I am also on a national committee for this organization. In the fall, I interned alongside my coursework, but this Spring I am working as a student instructional assistant for a planning course, a student research assistant for a publication that is under development by an A-School faculty member, and as the assistant to the chair of the Urban Planning Department. I also work as an admissions ambassador in the A-School. Off Grounds, I volunteer at a local clothing resale store.

Favorite UVA Memory: Some of my favorite UVA memories are doing things in Charlottesville Off-Grounds like going to the farmers market, hiking Humpback, and enjoying the Rivanna river on nice days. 

Student Takeover: Victoria "Vix" Clotet

 For the next few weeks, students will be taking over the UVA Admission account on instagram (@uvaadmission). I thought I'd introduce each student here before they start posting on the account. Keep an eye on our Instagram stories to hear from Vix!

Name: Victoria (Vix) Clotet

Hometown: Madrid, Spain

Major: Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, Management and Marketing concentrations in the McIntire School of Commerce (Business Analytics track)

Activities: Advertising and Marketing Association at UVA, Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), Latinx Student Network at McIntire, Women in Computer Science, Smart Women Securities, and the Hispanic/Latinx Peer Mentoring Program.

After Graduation: I'm going to start my own business and I'm still working on the idea and business plan.

Favorite UVA Memory: Going to Mellow Mushroom after the last class of Algorithms to celebrate with Professor Brunelle, his wife, and the rest of the class.

Student Takeover: Zach Palazzotto

For the next few weeks, students will be taking over the UVA Admission account on instagram (@uvaadmission). I thought I'd introduce each student here before they start posting on the account. Keep an eye on our Instagram stories tomorrow to hear from Zach!

Name: Zach Palazzotto 

Hometown: Oakdale, New York (Long Island) 

Major: Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science 

Activities: First Year Chair of Engineering Student Council, Rotaract Club, Buford Engineering Mentorship Program, E-Guides (E-school tour guide), Job - College Advisor for 4 students/admissions cycle 

Favorite UVA Memory: My first week of school, I got to meet so many different people from unique backgrounds and everyone was so open to making new relationships within my Introduction to Engineering Class. I learned that UVA is a place where everyone has their own niche interests and their own academic identities. The collaborative aspect of UVA allows you to explore the many facets of your peers' identities and learn so much from everyone around you. This is a place in which you will never feel like the smartest, most experienced person in the room. Therefore, you will continue to flourish and grow throughout your time on grounds.

Meet Betsy, a Media Studies student from New Jersey!

 

Hi Everyone! My name is Betsy Macdonnell (she/her) and I’m a fourth year at UVA majoring in Media Studies from Glen Ridge, NJ. For my last semester I am interning with the Office of Undergraduate Admission on their Communications team. I love getting to connect with prospective students, and I look forward to telling you all a bit about myself, and hopefully getting to know some of you as well!

I mentioned above that I am from New Jersey, however, a fun fact about me is that I went to boarding school in Canada for all 4 years of high school. So coming into UVA, I really didn’t know anyone, and because of that, I was really nervous about starting at UVA. However, one thing that I remember was super helpful with my transition was Summer Orientation. During Summer Orientation, all incoming students come to UVA for two days over the summer. During the day, you are in a group with other students and you go to various different informational sessions to get acclimated, and also spend time doing activities with your orientation group. In the evening, there are a bunch of activities such as yoga in the Aquatic and Fitness Center, or an outdoor walk. This is another way to get to meet new people and explore grounds. Students then stay in a dorm overnight, which is a nice way to get a sense of what your dorm life could be like in the fall. I also think that staying in a dorm is a great way to get a sense of what to add to your packing list. The next day, your orientation leaders help you register for your first handful of classes before you head home. As an out of state student, coming for orientation helped me to feel a lot more comfortable at UVA, and eased my nerves about the upcoming transition to college. Similarly, I made some really awesome friends in my orientation group, which allowed me to have a few familiar faces around grounds in the fall.

During my time at UVA, I have been able to explore my passions and interests in a way that has opened me up to so many different opportunities. Coming into college, I had my heart set on journalism as my future career. For this reason, I was really interested in the Media Studies major. However, at UVA, you don’t declare your major until halfway through your second year. So although I took Intro to Media Studies my very first semester at UVA, I was also encouraged to take classes in a variety of disciplines. So during my first two years at UVA, I took so many interesting classes such as Sociology of the Family, Spiritual but not Religious and Abnormal Psychology. While I ultimately decided to major in Media Studies, by exploring my options I realized that my passion wasn’t journalism, but rather storytelling more broadly.

Throughout my time at UVA, I have been able to explore this passion for storytelling through a variety of different clubs and organizations. My two main involvements on grounds are the University Guide Service and IfYou’reReadingThis.org. Through the University Guide Service, I am able to give admissions tours to prospective students, as well as historical tours of grounds to any tourists who come to UVA. Through the University Guide Service, I’ve been able to engage with UVA’s rich and complex history, while also finding a community of other like minded individuals. IfYou’reReadingThis.org is a mental health organization that was started at UVA in the fall of 2016 to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Through this organization, we collect and post weekly letters from UVA students, faculty and alumni about their own experiences with their mental health. These letters serve as a reminder that you are never alone in your struggles. I found IfYou’reReadingThis.org during my first year when I was struggling with my mental health, and these letters gave me comfort in knowing that it was okay if I didn’t feel 100% all the time. If you’re reading this, know that there is a place for you at UVA, even if you struggle with your mental health.

To end my blog post, I want to write a little about why I chose to come to UVA. I applied to UVA on a whim, never having visited, simply because a family friend told me she went here and thought I would like it. I didn’t know a lot about colleges in the U.S. since both my parents are from Canada and I was attending high school in Canada as well. So when this family friend suggested I apply to UVA, I figured I might as well. Flash forward to spring of my senior year, I was accepted to UVA Regular Decision after being deferred during Early Action. I had still never visited UVA, but it was on my short list of schools, so my Dad and I came down for Days on the Lawn. I remember instantly being blown away by how beautiful grounds was. I could picture myself sitting out on the Lawn and reading a book during a warm day. I could see myself taking classes in the beautiful red brick buildings. Beyond that, I remember feeling that UVA was a place where students really cared about the things that they were doing. Every student I talked to was so passionate about their organizations and their classes, and I realized that this was a place where I could be passionate and excited and a little bit nerdy. I realized it was a place where I could explore my passions, and I would find people who would want to support me as I did that. Overall, I just remember having this really strong gut feeling that UVA was where I should be.

Looking back on these past four years, it hasn’t been perfect by any means. Like any college experience, there have been high highs and low lows and a bunch of moments all in between. However, I can say with the strongest conviction that 18 year old me was right. This has been a place where I have been able to explore my interests and grow into myself. At UVA I have made friends who feel like family, and have ultimately become a better version of myself. UVA is just where I was supposed to be.

 

 

Meet Tucker, a Commerce Student from Mississippi!

I'm very excited to share the first 2022 entry in a series of guest blog posts by UVA students. Tucker, a regular around Peabody Hall, is kicking things off. Keep an eye on @uva_students on Instagram for more content from Tucker and our other intern, Betsy, who you'll meet next week.

Hey everyone! My name is Tucker, and I am a third-year student at the University of Virginia studying Commerce and French. As a Student Intern at the Office of Admission, I work with the Communications team to engage with students through social media. In this blog post I’ll be introducing myself, talking about the UVA community, and also sharing more about why I made the decision to attend the University of Virginia. 

I am originally from Jackson, Mississippi, so coming to UVA was intimidating for several reasons: I would be hundreds of miles from home, I didn’t know anyone attending UVA, and I would be in the minority of students not from Virginia. However, after my first month on grounds, all of those concerns had melted away, and I was left with a deep appreciation for this university and the people who also call it home. 

Getting Involved

One important factor that made acclimating to life at UVA seamless was the strong communities that exist outside the classroom. Every club, organization, sports team, and activity has a vibrant social component. This emphasis on community made me feel welcome as a first year, and now, as an upperclassmen, I love sharing that welcoming energy with underclassmen as well as visitors to UVA. Some of my involvements beyond my job at the Office of Admission include the University Guide Service (which is responsible for giving historical and admissions tours of the university), Greek Life (both a pre-professional, co-ed business fraternity as well as a social fraternity), the Equity and Environment Fund (an endowment that funds projects that explore the intersection of sustainability and equity), and Days on the Lawn (our admitted student programming). In addition to these extracurriculars, I also work for the UVA Office for Sustainability, which has been a great opportunity to learn more about sustainability, to educate my peers, and to help reduce UVA’s impact on the environment. 

Community and Traditions

Beyond these individual involvements and the communities associated with them, I have felt a profound sense of community at the university level as well. UVA has so many unique, fun traditions. My personal favorite is Lighting of the Lawn, which happens right before the end of the fall semester. Everyone comes to the Lawn (which is the historic center of grounds) on a December evening and watches as the Rotunda and the Academical Village is illuminated in a light show that’s synced to music. This tradition arose in the aftermath of 9/11 as an act of solidarity. Today, it cointies to bring people from across the university together. Another quintessential UVA tradition is streaking the Lawn. This happens during the cover of night randomly throughout the semester. Have something to celebrate? Streak the Lawn. UVA win a national championship? Streak the Lawn. There’s no right or wrong way to do it - it’s just an (admittedly quirky), long-standing fixture of the UVA experience for those who chose to participate. Finally, another tradition I’ll highlight is trick-or-treating on the Lawn, which is where members of the Charlottesville/Albemarle county communities come to the Lawn as students and faculty hand out candy. It is a wholesome, fun event that helps connect the UVA community with its surroundings. 

The last variety of community I will touch on is the one that exists in the classroom. As a student in the School of Commerce, I have had the opportunity to get very close with members of my “block,” which is essentially a cohort of students with whom I take the core classes required for a degree in commerce. However even in other majors without a cohort system, there are so many avenues to develop friendships with peers. The academic departments try not only to help students by supporting their future professional pursuits, but also to provide opportunities to form connections with other students. Whether it’s having people to study all night with the day before a midterm or people to remind you about an assignment due the next day, the academic community at UVA fosters a sense of collaboration in a way I have found to be incredibly supportive. 

Why UVA?

Now that you know a little bit more about my experience joining the UVA community, I will share why I chose UVA in the first place. I was looking for a university where I would be challenged academically and surrounded by ambitious, intelligent individuals, but I didn’t want any of that at the expense of a fun, social, and vibrant college experience. During my senior year of high school I was visiting some friends in Richmond and wanted to check out colleges nearby, so I visited UVA. I knew nothing about the university and hadn’t even considered it. But, after touring and chatting with a few students, it quickly became apparent to me that UVA was exactly what I was looking for in a school: students here have a healthy balance between their social and academic lives. Of course there were logistical factors, such as geography and finances, that I had to consider, but, of the places that I could feasibly attend, UVA was where I felt most at home. 

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about my journey at UVA. Please feel free to reach out to the Office of Admission should you have any questions. I also encourage all admitted students to sign up for Days on the Lawn, which is happening throughout April! 

Meet Morgan, a Pre-Med, Anthropology Major from Baltimore!

I'm very excited to share the first 2021 entry in a series of guest blog posts by UVA students. Since you won't be able to meet current students at our Days on the Lawn open houses or on go on group tours this year, we thought we'd use social media to provide opportunities for you to connect.    

 Morgan offered to kick things off! She kindly offered her email address if anyone would like to ask her questions.

 

Wahoowa and welcome to UVA! My name is Morgan Suchin and I am a second year from Baltimore, Maryland. I absolutely LOVE UVA and am so excited to share my experience with you. I am pre-med and majoring in anthropology with a concentration in medical anthropology, ethics, and care. I am an Echols Scholar and involved in PhiDE (a pre-health, co-ed fraternity), Hillel/Brody Jewish Center, Virginia Ambassadors, Virginia Anthropology Society, and started my own project working with other CIOs using a mental health support website my brother and I made called Codyy.org.

 

I will be honest. I never even considered UVA until my mother forced me to tour it. I thought UVA would be too large for me, did not know anyone from my high school who went there, and did not know much about it. Well, a big thank you to my mom! I can confidently say that the second I walked onto Grounds, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful architecture and greenery, the vibrant and spirited student body, the traditions, and the warm feeling of community from both the students, professors, and staff. I am a true believer in that everything happens for a reason. There was some reason my mother forced me to tour one random day in July before my senior year. Another instance of this mantra happened at my Days on the Lawn which is our newly admitted students’ day.

I checked in with my parents and was walking from the Office of Admissions to the Rotunda for the welcome address from our Dean and to hear our amazing marching band. Before we got to the Rotunda, I asked my mother (there’s a theme here), how will I know where I am supposed to end up? She replied, there will be a sign. In that very second, Dean J and CavPup walked by and I stopped to take a picture. I am obsessed with CavPup and Dean J’s blog/Instagram that provided information and was a valuable resource that motivated me to go to UVA. I internally screamed with excitement. I think from the smile on both of our faces, we were pretty excited in this moment. This was another instance of everything happening for a reason.

 

My third moment of this mantra was during my first day of class. I walked into the lecture hall, which was also where I had my information session during my tour at UVA and sat down amongst 200 students. This class was medical anthropology with Professor China Scherz. I admire how amazing my support and advising system at UVA has been. During my summer orientation and per advice from my Echols mentor, two people recommended that I take medical anthropology. I knew nothing about it but figured I love the humanities and am pre-med, so this sounded like an interesting combination. My eyes grew with wonder during the first lecture. Professor Scherz made a 200-person class seem like 15 through her passionate lecture, engaging with students through conversations, and being so eager to share her love of medical anthropology and her research. The second I walked out of class, I pulled out my phone and googled if UVA had a major in medical anthropology. Sure enough, it was made just the previous year before I got to UVA! That same day, I met Professor Scherz during her office hours to discuss the major and my future trajectory. If it were not for the input from fellow UVA students and staff, I maybe would not have found my major. Medical anthropology has changed my life, and everything happened for a reason! (I am sorry I am so cheesy) Professor Scherz became my advisor and mentor who has provided so much guidance and support throughout my first two years at UVA. Everyone who I have met at UVA, whether it is an upperclassman who offers advice, your professor or academic dean, or just a person in the library you recognize from class, has been unbelievably supportive and welcoming. One of the reasons I chose UVA was because I saw a community like myself during my tour. UVA felt like the students were leaders both inside and outside of the classroom, but were also involved in the community with clubs, research, volunteering, or just being there for a fellow classmate. It is hard to express how generous and kind the people at UVA are in making Grounds feel like a home. 

To me, UVA is my second home. Despite being a large university, it has never felt like it for several reasons. My Jewish peers at the Brody Jewish Center have gone above and beyond to make all students have a home away from home during the holidays. I had a sense of community when the student body joined arms for the first time at a football game and sang the Good Old Song. My Echols scholar family introduced me to some of my best friends who made my first year so special. It is seeing someone in the grocery store wearing a UVA orange and navy shirt and we say Wahoowa to each other that sparks a smile on my face that confirms that UVA is a special place. You got into UVA because it was meant to be your home for the next 4 years because everything happens for a reason! I look forward to seeing you on Grounds! Please feel free to reach out to mis6mmf@virginia.edu if you have any questions. I love sharing my experience and how much it means to be a Wahoo!