Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, advocating the freedom to express individual beliefs, and built his University on this and other classical liberal ideals. Current University students continue this tradition by practicing their own religions openly on Grounds.
Sukruti Udeshi, fourth-year College student and co-president of the Hindu Student Council, said she finds it easy to practice Hinduism while maintaining a busy student life.
"You can pray anytime of the week, not just Sundays," Udeshi said. "There are opportune times that I pray, but for the most part it is pretty flexible."
As co-president of the Hindu Student Council Udeshi helps host events and conduct forums for students interested in observing and practicing Hinduism.
Third-year College student Samia Sekkarie, however, said her Islamic beliefs require her to pray five times every day.
"Having specific times that I have to pray keeps me grounded despite all the work," she said. "For example, for the afternoon prayer there is a certain time range that I have to pray. I have to take off time regardless of how much I have going on or how stressed I am. This forces me to remember God, to never forget my relationship with God."
To incorporate these prayers into her day, Sekkarie often prays on Grounds.
"There is a religious, kind of a silent prayer room in Pavilion 8 on the Lawn where a lot of Muslims go, or if I'm at the library I pray between stacks," Sekkarie said.
Udeshi said practicing Hinduism has given her a different perspective about academic achievements than some of her peers.
"Hinduism teaches not having attachment to things - if I study [for] a test, not having attachment to the results, not studying to have a grade, just doing because you are doing it, because you are a student," she said.
Sekkarie also uses her faith to create a greater balance in her academic and personal life.
"As a student, my relationship with God reminds me of my purpose in life and encourages me to work to my fullest potential - reminding me that there is always a lesson I can benefit from with every hardship I face," she said.
Graduate Arts & Sciences student Eva Rolf said religions, especially those which advocate meditation and other self-reflective prayer techniques, can help students manage the stressful college environment. Rolf is a practicing Buddhist and Catholic and believes both religions are consistent, even in practice. She attends Mass and meditates regularly.
"From the age of 12 I remember being interested in the meditative traditions within Christianity and the notion of contemplation and the possibility of mystical experience," Rolf said. "So all through my teens I had this longing to learn to meditate and I was beginning to see how meaning could come out by just being quiet with oneself."
Rolf's spiritual journey continued during her undergraduate studies when she took courses in Eastern religions.
"I had been developing a strong attraction to Asia and was intrigued by Buddhism," Rolf said. "For me, everything I learnt about Buddhist meditation was something that I wanted to integrate with my Christian practice."
Rolf grew up practicing Catholicism, but was raised by parents who came from two different religious backgrounds, which she said has helped her understand the compatibility of certain religions.
"I come from a mixed background because my father is Jewish and my mother is Catholic, so I was used to the idea that a religion was able to coexist fruitfully in the same house," she said.
Rolf said balancing life at the University and religious practice daily can be difficult, but when she devotes time to her beliefs it benefits her spiritually.
"In the midst of a busy life in school, there is not a lot of time for practice every day, but I have found the consistency of practicing every day without a break is absolutely essential to make any kind of progress," she said.
Rolf not only practices Buddhism, but is also working toward a Doctorate in Tibetan Buddhism.
"[As a religious scholar,] you get into details that help to preserve [and] understand things about the tradition that most people will not find out, but by continuing to dig out those treasures and [trying] to understand them in clearer and clearer ways, a lineage is passed on in a pure way from generation to generation"
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