Follow Friday: Part VI

Follow Friday

Part VI: See Our @UVa_Summer Instagram!

Don't forget to follow @UVa_Summer and search the hashtag #UVaSummer on Instagram! To view the Instagram in your browser, click here.

Be sure not to miss our Man Crush Mondays, Women Crush Wednesdays, and Throwback Thursdays!

"@ASBarat hanging with his #MCM and the most famous #UVa #dropout, #EdgarAllanPoe, in his original range room #UVaSummer"

6.30.14

"Our #WCW is '92 alum #TinaFey! She just visited grounds in 2013 for the President's Speaker Series for the Arts, and we hope to see her here again soon! #picstitch #UVaSummer"

7.2.14

"#tbt Old School graduation. Literally."

7.3.14

Hoos in Charge: Class Council

Hoos in Charge

Class Council

by Belen Osman

"Class Dinner Series"

In high school, were you the President, Secretary or Treasurer of your Class? And even if you weren’t, did you ever have any plans or ideas on how to make your graduating class the class to be? If you answered yes to either of these questions, Class Council may be the perfect way for you to get involved in UVa’s rich history of student self-governance! Each Class at UVa, from 1st to 4th, has its own individual Class Council. The Class Council for each Class works to create and strengthen class unity and spirit by planning fun and useful class-wide activities/events. 

"Halloween HOOps"

A few examples of these events include Sushi and Karaoke Night, Cookies and Goodies for Nurses Bake Sale, Lululemon Yoga Night and Dumpling Cooking Class. These events bring the entire class together while also raising money for a great cause, informing students about prevalent issues or simply demonstrating a cool dance routine or delicious recipe (not to mention, they’re a great way to meet new people).  Each Class Council had an Executive Committee with a Class President, Vice President and Secretary, in addition to several specialized committees pertaining to Academic & Career Development, Community Service, Entertainment, Dinner Series, and Social Technology & Communications.  In other words, TONS of opportunities to get involved!  These different committees have their own responsibilities but they all come together to share ideas and plan some great events.

"Dumpling Cooking Class"

If Class Council isn’t your cup of tea, worry not, I have plenty in store for you. More to come in my next post!

#WeAreAllUVa: Peer Advising Groups

#WeAreAllUVa

Peer Advising Groups

by Hawa Ahmed

The University offers a slew of advising opportunities for first-year students. In addition to an area adviser and academic adviser, first-years have the opportunity to seek peer advising in a number of affinity groups. These students can certainly advise on classes, but more often are older mentors serving as a “Big Brother” or “Big Sister.” Some of these groups have extensive family trees tying all the “sib” pairings together!

Peer Mentoring Program (PMP)

 

 

Close to 6% of students identify as Hispanic and there are 12 Latino-interest organizations. The Peer Mentoring Program, or PMP is the only advising group where upperclassmen advise Latino/Hispanic first-year students. In addition, any student – whether Latino or not – can sign up to be a mentor or mentee! The students are split into several familias, creating smaller communities amongst the sibling pairs.

 

Asian and Pacific-American students comprise of 12% of our student body. Dean Guzman (pictured above), serves as the faculty program coordinator for these students. The Peer Advising Family Network (PAFN) is comprised of upperclassmen that serve as big siblings to first-year Asian/Pacific-American students. Their families are organized as P, A, F or N. Again, all students can sign up to be a member!

Incoming students identifying as Black/African-American automatically become matched with an upperclass peer advisor. Many events throughout the year are catered for advisors and advisees to attend together.

Other groups that have a mentoring system include the Muslim Student Association and Organization of Young Filipino Americans (OYFA).

Hoo's Abroad? Melissa on Semester at Sea!

Hoo's Abroad?

Melissa on Semester at Sea!

by Veronica Mercado

Today we're hearing from Melissa Sanford, a rising fourth year majoring in English and Religious Studies. She studied abroad with the Semester at Sea (SAS) program, which during the spring and fall semesters allows up to 720 undergraduates to travel across the globe on a cruise ship for up to 100 days. Melissa's voyage included travel to nine different countries over the course of 66 days. I studied on a cruise ship that went to England, Morocco, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Malta, France, Spain, and Portugal. We took classes when we were at sea, but in port we were free to explore either on our own or sign up for SAS-organized trips.

What made you choose this place?
I had heard so many great things about Semester at Sea from friends who had done the program in the past, and I knew that I wanted to use my study abroad experience to visit as many different places as possible. SAS allowed me to explore a region of the world that I had never seen before and learn about each place in a unique setting, all while providing a home base to come back to at the end of the day.  

What classes did you take? 
I took three classes - Travel Literature, Comparative Religion, and The United States and the Contemporary Mediterranean World. Semester at Sea offers a whole host of courses, ranging from sciences to Comm to literature and everything in between, but these were the three that most piqued my interest. Each class was tailored to the itinerary of the program, so the material we focused on was relevant to the next country we were visiting. It was really incredible to learn about something in the classroom and then step off the ship and experience it first-hand.

What was the biggest learning experience you had?
Besides learning about so many different people and cultures, I think the biggest learning experience I had was a lesson in independence. Never had I done something like this before, and I didn’t realize just how much I was capable of until I was hopping on last-minute trains to Sevilla or figuring out how to get back to the ship during a labor strike in Athens. Even after returning home this new self-confidence has stuck with me, and I definitely look at the world through different eyes after doing this program. Studying abroad changed my life, as cheesy as that is to say, and I’m so glad to have had this opportunity! I also now work for Semester at Sea here in Charlottesville, which is just another way that this experience has opened doors for me.