How did you decide to come to UVA?
I’m from Northern Virginia and the child of immigrants. My family and I were grateful that Virginia has such a great in-state school, and I was even more grateful once I got here and realized how much I would grow from the experience.
What is your favorite UVA memory?
It’s a tie. Walking the Lawn to receive my master’s degree seven months pregnant with my oldest son, Bodhi. Celebrating the win over Duke in men’s basketball in February 2007. It was the year John Paul Jones Arena opened and my husband and I were dedicated student fans (along with a friend of ours) who waited in lines, attended many sporting events and cheered enthusiastically at every game. It was a wonderful atmosphere and a beautiful memory.
Is there something you learned at UVA that you apply to your life now?
Be open, be present, make meaningful connections.
Tell us about a woman/women at UVA who inspires you – now, or during your time on Grounds.
- Dr. Vivian Pinn [the first full-time director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health and associate director for research on women’s health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), positions she held from 1991 until her retirement in 2011. She earned her M.D. from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and was the only woman or minority in her class; the UVA School of Medicine has named one of its four advisory medical student colleges ‘The Pinn College’ in her honor.]
- Dr. Jeanne Alhusen [associate professor and acting assistant dean of research at the UVA School of Nursing. Her research focuses on improving maternal mental health and in turn improving early childhood outcomes, particularly for families living in poverty. In 2018, Dr. Alhusen was chosen by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing for its 2018 Leadership for Academic Nursing Program.]