Student Stories

University photographers take a look at in-person learning on Grounds, including Batten students and professors in the classroom, during a fall semester shaped by the ongoing pandemic.

For many in the University community, Tuesday, Sept. 8 was a pivotal date. Since the University’s announcement on Aug. 4 that in-person classes would begin in some capacity on that day, students, faculty and staff alike have been waiting with bated breath to begin a semester of classes unlike any in recent memory. With one week of in-person class now complete, students, including third-year Batten student Sydney Cherry, reflect on their first time in a classroom in six months.

Batten's Kurien Thomas (BA '21) and fellow UVA student Sasha Duckworth started a company called “Pick-Me-Up” that uses text messaging and virtual support groups to help users with their mental health.

Batten students Ryan Keane, Gabriella Cox, and Mazzen Shalaby will take on the responsibility of leading three of UVA's student organizations in the upcoming academic year. 

Incoming Batten students Maggie Matthews and Emma Karnes among small group of UVA students awarded research grants in order to solve real-world problems, domestically and internationally.

Today, the Batten School announced the nine student recipients of the Bocock and Hitz Public Service Fellowship for 2020-21. Through the generosity of Mary Buford and Fred Hitz, the fellowship was established in 2012 to support exceptional students in MPP program who are dedicated to creating positive change in their public service careers.

Last week, University of Virginia men’s basketball players Austin Katstra and Tomas Woldetensae were recognized for their work in the classroom.The National Association of Basketball Coaches named the rising fourth-year students to its Honors Court, a group of student-athletes from across the country who earned varsity letters and had a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2019-20 academic year.

Incoming Batten student Valencia Lagbo was nervous heading into her first session as a summer orientation leader. Mainly, she feared that a new virtual event called “HoosHome” – taking place over the Zoom videoconferencing platform – would make it hard to engage, and, subsequently, bond with the incoming first-year and transfer students.

Jocelyn Willoughby excelled as an athlete at the University of Virginia. In basketball, Willoughby was the Atlantic Coast Conference’s scoring leader. But playing sports was merely one facet of her UVA experience.

Batten student Avery Shivers creates Main Street Speaks podcast with two fellow UVA students to discuss national news with a local angle. “We are not trying to add more political divisiveness, but to fill a void of information,” said Shivers.

The Pilot and Legacy Awards, named in honor of the Batten School’s late founder, Frank Batten, Sr., are the most prestigious student-nominated awards for graduating Master of Public Policy students and students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership.

Committed to serving communities in crisis, LeAnn Golding (MPP ’20) prepares for her next step with the American Red Cross.