The Academical Village’s Newest Residents Move In

“It has always been a background for a photo, or something I thought was so elusive. But now actually being in my room, it’s really cool,” said Selden, who is the Lawn’s senior resident.

Owen Selden, the senior resident of the Lawn, takes a pause from doling out keys and bathrobes to his fellow Lawnies on Friday morning for a quick photo. (Photo by Erin Edgerton, University Communications)

When he dreamed of living on the Lawn as a first-year student, Selden thought of it as an “iconic space,” a recognition of the contributions Lawn residents have made to the University. Now he sees it as a place where organizations like the ones he’s part of (the Center for Global Health Equity and Partners in Health, for example) can get a little sunshine.

“I’m really excited about bringing back the Lawn as an academic and a social space,” Selden said.

As the head “Lawnie,” it’s Selden’s job to make sure the Lawn residents feel welcome in their new home. Each year, hundreds of rising fourth-year students apply for the 54 rooms on the Lawn. It’s one of the highest honors for a UVA student, even if lucky Lawnies must brave the elements and tourists just to use the communal bathrooms. They are a part of a community of high-achieving peers, living alongside the distinguished deans and faculty members who reside in adjoining pavilions.

On Friday, this year’s Lawn residents started moving in. Family and friends, bearing boxes filled with plants, teddy bears and jigsaw puzzles, helped.

Azhane Pollard created a special Pinterest board for inspiration to help her decorate her room. (Photo by Erin Edgerton, University Communications)

When Azhane Pollard received the email notifying her of her Lawn room, she thought something had gone awry.

“Genuinely, I was like, ‘Oh, this is wrong,’” Pollard said as she moved in with the help of her twin. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m not living here.’”

When she re-read the email, she erupted into cheers and danced around her small room in Hereford College. Then she called her mom.

“What does that mean?” Pollard recalled her mom asking. 

Once she explained what an honor it was – and that she would be living on a UNESCO World Heritage site – her mom was “over the moon.”

If you pass by Pollard’s room, you might hear original poetry written by UVA students. She serves as the president of Flux, a poetry and spoken word organization on Grounds. Once the academic year starts, Pollard said she plans to use her Lawn room to host weekly writing workshops for V Magazine.

Nick Chu, with the help of his parents, moved into the Academical Village a week before he’ll take the MCAT. As the most recent president of the Hullabahoos, an a cappella group on Grounds, he hopes to host jam sessions in his Lawn room. He even brought his guitar, so the singalongs don’t have to be a cappella.

He’s living in the same Lawn room the previous Hullabahoos president resided in. “It’s the hope that this becomes ‘the Hullabahoos’ room’ and gets passed down,” Chu said.

Living in the International Residential College during her third year helped Stepheney Odom-Thomas discover how much she loved her UVA community.

“That was just such a wonderful, loving, diverse community, so I knew I didn't want to go off Grounds and lose that connection to UVA,” she said.

If you stop by her Lawn room – 5 East Lawn – you may find a table filled with a jar of written affirmations and encouragements, as well as some writing prompts. It’s one way Odom-Thomas wants to create connections with her fellow students.

“I want to make this the most welcoming space possible,” Odom-Thomas said.