Short Stories… BIG Impacts

How U.Va students continue their passion from high school

By: Hazel Nguyen

Before the University’s students arrived, they made an impressionable mark on their alma mater high schools. They assumed leadership roles and shaped communities they loved to be involved in, leaving them better than before. 

Emma Zimmerman, second-year College student, served on the leadership team for Special Olympics Unified Sports in high school. She also played soccer with children with disabilities for seven years. Now, she serves as the vice president of the University’s Special Olympics Club. The Special Olympics Club allows students to provide sports training to adults of varying disabilities and connect them to D1 athletes. 

“These individuals offer a unique and beautiful perspective on life that you just can’t get anywhere else,” Zimmerman said. “I enjoy every moment that I spend working beside them and watching them accomplish their goals.”

Through Zimmerman’s continued involvement, her passion for sports and helping disabled communities has only grown stronger since. With the University’s platform, she has expanded her passion across a larger population. Eventually, the club aims to expand state-wide, competing against other universities such as Virginia Tech and James Madison University.

“U.Va has offered me so many new ways to get involved in similar, but also very different experiences [from competitive sports],” Zimmerman said. “I am so fortunate to have these opportunities in front of me.”

Ann Cherian, a first-year Engineering student, is another student who has found more involvement opportunities through the University. She is now a member of the Special Committee at the University Programs Council. She has helped organize social events for University students, including 'Puppies and Pumpkins' and 'T-shirts and Tie-Dye'. In her high school, Cherian served on the Student Council Association, progressing from representative to secretary to president over four years. 

“SCA grew me into the person I am today – someone who wasn’t afraid to be loud at pep rallies and dress up in ridiculous outfits for spirit days, make friends with everyone [and become] a confident leader,” Cherian said. “SCA helped me find my love of leadership, collaboration and management, inspiring me to pursue my major and career path.”

Cherian wants to continue building communities through leadership, which led her to the University Programs Council. She hopes to find special ways for friends to make lasting memories on Grounds.

“We brainstormed, planned, promoted, executed and reflected every event we created, and each one was purely meant to promote inclusivity, community, and good times – nothing academic tied into it,” Cherian said. 

Both students have not reached the halfway mark of their undergraduate careers, yet they have greatly immersed themselves into wonderful causes. Their long-lasting commitments are advancing the many new and long-lasting communities on Grounds.