OAAA main house
OAAA E-Weekly April 1, 2024
Mark Your Calender
Spring 2024 Academic Calendar
Tuesday, April 30
Courses end
Thursday, May 2 – Friday, May 10
Examinations (Go to Exam Schedule)
Sunday, May 5 & Wednesday, May 8
Reading Days (No Classes)
Friday, May 17 – Sunday, May 19
Finals Weekend (https://majorevents.virginia.edu/finals)
Schedule an Appointment with a Dean at OAAA
Make sure to Schedule an appointment with a Dean at OAAA to finish this semester strong.
In addition to the cultural programs we host, each Dean is available to meet with students to provide one-on-one support (i.e., academic, social, and emotional) to all our students.
Student Registration
We hope you’ll join us at Black Alumni Weekend (BAW) for opportunities to connect, network, and engage with UVA alumni returning to Grounds! Current UVA students can participate in select events at no cost. Please register for the events you plan to attend by Friday, April 12. Questions about BAW? Contact [email protected].
We hope you’ll join us at Black Alumni Weekend (BAW) for opportunities to connect, network, and engage with UVA alumni returning to Grounds! Current UVA students can participate in select events at no cost. Please register for the events you plan to attend by Friday, April 12. Questions about BAW? Contact [email protected].
The Z Society Gilbert J. Sullivan Internship Scholarship Application
Each year, U.Va. students must turn down valuable internship opportunities because of financial constraints. Recognizing the importance of experiential learning and many of its associated high costs, the Z Society has endowed this internship scholarship, named in honor of past U. Va. Alumni Association Director Gilbert (“Gilly”) Sullivan.
The Gilbert J. Sullivan Scholarship awards $3,711 to a returning University undergraduate student. The scholarship intends to provide an opportunity for students to take a summer internship otherwise unattainable because of financial constraints. Priority will be given to applicants with a demonstrated financial need. Students should apply regardless of their citizenship status. We encourage those from marginalized communities and intersections of identity to apply.
Applications are due by 11:37pm on Sunday, April 7th, 2024. All materials should be emailed to [email protected] as one PDF. Please use “Sullivan Award 2023 Application – FirstNameLastName” as the subject line of the email submission and PDF. If you do not receive an email confirming your submission by two days after the deadline, please email [email protected] to ensure your application was received. Decisions will be announced within two weeks of the application deadline.
Complete Application can be found here.
Quote of the Week
“Today there are people trying to take away rights that our mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers fought for: our right to vote, our right to choose, affordable quality education, equal pay, and access to health care. We the people can't let that happen.” – Kerry Washington
OAAA Alumni Engagement: Kyndia Riley
Name: Kyndia Riley
Hometown: Hail from multiple locations: Brooklyn, NY; Baltimore, MD; and Heathsville, VA
Year of Graduation: 2020
Major: Anthropology and a Master’s in Education.
Occupation: Spanish-English Dual Immersion Kindergarten teacher in Laurel, Maryland.
Wisdom/Advice: As I’ve ventured into life, my two main pieces of advice that I would give is: 1) Change is absolutely inevitable. Go with the flow and do what serves you and your mental best, and 2) Home is where you decide home will be. Don’t be afraid to explore and navigate the world around you to see where you fit best.
Favorite OAAA memory: While at UVA, the large population could be intimidating at times. There were thousands of strangers walking past, riding buses and enduring class. Often, one could feel lost and unknown, but I never felt that way at OAAA! They were literally a home away from home. From sitting in the front office and chatting with the office staff, planning my life with the deans or dancing outside during Black Friday while munching on fried chicken from Mel’s- I knew that I was seen, heard, loved and valued. Everyone there was family.
Upcoming UVA Events, Learning & Services
2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium
Thursday, April 18 – 9:00 am-5:00 pm – Newcomb Hall
(Deadline to sign up: March 12th) Undergraduate students from all disciplines at UVA are invited to present their research and creative inquiry at this annual event. There is also a flyer you can print and post on your door to get your friends involved. https://undergraduateresearch.virginia.edu/undergraduate-research-symposium
Fellowships & Undergraduate Research Series
Every Monday at 4:00 pm – Rotunda Multipurpose Room
The full schedule is attached and also available here. Getting Started in Undergraduate Research sessions and Exploring Opportunities at UVA & Beyond workshops occur about once a month. Many sessions this spring are dedicated to those fellowships that have a deadline in the fall. It is important that students start considering those opportunities early so that they can take advantage of our spring and summer advising to be well prepared.
Black Graduate Students Support Group
Every Friday – 3:00 pm-4:30 pm – Student Health & Wellness
This is a weekly support space centered on the Black, African American, and African graduate and professional student experience. This support space provides a safe and affirming opportunity to make connections, give and receive support, and engage in open dialogue about lived experiences as a graduate or professional student at a PWI. To join email Group leader: Lavender Williams, LPC
Male Undergrads: Compensated Research Project
Were your elementary or middle school experiences dehumanizing, pleasant, supportive, dismissive, caring, humanizing, or degrading? Please consider joining a team of researchers who are centering how Black Male undergraduates describe their elementary and middle school student-teacher relationships to help train pre-service teachers. If you are selected to participate you will receive a $25 Target gift card for your time and completion of the interviews. For more information. Contact Name: Aaron Blatt
Nature Walk: Embodied Practice for Eco-Anxiety
Mindfulness facilitator Geoff Cox will lead a practice designed to navigate climate anxiety providing a rich, sensory and contemplative experience that fosters connection with nature and self. This outdoor event is hosted by the Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) and will take place at the Dell located across from Newcomb Hall. It is being held in connection with "From Fear to Action: Thriving in a Changing Climate" talk by Britt Wray and a resources fair held on the same day and sponsored by CSC and the Environmental Institute. Feel free to participate in any of these events. For More Information. Contact Name: Mai Hukuoka
A Moment in Black History
Did you know? In 2024, the group (including Denise Clark-Bradford) was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the fifth gospel act to receive the award, after Mahalia Jackson, The Staple Singers, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Shirley Caesar. The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group originally consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm (born 1948), Denise "Niecy" Clark-Bradford (born 1953), Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark (born 1954), Dorinda Clark-Cole (born 1957), and Karen Clark Sheard (born 1960). The Clark Sisters are the daughters of gospel musician and choral director Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. They are credited for helping to bring gospel music to the mainstream and are considered pioneers of contemporary gospel. Their biggest hits include "Is My Living in Vain", "Endow Me", "Jesus Is a Love Song", "Ha-Ya (Eternal Life), and their biggest, mainstream crossover hit, "You Brought the Sunshine". As a group, the Clark Sisters have won two Grammy Awards and are the highest-selling female gospel group in history. In 2020, the Clark Sisters were honored with the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award at the 35th Annual Stellar Awards. In 2022, the group was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
Opportunities with Deadlines
Be a YWLP or MLP Big Next Year Deadline EXTENDED for 2024-2025!
Applications Due: Monday, April 1
Applications for these mentoring opportunities for the 2024-2025 school year are now. Apply today to join our team next year as a Big/mentor for the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) or Men's Leadership Project (MLP)! Being a YWLP Big Sibling is a fun and rewarding way to learn and work together with your UVA peers and middle school students. Throughout the next school year, you and your protege will build your confidence and leadership skills through group meetings at their middle school, experiences in the wider community, and special events on Grounds. All of the students, faculty, and staff who are involved in YWLP will support you in being the best mentor you can be. Learn more. Contact Sarah Jenkins with any questions about YWLP.
Paid Stipend Opportunity: College Academic Ambassador
Submit by: Friday, April 5 by 5:00 pm
Are you a current 2nd or 3rd year in the College searching for work this Summer? Have you taken classes from a diverse array of departments in the College? Dean Chic Smith is looking for a few students in the College to work on Tuesdays and Fridays in the month of July as part of the advising and enrollment of incoming first-years! If you are interested, please submit a 500-word essay on “Why I Love the College of Arts & Science,” a copy of your transcript, and 1 letter of recommendation. Please title your email subject line: College Academic Ambassadors. Applications and questions should be directed to Dean Smith: [email protected]
Various Locations
This website lists opportunities from the larger Co-op/Internship and Summer Research Opportunities in the Life Sciences website that meet any of the following criteria - 1. biomedical research, 2. located in a medical or clinical setting, 3. located in a medical school or health science center, 4. has "biomedical" as a descriptor, 5. may be of particular interest to pre-med students.
From Fear to Action: Thriving in a Changing Climate Resources Fair
Hosted by UVA’s Environmental Institute and Contemplative Sciences Center, Britt Wray, an expert on the psychological impacts of the climate crisis especially among young people, shares research and experiences from her journey from fear to hope and finally to action. Wray will offer ways to thrive, feel less alone and restore ourselves for the long haul. A student resources fair and nature walk will follow the talk. For More Information Contact Name: Mai Hukuoka
UVA School of Medicine club GAS (Guides to Application Success)
Our goal is to provide individualized medical school application mentorship between UVA SOM students and UVA undergraduates throughout the medical school application process. The mentoring relationship will likely focus on application preparation, including extracurriculars, the primary application, school lists, secondaries, letters of recommendation, CASPer/SJT, and interview preparation/mock interviews. In March, we will match each applicant with a mentor. The process of selection of undergraduates will likely be on a first-come first-served basis for those who are applying in the upcoming 2024-2025 cycle. Please share this interest form with interested and eligible undergraduates to fill out. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
