Volunteer Opportunities at UVA

Interested in learning about public service opportunities at UVA, but don't know where to start? Then this is the blog post for you! Read on to learn about some of the summer interns' favorite volunteer activities in the greater Charlottesville area.

Many UVA students enjoy giving back to the Charlottesville community through volunteer work with local organizations and service groups! Here are some of the opportunities that the student interns have taken part in over the past few years.

Abby 

Sometimes at UVa, you are given the opportunity to volunteer for a class! I took Teaching as a Profession in the Curry School and went into Charlottesville High School every week to tutor geometry students. It was a really cool way to get hands-on experience in the course while being able to volunteer. 

The Holiday Sharing program at Madison House.

Leah

When I arrived on grounds, I knew that I wanted to find a local church community. Charlottesville has hundreds of churches in the area, many of them with vibrant student fellowship and volunteer opportunities. Through Christ Episcopal Church, I was able to volunteer to usher for the Sunday service. This helped me get more involved in my church community, meeting other UVA students as well as adults in the Charlottesville community! In college, you’re constantly around 18 to 22 year olds, so it’s nice to expose yourself to another age group of people and help out while you’re at it.

You-Jin

Ever since first year, I have been so lucky to be part of Madison House’s CASH (Creating Assets, Savings & Hope) organization. It is known to be a very competitive volunteer organization to be admitted into, but once you get in, it is well worth your time. We provide free tax preparation services to low-income families and individuals in the Charlottesville community. It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to interact with various types of people and to feel truly connected with my community. Each volunteer gets tax law and tax preparation training so that volunteers are able to take an IRS-mandated certification exam and become IRS-certified as Volunteer Income Tax Assistants. This definitely has helped me feel comfortable in making my own tax filing as I will continue to have to do so for the rest of my life.

The Madison House building, a central hub for many volunteer programs.

Mia

My second year I was able to volunteer in the Cavs in the Classroom through Madison House. Cavs in the Classroom is a way for students to become more involved in the Charlottesville community by volunteering in local elementary schools. Every Monday I got to drive to Johnson Elementary School and sit in a first grade classroom for an hour and help little kids learn how to read. It was not only super fun to get to hangout with adorable 7 year olds but it was also a really great way to break out of the UVA bubble and expose myself to new things. The kids were such a joy, so curious, and loved to learn. Cavs in the Classroom was definitely a highlight of my week. To learn more about all the programs that Madison House offers, follow this link: https://www.madisonhouse.org/list-of-programs.

Kelley

I remember when I came on a tour of UVA, my tour guide mentioned that he volunteered with a Madison House program called Latinx and Migrant Aid (LAMA). I signed up for the program as soon as I got to Grounds, and have volunteered with them every semester since. I have had the opportunity to meet different students at their homes, in churches, and during the school day for tutoring. It’s been an incredible way to connect with members of the Charlottesville community— like others have mentioned, I’ve loved getting to escape the 18-22 year old bubble for a little while and hang out with some cool kids. Now, in my third year, I work as a Program Director, overseeing my own volunteers and site!

Pancakes for Parkinson's, an impactful service organization at UVA.

Ben

Another great opportunity to get involved with service while studying at UVA is Alternative Spring Break (ASB). In the fall, ASB partners with local Charlottesville organizations, such as the Rivanna Trail Foundation and The Haven, for a weekend of service. Students can sign up to volunteer with these groups over the 4-day fall break, which usually occurs in early October. I volunteered at a local build site for Habitat for Humanity my first year, as well as Bellair Farm, which is a local cooperative farm that focuses on community-supported agriculture. Participating in Alternative Fall Break was a great way to learn more about local volunteer opportunities in the Charlottesville community and escape the "UVA Bubble!" My second semester of first year, I volunteered on a spring break trip, which is the main focus of ASB. You can apply for a number of trips in one of three areas - environmental, human services, or housing. To see a full list of trips from past years, check out their website: https://www.altbreak.org/. I was lucky enough to go to Point Reyes, California, where we helped a team of park rangers make a beach hiking trail handicap accessible by building a drainage system in a flooded section of the path, in addition to clearing trees and fallen debris on other trails. This was a fantastic experience which taught me a lot about the National Park Service as well as the environment and climate change. We spent our free time hiking, cooking food over the campfire, and watching elephant seals, and I was able to fund much of my trip through the research grants and need-based scholarships offered by ASB! Overall, ASB was a wonderful opportunity to learn about outdoors-based service in our National Parks while also bonding with a group of 10-12 fellow students through the adventures of camping and flying across the country together! 

Working as a team to move a fallen tree on an ASB trip in Point Reyes National Seashore.

As you can hopefully tell after reading our stories, there are so many volunteer opportunities at UVA, ranging from artistic groups to Madison House programs. To see a full list of public service organizations at UVA, follow this link: https://atuva.student.virginia.edu/organizations and set the search category to “public service.” There’s bound to be a service opportunity that matches your interests! 

A Weekend in Charlottesville

Visiting Charlottesville sometime soon? Check out our curated weekend itinerary!

For more Charlottesville recommendations, check out our Instagram page @uva_summer!

Good morning! It’s your first day visiting Charlottesville and you're getting an early start around 9 AM. Bodo's Bagels is an absolute Charlottesville staple. It is a tradition that before you graduate from UVA, you have to be the number one ticket when they open at 5 am! But you have a long day ahead of you and so much to see here, so let’s take it slow. At Bodo’s, you can get whatever you like on many different types of bagels. A favorite is the deli egg, which is basically like a mini omelette, on an everything bagel!

The sun is shining, and after eating a hearty breakfast, you walk to UVA’s Rotunda. The Rotunda is located on the Lawn, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can go inside the Rotunda to see the Dome Room, the pinnacle of Jefferson’s architecture, as well as other historical rooms and features. Free historical tours led by student members of the University Guide Service are typically offered at 10, 11 and 2 every day!

Your tour may end at the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, located between the Lawn and the Corner. The Memorial seeks to formally acknowledge and remember the names, lives and experiences of the African American enslaved laborers who worked to build and sustain the University. Its circular design represents the “Ring Shout,” a dance performed by African Americans to celebrate spiritual liberation as well as a broken shackle. Etched into the walls are documented names of enslaved peoples; this list continues to grow as more names and stories are uncovered. The memorial began as a student effort in 2010 and was finished earlier this year. A place for reflection and remembrance, the memorial welcomes visitors and acts as a landmark displaying UVA’s troubled history, while also its capacity for change and growth.

After exploring UVA’s grounds, you may want to get out and about. Vineyards are a great place to spend a weekend afternoon in Charlottesville. Once you are of drinking age you can take your parents to Pippin or King Family Vineyards and spend an afternoon sipping on delicious wine with a beautiful view of the mountains. Sometimes King Family Vineyards will even have polo matches to watch or pop up restaurants with amazing cuisine. Many students will also celebrate their 21st birthdays at one of the local vineyards. 

After a walking tour in the morning and afternoon in the sun, it’s time for dinner! As we’ve mentioned in some of our previous posts, Lampo is the ultimate “my parents are in town” spot. They have a variety of delicious pizzas and appetizers, but the catch is that they don’t take reservations, so sometimes the wait can get pretty long. However, this summer they announced their plans to open an additional takeout location, so there’s no excuse for it to not make your itinerary!

Before you head back home or to wherever you’re staying for the night, you should catch a Charlottesville sunset. Whether you make your way a little outside of town to visit Humpback Rock and hike to get a spectacular mountain view or you stay a little more local to watch from the top of Culbreth parking garage, you won’t want to miss it.

But actually, what the heck is a Wahoo?

Hey everyone! Hope you all had an awesome Fourth of July -- whether you celebrated patriotically (for those of you in the US) or just had another normal day (for those of you throughout the rest of the world!). 

Morgan here with another ~fascinating~ post from the admissions office. This time, I've created a guide to help incoming first years (YAY!) with some of the lingo we use here at UVA. 

It may seem daunting at first, but don’t worry – you’ll catch on quickly.  Soon your friends at other schools will look at you in pure confusion as you try to describe to them all the fun you’re having as a first year Hoo eating in the Pav on Grounds in C’ville.  (Was that even English?)

Variations of this list have been published before, but it’s always nice to have a refresher.  I’ve included all the essentials, plus some other popular abbreviations that have appeared since Instagram became a thing. 

So, without further ado, I present:

MOPAT'S GUIDE TO GETTING NEW WAHOOS HIP WITH THE LINGO

Wahoo – Unofficial mascot of UVA.  Legend has it that in the late 1800s, UVA was playing Washington and Lee in a game of baseball, and the UVA fans (in true Cavalier spirit) were getting a bit rowdy.  Washington and Lee fans, looking for a #quality burn, started referring to the UVA crowd as a bunch of “wahoos” – ouch, am I right? The name stuck, and is now the unofficial mascot of the University of Virginia.  

‘Hoo or Hoo – Variation of wahoo.  Source of several terrible puns, i.e. “Hoos ready for the weekend!? Hoo wants to do homework with me!? Hoo wishes I would stop using this pun!?”

(JK, long live the puns!)

Wahoo wah! – Battle cry of the Wahoos.  To be shouted as part of the following chant, fist pumping a la Jersey Shore, upon the conclusion of the Good Old Song:

            Wahoo wah! Wahoo wah!

            Univ-v-Virginia!

            Hoo rah ray! Hoo rah ray!

            Ray, ray, UVA!

This series of wahs and hoorahs are an excellent way of expressing your excitement at sports games or any other time you want to show a little bit of school spirit.  (In a grocery store parking lot as a Tech fan scowls at your UVA bumper sticker, for example.) You’ll want to have this memorized before your first game.

Good Old Song – UVA’s school song, sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.  To be sung arm in arm with those around you at the conclusion of any game, when the football team scores a touchdown, when any relatively sentimental event (Lighting of the Lawn, Convocation, Graduation, etc.) comes to an end, or if you need an excuse to get nice and cozy with the cutie from your math class.  (It’s like the “movie move,” only more UVA!*)

Lyrics are as follows:

              The good old song of wahoo wah, we’ll sing it o’er and o’er

              It cheers our hearts and warms our blood to hear them shout and roar

              We come from old Virginia where all is bright and gay

              Let’s all join hands and give a yell for dear old UVA

You’ll want to learn this one too. 

*Not guaranteed to work. But, like, probably??

Old Cabell – One of three buildings constructed on the South end of the Lawn during the Stanford White renovations of 1896.  Now the home of a cappella performances, fancy paintings, and the music library.  Quite bougie.  Pronounced “Old CAB-uhl.”  Not “Old cah-BELL.”  Made that mistake several times when touring UVA.  SMH.  

NOVA – Northern Virginia, where approximately 99% of UVA students originate (JK, but you will meet a bunch of people from here during the first few weeks of school.  As a Pennsylvania resident, I thought of Villanova at first; my New Jersey roommate thought for a hot second that it was Nova Scotia.  Both of these guesses were quickly proven false.) PSA: SOVA (Southern Virginia) is NOT a thing. 

First, Second, Third and Fourth Year – UVA’s names for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, respectively.  The idea supposedly stems from Jefferson, who believed that there was no end to learning.  He believed that “fourth year,” for example, better described students in their final year of study at UVA because they could never truly be “seniors,” as that term implied that their education was over upon the completion of their degree.  Alternatively, this lingo makes us sound more similar to students at Hogwarts, which is obviously a plus.

Grounds – UVA’s version of “campus.” I’ve heard that the reasoning behind it is similar to that behind the first through fourth year thing, as Jefferson believed that “campus” was a restrictive term that implied that learning stopped outside of University owned land.  I’ve also heard that “Grounds” better suggested the beauty of the land owned by the University. Not sure which, if either, are true – but if anything, it makes us even more Hogwarts-y, so I’m into it. 

Lawn/Academical Village – The original University of Virginia, with 10 pavilions and 54 student lawn rooms surrounding a central Rotunda.  Frequented by dogs, Charlottesville residents, and students alike.  Excellent spot to eat Bodo’s, take basic Instagram pictures, pet aforementioned dogs, chill in a hammock, throw Frisbees, or simply enjoy the beauty of Grounds.

Lawnie – A student who resides in one of the Lawn Rooms.  Usually has cured cancer, solved world hunger, or something of the like.  Super extra awesome person who is capable of living without a kitchen or personal shower.  Stinky? Perhaps.  Hungry? Maybe. Committed to the people and traditions of the University of Virginia? Undoubtedly.

Rotunda – Jefferson’s “temple to knowledge” that served as the University’s first library.  Recently renovated to become a place that students walk into instead of past.  Excellent place to listen to *NSYNC while completing calculus homework and marveling at the historical awesomeness of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Alternatively and affectionately known as Roto, Tundy, and Tunda.

 

C’ville – Charlottesville, in cool kid language.  Home of UVA, awesome food, great hiking, a thriving arts and music scene, and so! much! more!

The Corner – Hub of student life in Charlottesville and within a short walk of Central Grounds.  Home to cute shops, delicious lunch and dinner options, and student night life.  Not actually a Corner.  Sad.

Rugby Road – Location of several IFC fraternities.  Young men in navy blazers and khakis will emerge from the cracks in the sidewalk of Rugby during boys’ bid day.   

JPJ – John Paul Jones Arena, home of UVA basketball and several concerts throughout the year. 

The Pav – There may be ten pavilions on the Lawn, but the eleventh pavilion, or Pav XI, is the home of a Five Guys, Chick Fil A, and Subway.  Ha ha ha, I see you @peoplewhonamethings. Clever.

O’Hill – Short for Observatory Hill Dining Hall, a popular first year option located in the New Dorms area and home to ice milk, or the most delicious thing to ever be offered at the University of Virginia.

Newc – Short for Newcomb Dining Hall.  Popular dining spot for both first years and upper class students who will befriend you in order to mooch off of your unlimited swipes.

Runk – Dining hall located near the Gooch/Dillard residence area.  Farther away from both Old and New Dorm areas, but has ah-MAZING mac and cheese and continuously plays fire music.  Definitely check it out during your first year.

Croads – Short for Crossroads, the food court area located on the ground floor of O’Hill.  Also has a convenience store and is open late in case you get the late night munchies.  

Dumps – Not what you think, ya nasties! Short for dumplings served at the Got Dumplings food truck.  Using your meal plan’s plus dollars to get some “dumps in the amph” (amph = amphitheater) is a classic first year move.  10/10 recommend.

Libs – Short for libraries.  As this term is often texted (“yo are you in libs??”), there is heated debate over whether the word is pronounced “libs” or “libez.”  Umbrella term that also covers Clem (Clemons Library) and Aldy (Alderman Library).  

AFC –  The Aquatic and Fitness Center, home to the largest hot tub on the east coast (amazing!) and where many a first year will get #swole during their time at UVA.  Features tons of weights, an indoor track, stationary bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, medicine balls, and sweat. 

Hope you learned something new, whether you are an incoming first year trying to understand those conversations going on around you during the first weeks of class, or a prospective student who needs some help deciphering your tour guide's slang. 

Now, to test your skills, translate the following: 

Signing off from C'ville... wahoo wah!

Charlottesville Food Scene--- Pt 2 Downtown

Hello prospective students, admitted students, parents, and alumni! Welcome to the second part of the Charlottesville food scene series!

The Downtown Mall

1. Citizen Burger Bar $$

Citizen Burger is the ultimate family restaurant. Not only is their food uh-mazing, but there is always something for everyone. Obviously I'd recommend a burger, particularly the ~classic~ Citizen Burger. Normally, though, I just build my own. Their ingredients are really fresh and high quality, basically you could put any combination of toppings on their burgers and it would probably taste good. Their fries though--- oh, their fries. Their fries are fantastic. Make sure you order a side of sweet potato with you burger, or else you'll surely miss out. 

2. Monsoon Siam $$

Do you like Thai food? Yes? Well, you'll love Monsoon Siam. Monsoon Siam is a fantastic, upscale Thai food restaurant with an equally amazing location. They're right off of the Downtown Mall, with beautiful outdoor seating and string lights galore. They have the classic Pad Thai, etc.-- but what I really recommend you try is the Hell Rice. Monsoon Siam does such a great job of making their Thai food spicy, but not so much that it hides the flavor of their food.

3. Miso Sweet $

Miso Sweet is a super fun restaurant. Ramen and donuts are their specialties, what a cool combo of foods. Their ramen is not your cup o noodles, their ramen is gourmet and filling and delicious. Such a cool twist on traditional ramen that will surely leave you wanting more. They have pork, beef, chicken, vegetarian-- again, something for everyone. The meat is tender, the eggs runny, and the noodles are simply perfect. Totally recommend it, especially if you're looking for an insta-worthy meal.

4. Mono Loco $$
Mono loco is life-changing. Their food is amazing, but what really struck me when I ate their were their chips. Their chips are made by them and they have corn tortilla chips which are average, but their flour chips are out of this world. The experience of eating those chips has brought me back to their restaurant multiple times- it's like dipping a pastry of some sort in to salsa and guac. Sounds weird but trust me, it works. Their food is also great but if you're looking for a snack this is also a great option. Chips does cost 5$, and their guac is an extra 5, but it's so worth it.

5. Miller's $$
Two of my favorite meals: bratwurst and Waldorf salads. Two meals that Miller's does best: bratwurst and Waldorf salads. Two completely unrelated foods but if you go here please try one of them- because Miller's does such a great job of preparing these two food items. Granted, there are more things on their menu that are super amazing- these just happen to be my favorites! Miller's is a great place for a beer on a summer night (if you're 21), or just to hang out with your pals. It's the closest thing to a "sitcom" pub (read: Paddy's, MacLaren's, etc.) that we have here in Charlottesville. It's good, it's a local spot, and it's casual. They also have live music! Bonus!

6. The Pie Chest $
Who doesn't love pie? I love pie! So much! And the pie chest is the ~place~ for pies in CVille. Their pies are so amazing, ranging from normal sweet pies to savory handpies and pot pies. My favorite is the coconut creme, but the chocolate is also fantastic. Every item on the menu has the classic, Made By Grandma taste to it that is so hard to achieve on your own. I love the pie chest and so should you.