Since 1819, the University of Virginia has been educating the masses and turning out some of the most prominent people in our country.
The university was first founded by Thomas Jefferson, and has helped shape the minds of many of America’s most influential people.
While going through the entire list of important people from the university would take too long, here are a few that stood out to me.
Tina Fey
One of the greatest female comedians of all time: Tina Fey. Fey originates from Upper Darby, one of the Pennsylvania suburbs around Philadelphia.
She recalls that her parents gave her exposure to comedy early on, and it became a huge part of her life even as a child.
By 8th grade, she was doing an independent study on comedy.
While at the University of Virginia, Fey studied playwriting and acting, getting her BA degree in drama in 1992.
After that, she went on to be a part of Second City, a well-known traveling comedy sketch group,
and later earned her place on SNL. Since then, Fey has written books, movies, and has created her own well-acclaimed show, 30 Rock with headliners such as Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan.
Halsey Minor
If you haven’t heard of Halsey Minor, you have heard of CNET. Minor was a forerunner in creating the first profitable organization on the internet.
The company was a tech media out that would include product reviews, tech news and more.
Minor has done more than just venture into the world of technology; he has also made a name for himself in philanthropy and fine art.
While at the university, Minor studied Anthropology, was part of St. Elmo Hall, and met Shelby Bonnie, who he would go on to found CNET with.
Since attending UVA, he has gone on to help with Kids Turn, a program hoping to help children with the stress caused by parents divorcing or separating.
He has also taken on many business ventures, from Google Voice to horseracing, combining his personal passions with his business altitude.
Stephen Malkmus
Malkmus is an incredible musician, underrated by many. He originates from Stockton, California and taught himself the guitar by playing along to “Purple Haze” by Hendrix.
Stephen has been associated with acts such as Pavement, The Jicks and Silver Jews.
Pavement was formed back in 1980 while he was living in Stockton, and the band went on to earn recognition in the alternative rock genre.
While at the University of Virginia, he majored in history and was the disc jockey for their college radio station.
At the radio station, he met David Berman who would later front the Silver Jews and James McNew who became part of the band Yo La Tengo.
Katie Couric
Katie Couric has become one of the biggest names in journalism. She started off in the ABC News Bureau and later became an assignment editor for CNN.
Since then, she has hosted talk shows, written acclaimed books and made a brand for her name as a television reporter.
Couric went to the University of Virginia like her father John Martin Couric Jr., a public relations executive and news editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the United Press in Washington, D.C.
Couric was in the Delta Delta Delta sorority and held a few positions at the school’s newspaper.
She graduated from the school with a BA in English and a concentration in American Studies.
Featured images:
License: Creative Commons
image source
By Lauren Wainwright, a journalist and blogger with a passion for history and culture, along with an admiration of Tina Fey.