Jack, good to see you again. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?
I was born in Chicago, but I am originally from Alexandria, Virginia. I went to James Madison University for undergrad, where I studied political science and philosophy. From there, I came straight here to UVA, so I’m a straight-through KJD.
What brought you to UVA?
My dad is a lawyer, so law school was always in the back of my mind. I knew I’d do well in a small college town, with a mix of nature and city stuff. Growing up, UVA was the school to go to. When the pandemic hit, I felt the best chance for me to meet people and hang out wouldn’t be at a city school. It would be somewhere where I could go hiking and play sports.
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
I went to camp growing up, so I did a lot of hiking and caving, stuff like that. I played paintball for the first time. That was always really fun and helped me get out of my shell and become more of an outdoorsy kid.
Speaking of childhood, who was your first childhood crush?
Claire V. I remember her from elementary school. I had a huge crush on her, but then we went to different middle schools, and I never talked to her again.
What does she do now?
No idea. I just remember the name and that she was the only blonde in our class.
Is your current girlfriend blonde?
Yes. [Laughing] I didn’t put that together until just now.
What is a conspiracy theory you actually believe?
I think the “flat earth” stuff is really funny. Also, the theory that one of the Congressional bunkers is built under the UVA Lawn.
Wait, seriously?
Yeah, [a fellow student] explained it to me. In the 1980s or 1990s, they expanded the Charlottesville airport so 747 airliners could land there. 747s never land at the Charlottesville airport. And then there was work on Grounds to expand the UVA Library. They dug about 500 feet underground, but the library is not allowed to use all the new development. Also, the Bodo’s Bagels on the Corner was being renovated for about ten years. Charlottesville makes sense as a location for Congress to evacuate to, since it’s so close to D.C.
I’m speechless. You might have actually convinced me.
Yeah, the theory is that the entrance to the bunker is in Bodo’s. Because why else would it have taken ten years to build?
Changing subjects now. Can you fold a fitted sheet?
Probably? I haven’t done it in a few years.
What we’ve learned here is that Jack doesn’t wash his sheets.
I do wash my sheets! But I don’t fold them up. I wash them, and I put them right back on. I don’t have two things of sheets.
What are you proud of but never have an excuse to talk about?
Of all the softball stuff I’ve done, I’m the most proud that my section was able to host practices our first semester, during Covid-19. We did it with no support: NGSL was inactive, we didn’t have access to the shed, we didn’t have any PAs or organized games. But we really wanted to make softball happen. I was super proud we were able to hold bi-weekly practices and get people to meet. The vibe of the Law School during Covid-19 is so hard to explain to those who weren’t here that 1L year.
What is the craziest thing you have seen happen during law school?
Uh…
Well, whatever you can publicly say.
It was my Criminal Law class 1L year. I won’t name them, but they got cold called. Their camera was off. But we could hear “splashing” going on because they were answering the cold call from the bathtub. That was the exact way to do the Zoom School of Law. Just the image of having your big criminal law textbook and notes floating in the tub with you.
My class missed out on this, being in person.
The Zoom moments were always the best. If you didn’t do the readings, you’d text in the GroupMe, “Help.” Then you would stall the professor as you “pulled up” your “notes,” but actually, your section mates would crowdsource the answer for you.
Lightning round!
What’s an overrated superpower?
Mind reading. People think it would help them way more, but you don’t need it a lot of the time. It’s pretty obvious what people are thinking if you pay attention to them.
How do you feel about Daylight Savings Time?
Oof. I was really against it, but then I did some more reading about it. In the 1970s, we did go away from it, but it led to a lot of people being more sad. It is annoying to switch, but there are emotional benefits we don’t talk about.
What do you think the world needs the most right now?
Desalination. Water will be a huge point of conflict in the future. Think of the Middle East, think of Syria. Huge population booms that lead to resource conflicts.
Any parting messages for the 3Ls?
We did it, and we should be really grateful, despite our experience starting off strangely due to Covid-19. The whole world went through a tough period, but we still got to do a lot of really cool things. Be proud of what we did.
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Interviewed by Ryan Moore '25
tqy7zz@virginia.edu