What does it mean to belong?
There’s nothing quite like stepping onto Grounds. Familiar but constantly developing, historic but looking towards the future, celebrating old connections while treasuring new ones, and it all narrows to a single thought: I’m home.
Belonging means reconnecting with “the people who knew you when,” laughing at an old inside joke, and taking part in a tradition at a football game. It’s seeing a fellow Hoo in their orange and blue a thousand miles from Grounds and talking like lifelong friends. At the UVA Alumni Association, our calling is to ensure that every one of our 250,000+ alumni know they belong.
All Hoos and Hoos-at-heart are welcome.
What does it mean to believe?
Sometimes believing looks like a child dreaming of what they want to be when they grow up, or like a fan crossing their fingers as a football sails towards a goalpost. But it can also look like the strength of conviction—to believe in an ideal because you believe in everything behind it. Believing means having the confidence to trust in what’s coming next, because you know that your time and efforts will have an impact.
At the UVA Alumni Association, we believe in changing lives in ways big and small. The Ridley Scholarship Program gives Black scholars the support to take them from remarkable to incredible, while the Jefferson Trust makes ideas and initiatives worthy of believing in into a reality. Our scholarships support hundreds of students in achieving their dreams, and events like Black Alumni Weekend, Juntos, and Reunions unite alumni under one banner:
“there’s nothing quite like being a Hoo.”
What does it mean to be better?
UVA isn’t just a place. It’s also a feeling, an experience, and a happy memory for tens of thousands of people from all walks of life and from around the world. For 185 years, the Alumni Association has been committed to building the strongest bond among alumni and between alumni and the University of Virginia while representing the diverse voices and perspectives of alumni.
But we couldn’t take a single step forward without being willing and eager to change with the world around us.
We do better by providing more student experiences to help our newest Wahoos feel welcome on Grounds. We do better by hosting alumni events like career development seminars, Football Weekends, affinity programming, and more, and by providing grant money to innovative projects that change hundreds or thousands of lives. Living life often means changing for the better, and your gift to the Alumni Association enables us to improve the experiences and meet the needs of every Hoo.
Our greatest desire is to be, give, and do better for every Hoo and Hoo-at-heart we serve.