Ross Baird

College of Arts & Sciences, 2007

Politics major, Jefferson Scholar and president of the Class of 2007, Ross Baird came to U.Va. intending to study classics. Those plans changed when he took Professor Stephen Innes' course on the American Revolution. Innes roused Baird's interest in politics, pointing out that civic engagement was the key to the American Revolution's success. "It was one of the best courses of my life," says Baird.

A chance meeting with Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics, led Baird to the center's Youth Leadership Initiative, which in turn inspired him to found the Georgia Project for Civic Engagement — a program that involves high school students in politics in Baird's home state. Sabato also helped Baird pursue scholarships and grants to support his travel research to examine voter turnout in the United States and Europe. Baird says enthusiastically, "My mentors here have really developed and nurtured my interest in politics."

Hoping to foster a similar experience for other students, Baird founded the "Second Year Dinner Series," which brings faculty and students together over casual meals. "Every University of Virginia student who has a transformative experience," he explains, "can point to a few mentors who made that possible."

"The very best faculty don't train you to be great students. They prepare you to be great world leaders."
Ross Baird (Col '07)

Portia Henry

College of Arts & Sciences, 2010

As a tenth grader, Portia Henry started working every weekend and every week-night as a cashier at Rite Aid Pharmacy to help her family. By her senior year in high school, she was working two jobs, and her mother was working one and looking for another. As the college loomed on the horizon, The Educational Talent Search program offered Henry help with the college application process and paid her application fees. She applied to nine colleges and got into all of them. The choice came down to Hampton University, a private institution where her mother Sylvia Jackson works, which offers tuition discounts of up to 60 percent to employees children, and the University of Virginia.

She chose the University. The reason: AccessUVa, the University’s innovative financial aid program, which aims to keep a higher education affordable for all admitted students regardless of financial means. It offers loan-free packages for low-income students, caps on need-based loans for all other students, and a commitment to meet 100 percent of need for every student. Access for every academically eligible student is a key University priority.

"When I heard that I had a full scholarship at U.Va., it was one of the happiest days of my life. I know I’m a hard worker. I knew I had a good high school record, a lot of extra-curriculars. But without AccessUVa, I couldn’t come her."
Portia Henry (College '10)

Kristin Garrett

School of Nursing, 2006

For Kristin Garrett, a recent graduate of the School of Nursing, the key to learning is experience. After completing her fourth year at U.Va., Garrett returned to the Limpopo Province in rural South Africa, where she had spent the previous summer learning about health care as a participant in Nursing Students Without Borders (NSWB).

Garrett and the other NSWB members collaborate closely with students from the University of Venda in the Limpopo Province. "NSWB is completely student-run and organized," says Garrett. "We make our own plans and raise our own funds. Similarly, when we get to South Africa, the students are the ones who help plan our activities. It's this kind of collaboration that empowers us to learn more about each other's cultures and motivates us to help one another in our endeavors to become effective nurses in our own communities."

In addition to her educational experiences in South Africa, Garrett has studied Spanish in Peru and art history in Italy. After living on the Lawn her fourth year, she has experienced the best U.Va. has to offer, both on Grounds and abroad. "I consider myself so lucky to have learned from the students in South Africa and built lifelong friendships with them," says Garrett. "And living on the Lawn allowed me to meet some amazing people and find out what they were doing to make the University a better place."

"By learning about nursing in South Africa, we gain a perspective that improves our experience as nursing students at U.Va."
Kristin Garrett (Nurs '06)