My name is Emily McDuff. And I’m a fourth year majoring in civil engineering and French. The underlying reason for why I came to UVA is this idea of Student Self-Governance that students really have the power to enact change in this community.
Student Self-Governance puts the keys in the hands of students at UVA. You can take charge of what you do in your organizations and what you do in the classroom.
So the past four years gave me the confidence to act on things that I saw in the community that I wanted to change. So noticing that maybe our tours and the University Guide Service weren’t as welcoming as they should be, coming up with ideas and realizing that I could act upon those, making sure prospective students feel welcome and feel like they can be a part of this entire experience.
If you want to put on an event, if you want to bring students together, you really have the opportunity to do that as student leaders.
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The University of Virginia began as a bold experiment – a place created to cultivate citizen leaders to govern an infant democracy. Today, we continue this work, fostering a culture that places responsibility – along with the power to change – directly in students’ hands.
UVA takes a groundbreaking approach to self-governance, providing students with a variety of opportunities to govern almost every aspect of life on Grounds. Through the Honor Committee, University Judiciary Committee, Student Council, Class Councils and Trustees, students hone leadership skills that they carry for the rest of their lives.
