What do you miss most about your time at UVA?
“The sense of endless possibilities! On any given day, I might find my future career, discover a lifelong passion, pick up a new hobby, make a new friend, meet a potential love interest, or just go on a spontaneous adventure with my friends. It was such a wonderful magical time. If anyone invents a time machine so I could go back and do it all again, please let me know.”—Deborah Schechner (Col ’01)
“Coming from Long Island, I was shocked to find that, when walking across Grounds, EVERY SINGLE person said hello—whether I knew them or not. I miss the camaraderie that comes with being a UVA student. The other day I was wearing my UVA sweatshirt and someone I didn’t know with a UVA hat on yelled, ‘Wahoowa!’”—Judy Levine Garet (Educ ’81)
“The fall weather and the many first-time experiences: living away from home, daily interactions with many who were so different than I, my first drink, my first terrible grade. And my first protest—we staged a sit-in on Carr’s Hill. I believe it was concerning the need for an Office of African American Affairs. Leroy Hassell (now deceased) was one of the organizers. He was also a member of our fraternity and the first Black chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court.”—Bill Cooper (Arch ’76, ’78, Darden ’89)
“Autumn on the Lawn! As beautiful as spring is, I think fall at UVA is when all the best things happen.”—Inez Lieber (Col ’17)
“Bodo’s bagels, Corner bars, playing ultimate Frisbee and pickup basketball, and game days at JPJ and Scott Stadium. Late-night conversations in the library. Foxfield Races. Being able to walk around campus to get everywhere I needed to go.”—Shannon Donohue (Arch ’12)
“The ability to easily run into, and spend time with, friends on the Lawn.”—Nonye Onokalah (Col ’17)
“The computer labs. Can’t share a photo because we didn’t have digital cameras back then, let alone 100MP smartphone cameras. The idea that we would only check our email or connect to the internet from designated rooms that had dozens of computers, and that sometimes you had to wait till one freed up; it may sound antiquated but compared to the constant on connectivity of today, it was peaceful.”— Jason Inofuentes (Col ’06, Arch ’20)
“Walking the Grounds. Amazing nursing school professors.”—Terri Trent Salazar (Nurs ’92)
“Time spent in Alderman Library, walks on the Lawn, sitting at the staircase of the Rotunda on a starry night.”—Celia Leung (Com ’96)
“Beauty of the campus and Friday afternoons on the green. Professors’ open hours, freely giving their time to talk.”—William Sealock (Educ ’74)
“Camaraderie, friends, a cappella concerts.”—Scott Garfinkel (Com ’93)
“Nearly unrestricted time with friends/pursuit of fun (note: see GPA for impact), spring and fall days in Charlottesville, country parties, basketball and football games, a common sense of spirit, appreciation for the good fortune we enjoyed. Life is very good, and that was one of the best chapters.”—Les Sweeney (Col ’89)
Having the time to learn things, as opposed to doing a job to make a living.”—David Thurlow (Col ’80)
“One thing, among many, that I miss was something not many students were involved in—a daily prayer group that met in the chapel every evening at 6, under the auspices of Virginia Christian Fellowship. We sang a few hymns, exchanged prayer requests, and prayed for one another, and for a wide variety of other people and events. The meetings lasted 30 to 45 minutes, and were often followed by extended conversations on walks around the Grounds for another 30 minutes or so, until returning to the dorms to study.”—Charles Sutton (Col ’69)
“Trick-or-treating at Halloween on the Lawn with my 7- and 4-year-old children while in grad school. The Lawn residents made a special effort to make it a near-fantasy experience for the kids. I will always be grateful.”—John Bristow (Darden ’89)