Class of 2010
T. David Fitz-Gibbon Scholar
Albuquerque, New Mexico
“I don’t really feel as though I chose to become a Jefferson Scholar so much as the program chose me. I attended a large public school in Albuquerque, NM where no one had really heard of U.Va., much less the Jefferson Scholarship. I had already fallen in love with U.Va. just from scrolling through the sumptuous autumnal photos of the grounds featured on the website (not to mention the impressive statistics and rankings). My father informed me that due to the high cost of out-of-state tuition, the only circumstance under which I would be attending the University of Virginia is if I were able to win the Jefferson Scholarship. Knowing that the Jefferson Scholars Foundation was my one shot at attending the number one school on my list, I typed a small and unimpressive note at the bottom of my midterm grade report: “I would be greatly obliged if you would consider my application for the Jefferson Scholarship.” About a month later, I got the call informing me that I was to be flown out to compete at Finalist Weekend.
“It was at Finalist Weekend that I realized that the seductive vision offered up by the website paled in comparison to the actual grandeur of the campus, the inimitable sense of history, and the diversity of the population. Nor had I stopped to consider the quality and character of the people that I would be meeting during this excursion; indeed, the friends I made during those days made a definite contribution to my decision to accept the scholarship. I felt an instantaneous connection with many of the other finalists – despite coming from diverse backgrounds, this felt at last like a group of my peers. Even within those first few days, the students who were to become my fellow scholars inspired me, excited my curiosity, and ultimately became the reason that I attended U.Va.
“The Jefferson Scholarship has provided me with myriad opportunities I might not otherwise have had. As an architectural historian, the chance to travel through Europe and to spend a month immersed in the rich built landscape of London was more than I could have dreamed of at the outset of my undergraduate career. The sheer financial freedom of having a paid education has afforded me choice and control over my academic career – I’ve changed majors and explored beyond a strict curriculum. But most of all, and I cannot overstate this, the Jefferson Scholarship has introduced me to my closest friends. This is a tight network of people who are as committed to each other as they are to their respective endeavors in the areas of citizenship, leadership, and scholarship. There is a sense of community here that I would wager remains unrivaled by any other comparable program.”
