Traditions old and new....

I’ve been visiting the University of Virginia since I was a little girl. My Dad, an alum, would walk our family around proudly and with a sparkle in his eyes. I fell in love with the UVA Grounds and Charlottesville. It’s not hard to do.

Now as I walk around UVA on a hot summer day, it’s not only as an alum of UVA’s Darden School of Business but also as a parent of a soon to be Hoo.

My eyes are somehow even wider than they were as a child and more than when I was a student in Charlottesville. While the Lawn and the Rotunda are familiar sites, they have a new shine to them with many years of family tradition and new generational history to come.

While I know the University has its baggage like many historical American sites, the societal changes since it was founded are encouraging. I look forward to watching my daughter learn about the history, good and bad, discover the many UVA customs, and create her own traditions on this exciting new path.

Traditions whether old or new are a way to connect with each other and to the past. I am grateful for these opportunities to relate to history and the future.