“Go and put your feet in the water,” Paige Gardziola encouraged the crowd. “No seriously, go and do it.” Intrigued, listeners leaned a little closer as the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management alumna recalled her mother’s words.
Throughout her tale of her tours overseas and to the Arctic Circle in Norway, Gardziola spoke of how mentors like her mother have not only shaped her to be who she is, but have also anchored her to what matters, propelled her to keep going, and lifted her up when she needed it most. A former member of the Naval Special Warfare Command who served in the U.S. Navy for 10 years, Gardziola’s education journey took her from UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies to Cornell’s executive Master of Business Administration program, all while working as a practice manager at Sentara Health.
Gardziola’s message wasn’t unlike other School of Continuing and Professional Studies students and alumni who shared their own significant moments, motivations and inspirations during the School’s Double Take event. For example, Charlottesville native, former University of Virginia football player, and current School of Continuing and Professional Studies Cybersecurity Analysis certificate student DeAndre Bryant relayed how he aspires to pass on the wisdom and guidance he’s learned from his family members and through his faith. These elements have profoundly impacted how he navigates the world and have shaped who he is as a coach. “My life feels like a big collage that has come together to make one beautiful picture,” Bryant said, “and a lot feels full circle.”
The idea of “full circle” also resonates with Frank Carpenter. Carpenter completed the Master of Public Safety program, and he described the influence of his father and uncles, who were among the first African American police officers in their communities in the 1970s. As a young child, these role models inspired Carpenter to stay away from the trouble that plagued his community, to become the first in his family to attend college, and to serve in the U.S. Army upon graduation. Carpenter, whose parents hail from small towns near Charlottesville and who was born at the UVA hospital, called the opportunity to return to speak at Double Take a “surreal moment,” and further evidence that, “It doesn’t really matter how you start off, it’s about what you do during the course of the journey and with the opportunities presented to you.”
Other speakers, like John Konya and Catherine Hansa, recalled distinct events that altered the trajectory of their lives. Konya was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq when he suffered a traumatic head injury from roadside bomb. Knowing it would force him out of the Marines, Konya decided to return to school. Despite spending elementary, middle and high school struggling with learning disabilities, Konya leaned into the support around him and the persistence he had learned in the military to surpass even his own expectations. Ultimately, Konya completed his Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree and went on to receive a Master of Business Administration from George Mason and a Master of Information Technology from Harvard.
Hansa, who is now a UVA Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical student at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, revealed that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine during her study abroad program in St. Petersburg led to her living in an environment rife with fear and division. But the personal relationships she formed during that time inspired a dramatic shift in her life plan, one that moved away from international studies and foreign service and toward the medical field.
Both Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management students, Patrick Watson and Taylor Tereskerz admitted that deciding to return to school wasn’t easy for either of them, given the pull of their busy adult lives and family commitments. But the duo agreed that their learning has both kindled and been kindled by their interests in emergency management and healthcare. As full-time UVA Health employees and School of Continuing and Professional Studies students, they have developed a Community Medicine program that connects individuals with care who need it outside of a hospital setting. “[From my dad’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis], I learned a lot about the home care aspect, and how much can be done in the home – how much more convenient it is in the home – and what it means to the families and the patients who go through that,” explained Tereskerz.
Ready to hear their stories? Watch the recording of UVA's School of Continuing and Professional Studies' Double Take event: