HSLP 2009: Day 1, July 11

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day 1—Saturday, July 11, 2009
Reported by: John Woolard, Virginia Beach

    After a long day riding to Charlottesville from my hometown of Virginia Beach, the Rotunda at the University of Virginia could not have been a more welcome sight.  Soon after arriving, I was finally able to locate the Bice apartments where we will be staying for the next 2 weeks of our precious summer.  The unloading process went relatively quickly, and the warm greetings of all of the Sorensen faculty and participants made it exciting.  After everyone was moved in, we went on a tour of the campus.  I believe that we all were elated to be back at Bice before the rain arrived.  
     Once back at Bice we began our first truly political discussion.  We started out by stating our preconceived notions of what the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, and Green parties meant to us.  Our opinions were as diverse as the varying parts of the state that we came from.  We all come from different backgrounds with different beliefs, but we all share the common desire to forge lasting friendships and learn how to make the Commonwealth of Virginia run a little bit better for all of its citizens.  Our purpose is to learn how to make the Commonwealth move forward into the new 21st century.  With all of the pressing issues that we face today, it will require the input and involvement of all the citizens of this great state.  After our discussion, we had dinner and then subsequently we listened to the Secretary of Natural Resources under Governor Kaine.  He certainly enlightened us all to the important environmental issues that we face today. 
     Possibly the most intense part of the day was a scavenger hunt across the entire UVA campus.  We had one hour to find certain landmarks and take a picture of our groups in front of it.  It got pretty competitive and before we knew it, we were running across campus to get the photos we needed to win.  We were all exhausted afterwards, but it was all fine when we had an ice cream social afterwards. 
     I believe that Sorensen will be a good experience for all of us, and I am certainly grateful for the opportunity to attend.  I look forward to working with all of the people here as we work towards the ideals that Thomas Jefferson so eloquently penned, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” the true American dream.

—John Woolard, Virginia Beach