What was the kindest thing someone did for you at UVA?
We asked alumni: What is the kindest thing someone—known to you or a stranger—did for you at UVA? We had such an overwhelming and heartwarming response that we put more entries online here.
“My UVA law school friends planned a surprise birthday party and invited 40 classmates to celebrate. They totally surprised me and touched me so deeply; I still cannot express my gratitude for it adequately. It was a testament to how deeply we all loved and supported each other at UVA.”—Sophia Hernandez Tragesser (Law class of ’24, Grad class of ’27)
“In the second semester of my fourth year, I got a message to go to Alumni Hall. I had recently been in the hospital for a few days, and I had an Honor loan about to come due. I’d paid my tuition late because I needed that money to pay for a car repair. I needed the car because I lived a good distance from Grounds and not near a bus line. But I had a couple of jobs and I just needed to get even. I walked into Alumni Hall and told the woman at the desk who I was and that I’d been asked to come down. After a short wait, a gentleman walked out, introduced himself and told me that I’d been selected to receive a scholarship. He told me it was anonymous, and that the donor did not wish to be recognized. He handed me an envelope, congratulated me, and that was it. Inside was a check, drawn on the Alumni Association’s account. That gift saved me. I will never forget that kindness.”—Nancy Godwin Joynt (Col class of ’85)
“A group of my fraternity brothers and I were at a basketball game at UNC my third year when I got the terrible news that my father had passed away from a heart attack. I was in shock. Without hesitation my friends took me to the airport, bought me a ticket home and sent some clothes after they returned to UVA. I will never forget their kindness at one of the most difficult times of my life.”—Adrian “Arlo” Edwards (Col class of ’72)
“I was first year, and winter break was just beginning. The dorms were empty. I had called a cab to take me to the bus station to get home for Christmas, but it wasn’t showing up. I was on the street starting to panic. A man walked out of the geology building and headed for his car. I stupidly explained my situation to him. He said he’d give me a ride. He saved my Christmas.”—Ken Lambert (Col class of ’73)
“Dr. Greer Wilson was kind enough to host delicious Sunday dinners. This was such a safe and comforting environment. It was home! She was a blessing to so many. I will always be grateful for those times.”—Tahnee Jackson Whitlock (Col class of ’92)
“I was warmly welcomed by the Romance language librarians as a student working in Alderman. They never knew it, but the French cheeses on Friday afternoons made me feel part of a community that I didn’t find elsewhere.”—Julie Brown Neu (Col class of ’97)
“Dr. and Mrs. Lester Wilson and family offered a standing invitation to Sunday dinner to this somewhat confused and bewildered first-year student. When tragedy struck in my wife’s family in 1970, Dr. Wilson was there immediately to provide comfort and support for a couple of stunned and grieving newlyweds.”—Jay Orvin (Col class of ’71)
“Families at Wesley Memorial UMC ‘adopted’ students, and my family had me over for multiple home-cooked meals! Really appreciated having a seat at their family dinner table and of course the food!”—Devon Hahn (Engr class of ’02)
“On a Native American Studies class trip for a kayaking river tour, my kayak flipped over and I fell into the river. When I made it to shore, I had lost my phone, had no money, and had no way to contact my family or friends. My professor, Kasey Jernigan, gave me the clothes off her back. (She packed extra.) She called my family to let them know I was safe. Afterward, she drove me to a Best Buy and helped me buy a temporary Tracfone so I could continue my studies without much disruption. My family and I have always been grateful for Professor Jernigan’s help that day, even after all these years.” —Cassie Deering (Educ class of ’23)
“My husband and I attended graduate school at UVA in the mid-’70s. UVA had a beautiful campus with nice buildings, great teachers, and friendly students. At that time, housing was limited. We obtained a paper listing information on housing rentals and began searching for accommodations. We made several phone calls and visited various apartments, only to be informed upon arrival that they had ‘just been rented.’ However, when we called back later, we were told that vacancies were still available. We suspected these were cases of racial discrimination. We contacted student housing, and they provided us with a lawyer who investigated the matter. The lawyer took the cases to court and won both. Thanks to the University’s support, we were able to obtain justice.”—Mary Speight (Educ class of ’76)
“I took The Resilient Student in my first semester at UVA, by far the most transformative experience I’ve had in college. We set goals for the semester, and mine was to be more outgoing and to become a person who initiates conversation. At our last meeting, an older student commented that he had noticed I had been reaching my goal and that he saw a positive difference in my mentality, and he hoped I would continue to prioritize my goal. I was nearly moved to tears.”—Brooke Beenhouwer (Col class of ’26)
“After I had a bad fall from a horse, a classmate took me to the hospital and stayed with me all day through the X-rays, resetting my elbow and endless conversations with doctors and med students. She made sure I was comfortable and supported during one of the scariest moments of my first year. I’ve always remembered her kindness.”—Ginny Sun Lee (Com class of ’17)
“My father passed away from a brain tumor that I’d learned about only a few weeks earlier on Christmas during my fourth year. As an R.A. and a student who always asked for permission to take more than the “legal limit” of classes every semester, I felt like I needed to come right back to school, and my family thought going ‘back to normal’ would be the healthiest thing for me as well. However, I was struggling in private. One day there was a knock on the door of my Lambeth apartment, and on the sidewalk was a huge wicker basket packed to the brim with treats that showed it was left there by someone who knew me well. I never knew for sure who left the gift basket, though I have a theory it was one of my friends from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.”—Heather Burdette Quinn (Col class of ’08, Educ class of ’08)
“I started at UVA as a second-year transfer student and did not receive any housing. I did not have any connections to the University and was unsure what to do. I found out my cousin had a friend at the University. About two weeks before classes began, I called and asked if she had any suggestions or ideas as to how I could find housing. She offered to let me stay at her house before classes began while I looked; her home turned out to be a huge house off Rugby Road that probably had 20 students living there. I showed up about a week before classes began. She was not even there yet; one of the 20 roommates opened the door, listened to my story, and told me I could stay in any room not yet occupied on the second level. Within a few days I found housing. Without the help of my cousin’s friend and her kind roommate, I am not sure what would have happened.”—Scott Garfinkel (Com class of ’93)
“I moved into the Alderman dorm across from the football stadium in fall 1984. I was the ‘poor’ girl in the suite, surrounded by girls whose dads were doctors, vice president of a company in Connecticut, and one girl from Alexandria had brought her horse to board at school. There were no computers back then for information and I was a first-generation college student, so I was clueless with no one to tell me what to expect. My mom dropped me off with $20 with no access to my scholarship money yet, no car, and the food plan did not kick in for a week. My roommate, who I did not know until that first day, shared her food with me. We are friends to this day.”—Marie Clark (Nurs class of ’88)
“I ordered Subway and then at the cash register, I dug in my backpack and panicked that I forgot my wallet! The girl in line behind me said she would pay for my food. I offered to take her number and pay her back, but she said not to worry about it. I remember her smiling, placing her hand on my shoulder confidently, saying she’s paying it forward. All she reminded me to do was to help someone else in need the next time I was able.”—Afreen Haq (Col class of ’25)
“My professor, Ted Mason, invited the students in his classes to his home for social gatherings several times. It helped make the University a smaller, friendlier place.”—Michelle Willis Adams (Col class of ’83)
“Upon leaving Italy in 1976 to enroll in my first year at UVA, my parents solemnly gave me $1,000 and warned me to spend it judiciously. Since all my living expenses had been paid for, this seemed to them, and to me, like a princely sum for incidental expenses. They let it be known that no other money would be forthcoming while I was in the USA. Although I managed well enough, by the end of classes I had run out of money. When the dorms closed, I was stranded with nowhere to live, and no way to get to Dulles airport to catch my flight back home. Desperate for help, I posted a note about my plight on the travel board in Newcomb Hall. A kindly lady, who lived alone on the outskirts of C’ville, let me know that she could take me in for a few nights, and even drove me to the airport. Nearly 50 years have passed, and I’m afraid I no longer remember that lady’s name, but hers is the kindest thing any stranger did for me at UVA.”—Nicolai N. Petro (Col class of ’80, Grad class of ’82, class of ’84)
“One of my English professors told me academia was not for me. I belonged in a high-risk environment. Advised me to go and do. Worked out quite well.”—David King (Col class of ’68)
“Last year, a professor saw that I was exhausted trying to write the last paper as part of our final project, after putting all my energy into the first two. I expressed that I had so much to say and that I really didn’t want to craft it into another written paper, given the number of topics that I wanted to further explore. Long story short, I ended up working with another classmate who was also interested in doing a similar thing, while another jumped in to recommend doing a podcast episode instead! Once we got the OK from her, we worked together and had the most fun two hours ever at Clem recording ourselves delving into so many different topics from class. The best part is, both parties ended up very satisfied with the end result! Her flexibility and willingness to let us record a podcast episode instead of submitting another written paper this time was the kindest thing she could ever do for two very tired undergrads during Finals Week :)”—Danae Thomas (Col class of ’25)
“Late one evening, Larry Sabato, a young but already-famous professor, followed a trail of blood into Cabell Hall. I had staggered there after cutting my hand on a broken bottle that had been lodged on Homer’s statue. I had been led there by a fraternity scavenger hunt clue. I had not yet taken his class or met Dr. Sabato, but he kindly introduced himself (although no introduction was necessary) and insisted on taking me to student health, where he patiently waited for this young patient to be treated and released.”—Stefan Calos (Col class of ’84)
“My wife and I had our third child in April 2024. It was a busy time juggling our two toddlers, finishing my first year at Darden, and preparing for the summer internship. Many classmates pitched in to help us out and brought us meals, provided babysitting, and sent us gifts. One classmate is from another country and does not have a car here. However, she was determined to help us in any way she could. She cooked a traditional meal from her native country at her apartment, called for an Uber, and when the car showed up, she just put the food in it and sent it to our house, essentially becoming a homemade UberEats! The food was delicious, but we were touched that someone would take the time to go to all that effort and do so without a desire to be noticed or thanked, but because she truly wanted to help in any way she could.”—Richie Todd (Darden class of ’25)
“On a snowy day, a stranger paid for our lunch at a Corner restaurant and left us a note that said, ‘Somehow the light from the three of you redeems my misspent youth.’”—Sara Calvarese (Col class of ’98)
“The summer before my fourth year, I worked double shifts at University Hospital to save money for my final year. Early one morning, an envelope was slid under my door for the balance of my tuition. Years later, at death, people close to me were identified as members of the Seven Society, so the mystery was partially solved.”—Shedrick L. Barber (Col class of ’86)
“I entered UVA in the Fall of 1972 when the number of female students was still low. In one of my first-year classes there were about 12 men, me and one other female student. During our first class, our professor addressed the entire class as ‘gentlemen.’ Of course I felt a bit intimidated. But this wonderful fellow female student waited until after class, came up to me, and said ‘I plan to talk to our professor about this, don’t you worry, the two of us will ace this course and show him what we’re made of.’ I was so blown away by her confidence and belief in herself, I never forgot it. It invigorated my own confidence. I don’t remember her name, but I will never forget her kind act.”— Nancy Burke Harmon (Col class of ’76)
