PAM CIPRIANO: Hi, everyone.
This is a wonderful time of year--
crisp mornings, afternoons, and evenings, beautiful fall
colors.
So I come to you with a message of Thanks, as well
as hoping you'll be celebrating Thanksgiving this week.
Thank you for helping one another.
Thank you for keeping everyone safe.
Thank you for being vaccinated and making sure
that we can help do our part to slow the spread of the virus
and get on the other side of this pandemic.
Thank you for supporting one another.
This has been a really important activity,
as we have recognized that everyone
has their ups and downs, their additional stress.
They are moments where you just need a shoulder,
you need someone to say, how are you really doing
and how can I help you?
Gratitude is not a simple word.
And again, as we think about the different stressors
that everyone's been experiencing
for more than a year and a half, we really
are thankful that we have such a strong community that
prides itself on having a healthy environment,
caring for one another, looking out for the situations
or pointers that, say, someone might
need a little bit of extra help or understanding.
Thank you all for your commitment to one another,
the school and our mission.
And that Thanks goes to our students, our faculty,
our staff, our board members, all of our supporters,
our larger community, because we do this together.
And this really is our UVA family.
And so while I'm hopeful that you're
able to gather with your own personal family,
please know that throughout your UVA family,
we are very grateful for all that you do
and all that you contribute to our work to make us successful.
Thanksgiving is a great time to, again,
reflect and be able to take a few moments out
to express that gratitude and to feel those Thanks.
So I send you my personal Thanks,
and as well as that on behalf of the school,
because we know that we are really strong making it
through this pandemic together.
And it is because of many of your sacrifices
and extra efforts and caring for one another
that is making that happen.
So please have a restful, peaceful and enjoyable
Thanksgiving.
And we'll see you on the other side of the holidays.