A Blueprint for Success0

Excerpts from speeches to U.Va. students about how to use your degree to thrive in the corporate world

Jan 28, 2010by Jim Donovan (faculty)

After two degrees from MIT, one from Harvard, a couple decades in the business world and a semester teaching at U.Va. Law, I certainly don’t claim to know everything. But I do have some insight into how to best utilize your assets and how to make the most of your education to succeed in the workplace. For those of you embarking on the journey, maybe my thoughts will help you. I hope so. Something I know: Degrees matter less than passion. The workplace will always welcome eager and committed individuals. And enthusiasm can take you a long way. ...

Young Boy with an “Old Person” Disease15

A mother’s struggle with her son’s childhood arthritis

Jan 19, 2010by Darice Jamison (Col ’91)

When people think about arthritis, they often think of it as an old person’s disease—certainly not something that affects children. Unfortunately, that is a misconception; in fact, juvenile arthritis (JA) is one of the most common childhood diseases, affecting nearly 300,000 children in the United States. I never thought about how arthritis affected children until my son was diagnosed with multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) when he was just 6 years old. Scott and Darice Jamison with their children Liza, Zach and Patrick. We could not imagine when he was diagnosed the agony we would experience watching our child in ever-increasing...

A Volunteer’s Perspective0

Farming Arugula in the Republic of Georgia

Nov 18, 2009by C. Bruce Williams (Grad '76)

Excerpts taken from C. Bruce Williams’ personal diary: Tskaltubo City, Republic of Georgia September 2009 My host’s name is Zurab Janelidze. He is the new generation of businessman in Georgia, having founded an herb-growing company named Herbia Ltd with several other local farmers and businessmen. During the day, Zurab works as an accountant for the local provincial government. But during all other waking hours, he works to make Herbia a profitable company. He is likable man, in his late 40s and married with three children. Herbia produces vegetables, basil, parsley, dill and other greens on land previously occupied by Soviet-built...

No Guts No Glory6

My Path to U.Va.

Nov 05, 2009by Candice S. Cook (Col '00)

The University of Virginia was never supposed to be where I attended college. For as long as I can remember, my mother had her heart set on my attending a “sister school” and I was groomed for Wellesley College in Massachusetts. I excelled in high school, got admitted into the Ivys and thought I was well on my way to living out “the plan.” But fate intervened and before you could say Charlottesville, I was moving—sight unseen—to Virginia. Three things occurred within one week’s time that led me to believe that I was meant to be a...

Music from the Mountains4

An Appalachian fiddler and singer packs her bags for Music City, USA

Oct 09, 2009by Lauren Moses (Col' 07)

I learned that music relationships are very much like romantic relationships—if the chemistry is not there, you know quickly, and you move out of the way so that you can both find a match-up that sparks.

Outside the Wire2

Life on and outside a U.S. base in Afghanistan

Aug 27, 2009by Frederick K. Espy (Col ’05)

From the news, Afghanistan seems like a war zone where U.S. troops are constantly fighting Taliban fighters and face the threat of improvised explosive devices on a daily basis. However, there are two different worlds for the GIs in this land of conflict. One experience is the relative serenity of life on a Forward Operating Base (FOB), and the second is the one we call “outside the wire,” outside the protective blast walls lined with razor wire that surround our bases. The view from the window of a street in Kabul. Then there are the threats from hidden IEDs—...

From Law School to Court Jester0

Jul 07, 2009by Jeff Kreisler (Law '99)

Charlottesville. December 1997. Baja Bean Company on The Corner. An open mic night. In four days, I’d be leaving U.Va., leaving law school smack-dab in the middle, leaving good grades and better contacts, leaving big firm offers of guaranteed income, comfort and sanity. But tonight, in front of a handful of skeptical friends and another handful of self-obsessed acoustic “the-next-Dave-Matthews,” I was trying stand-up comedy for the first time. I got on stage and raised a sheet of paper on which I’d written “T-H-I-S” and said, “Hey everybody, look at this!” It got better. I mean, really, could...

Two Generations of Graduates2

May 26, 2009by Matthew Pluznick (Col ’03)

On a Sunday in Charlottesville, I was standing outside in a torrential downpour with my dress shoes covered in mud. The unforgiving rain hammered hard into my graduation cap causing its inner cardboard to droop and mold to the shape of my head. The weather on that May morning in 2003 was so bad, it would later be regarded as the worst weather for a graduation in U.Va.’s history. Nevertheless, nothing could stop me from walking the Lawn. I looked ahead and slowly walked forward, being careful not to slip. After about 20 feet, I heard a woman’s voice...