THE 1995 ENTERING CLASS

General Overview

	One distinguishing characteristic of the class of
approximately 2,900 first-year students entering the University of
Virginia next week is the sharp increase in the number of
international students.  Seventy-eight foreign students are expected
to be in the new class, compared to 40 in the Ô94 entering class.
During the past five years the number of international students in
the first-year classes has averaged 42.

	Nine new students are expected from Hong Kong and Pakistan;
eight are expected from India, seven from South Korea and Canada and
five from Turkey.  

	ÒWe have been making efforts in recent years to increase the
number of international students, and those efforts are starting to
show results.  My staff and I believe that both faculty and students
in the undergraduate experience are enriched by bringing people from
all parts of the world to the University,Ó said Dean of Admission
John A. Blackburn.

	The entering class was chosen from an applicant pool of
15,578.  About 54 percent of the class are females.  Approximately
11 percent are African-Americans; 10 percent are Asian Americans,
two percent are Hispanic, and other minorities comprise three
percent of the class.  

	About 79 percent were in the top 10 percent of their high
school class; 14 percent came from the second decile.

	About 11 percent are children of alumni, and approximately
36 percent of the students are from out-of-state.  

	There are 633 new transfer students enrolling in U.Va.,
chosen from 2,140 applications.  About 200 students are transferring
from the Virginia Community College System; of that number, 77
percent are from Piedmont Virginia Community College.

	Approximately 2,300 first-year students are expected to
enter the College of Arts and Sciences, 478 in the School of
Engineering and Applied Science, 90 in the School of Architecture
and 40 in the School of Nursing.

	For more information, contact Blackburn at (804) 982-3373.

Individual Profiles

	[For assistance contacting any of the following students,
contact the U.Va. News Office at (804) 924-7116.]
THE 1995 ENTERING CLASS -- Page 2

	Captured by a group of soldiers as they crossed a Cambodian
battlefield to escape Vietnam, Khang Duy Le was convinced he and his
brother would be shot.  Separating the 13-year-old and 14-year-old
boys from their father, the soldier-bandits demanded a $4,000
passage fee, and warned that the boys would die if the money did not
arrive.  They took the boysÕ father to Thailand, where he was told
to contact someone in Vietnam or the United States who could furnish
the money.

	Alone with a mean, drunk captor, the boys were terrified
when he threw a pen at Le (pronounced ÒlayÓ) and commanded him to
write.  With trembling hands, Le wrote ÒDaddy, if you donÕt have the
requested money in five days, we will be shot.Ó

	Held for 32 days--often without food--the starving boys
thought about dying.  ÒDeath was so imminent, the picture of my
funeral repeatedly flashed in my mind,Ó Le remembers.  He felt he
would never realize his dream of becoming an American student or
wear a cap and gown like the one in a picture his American cousin
had sent him.  

	Eventually his cousin sent the captors $1,000 and suggested
that if they reunited the boys with their father, some additional
money could be forthcoming.  Although delighted to see his sons
again, the father was afraid the captives would kill them.
Consequently, he plotted their escape; late that night, they bolted
from the camp while their captors were sleeping.  Eventually, the
family settled in Fairfax. 

	Although he spoke little English when he entered Fairfax
High School, Le was named to the National Honor Society in his
senior year.  He plans to major in computer engineering at U.Va.

	Although they spoke three languages when they arrived in
Norfolk at the ages of 15 and 16 respectively, Liana and Nicole
Abramova did not know English.  After enrolling in Granby High
School in Norfolk in 1991, they would often translate their
textbooks into either Russian, Hebrew or German to help them
understand the contents.  However, both students graduated near the
top of their classes, earning nearly straight AÕs after mastering
English.

	Originally from the former Soviet Union, the family lived in
Israel for nearly three years before coming to the U.S., where their
father secured a job as an engineer.  Since they have traveled and
faced lots of new experiences together in recent years, the sisters
are looking forward to starting U.Va. as roommates.  

	Not many students turn their backs on a fun, lucrative music
career to pursue higher education.  But Jonathan Flax, a talented
drummer in the band Treading Water, which recently completed a Los
Angeles studio recording, will enter U.Va. -- even against his
parentsÕ misgivings.

	ÒIÕve always been interested in studying history, English
and law,Ó said Flax, who recognizes that the band has enjoyed
unusual success--even the offer of a record label.  His parents
worry that he may be hindering his chances for continued musical
success by enrolling at U.Va.

	Although he is looking forward to becoming a full-time
student, Flax will also seek opportunities for the band to play in
Charlottesville.  ÒWeÕre a jazz/rock group la the Dave 
Matthews Band, and weÕve built a big following in Hampton Roads.
The band is eager to come to Charlottesville.Ó

THE 1995 ENTERING CLASS -- Page 3

	A 1993 graduate of Salem High School in Virginia Beach, Flax
also attended the GovernorÕs Magnet School for the Arts for three
years. He started playing piano when he was eight, tried cello, and
settled on drums at 13.

	Although he will try juggling his academic demands with
performances, there is one thing about his new lifestyle that his
dorm mates will appreciate:  heÕs not bringing his drums with him.

	On an Aug. 2 ÒOprah Winfrey ShowÓ Danielle Lane Purfey was
one of several young women who talked about how to overcome lifeÕs
tough challenges.

	Although born with curvature of the spine, Purfey has earned
dozens of awards in track and field, including being recognized as
an eight-time National Junior Olympian, being named ÒAAU High School
All-AmericanÓ and being named ÒAthlete of the YearÓ four times by
three different organizations.

	The recipient of the Coca Cola Scholars Award and two other
scholarships, Purfey was also named PittsburghÕs ÒOutstanding Young
CitizenÓ for two years in a row, was given the ÒOutstanding Woman of
Pennsylvania AwardÓ in 1994 and is a national semi-finalist in this
yearÕs Seventeen MagazineÕs cover model contest.

	A published poet under contract with Time-Warner Books, she
earned her high schoolÕs highest Honor Roll award for maintaining a
GPA of 3.5 or higher.

	A graduate of PittsburghÕs Shady Side Academy, Purfey is
leaving a collection of more than 300 framed certificates, plaques,
trophies and ribbons on her familyÕs living room walls to enter
U.Va., where she plans to pursue a pre-med or pre-law curriculum and
to continue her running.


August 23, 1995