UVA New Members 2026-27

Photography by Cat White

If you’re reading this, join us in welcoming the newest members of our team.

We are excited to welcome three new members to our IfYou’reReadingThis team! Learn more about them and their roles below:

Hi everyone, I’m Mia, and I'm so very excited to join the IYRT this year. Coming to UVA as a transfer, first-generation student, I was honestly feeling out of place a lot of the time during my first semester. I had always wondered if everyone seems to be doing just “fine”, why can’t I just be one of them? I bandaged my feelings, buried my doubts, and ended up feeling “normal”, but I only knew it was not the best resolution. I was lucky to be introduced to IYRT by my friend, who is my reminder that I’m not alone in feeling this way.

Through IYRT, I hope to help create the same sense of comfort and reassurance for others who might be struggling silently. I know how isolating it can feel to think you’re the only one going through something, and I want to be part of a space that makes people feel seen and understood. Even something as simple as reading a letter and realizing someone else has felt the same way can make a huge difference.

Hi everyone, I’m Sripath, and I’m super excited to join the IYRT team as the DEI Director. I’ve definitely had moments where I felt overwhelmed with the intensity of this school. It’s easy to just keep those feelings to yourself and try to push through, but I’ve realized that a lot more people are going through the same thing than it seems. That’s why mental health is so important to me; it affects how we show up every day, even if no one else can see it. I’m really excited to be part of IYRT and help create a space where people can feel a little less alone and a little more understood.

Hi! My name is Leila, and I am so excited to join the IYRT outreach team! At the beginning of my first year, I felt incredibly overwhelmed, stressed, and scared. I would constantly look at the people around me when in class or just walking, and it seemed like no one else was struggling like I was, simply because I couldn’t see it. Finding IYRT and reading the letters helped me understand that I wasn’t alone in my struggle. There were other students who felt scared or stressed, and this realization immediately helped me feel less alone. I am excited to join the exec team because I deeply care about mental health and reducing the stigma around it, and I hope that my contributions to this amazing organization can also help some other students feel less alone in their lives. 

Our new members for the 2026-2027 year:

Sripath Morishetty (center), DEI Chair

Leila Abrams (right), Letter Collection Committee

Mia Bui (left), Letter Collection Committee

Our team is excited to work for all of you! Please never hesitate to reach out; we are here to support you. Wahoowa!

IYRT Exec Team, University of Virginia

Connect With Us

To follow IfYoureReadingThis at UVA on Instagram, get in touch with our chapter, and learn about more resources available to University of Virginia students, visit our chapter’s homepage.

AUTHOR CONTACT

This author has opted to allow readers who resonate with their story to contact them. If you would like to speak to the author of this letter about their experience, please use the form below.