That First Year at UVA

That First Year at UVA

About a year ago, we asked first-year students what they hoped to achieve during their first year at UVA. We also asked second-year students to look back on their first year: What surprised you? All the students below received scholarships to attend the University of Virginia. Here’s what was on their minds.

Finding Their Way

What I hope to achieve during my first year at UVA:

I hope to make myself uncomfortable in many circumstances. Growth will not, and cannot, occur when one is too comfortable, as it creates room for slack. I hope to step outside of my comfort zone socially and academically speaking.

Aleshia Williams (Col '25)
Tidewater Friends of Foster Care Bicentennial Scholarship Fund
Farmville, Virginia

I hope to nail down my major and get to know some of my professors on a personal level.

Caleb White (Engr '25)
Clark Scholar
Frisco, Texas

I hope to become more comfortable in college and learn more things about myself, such as, for example, what I want to do in the future, the kind of person I want to be, and what makes me the most happy/excited.

Iris Boateng (Engr '25)
Beck Family Scholarship Fund
Alexandria, Virginia

I hope to be able to discover who I am as a person. With college having so many vast opportunities, I want to be able to explore and see what I'm interested in and how it will help me in the future.

Eli Roberts (Engr '25)
Clark Scholar
Charlottesville, Virginia

Live and Learn

The most surprising thing I learned during my first year at UVA was:

The most surprising thing I learned was how resilient the UVA community was. With weekly testing and constant monitoring, I felt like UVA cared about their students and staff. Though there was a lot of uncertainty, I felt safe.

Also, I've never been to the East Coast before coming to UVA, so the existence of maple bacon doughnuts made me raise my eyebrows. After trying it, however, it was pretty decent!

Suzane Choi (Nurs '24)
Shirley Hash Myers and Carroll Myers Bicentennial Scholars Fund
Concord, California

Being open minded to taking different classes relating to different majors and not limiting myself. I realized that it is OK to change my mind and choose to pursue something different entirely. The idea of taking the time to explore, to experiment, and to grow really clicked for me halfway through my first year.

Ava Sedghian (Col '24)
Timothy J. and Diane H. Naughton Bicentennial Scholars Fund
Ashburn, Virginia