Reunion (an ode to Charlottesville)

This May will find me (and loads of my friends and classmates) returning to Charlottesville for our five year law school reunion. Just typing that sentence made me stop and pause. Wow. 5 years! How is that possible? It honestly feels like it was just the other day that I was rehearsing for the libel show, choosing costumes for feb club and attending BLSA conferences. I had no idea when I moved to Charlottesville in the summer of 2004 just how much that place (both the city and the law school) would change me.

I came to law school right after graduating from Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia. I was a little worried about moving from a big city to a small town and wondered if I’d find enough to fill my time in tiny Charlottesville. I needn’t have worried. Beyond the endless occasional studying, I soon discovered what a special place I was in. Charlottesville had the charm of a small town, with great restaurants (Mas, Christian’s Pizza, Zocalo, Eppie’s and many, many more), cute shops and it was affordable. At the same time, the Blue Ridge Mountains provided a gorgeous backdrop for picnics, hikes, and afternoons spent wine tasting.

My three years in Charlottesville involved many, many late nights, early mornings, dance parties, costume parties, road trips, runs through beautiful scenery, avoiding undergrads, seeking out med students, and getting to know a group of wonderful people I will be friends with for life. Aside from the amazing education I received there, I also learned so much about the power of relationships. I keep in touch with many from law school and it has been incredible to watch my classmates get married, change jobs, have babies, create companies, work for Supreme Court justices, and essentially forge their own paths. I can’t wait for May so I can have the opportunity to catch up with many of them in person in one of my favorite cities. Yay Charlottesville!