Mission Statement
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt, “Citizenship in a Republic,” 1910
When Teddy Roosevelt delivered these words at the Sorbonne, he was encouraging the intellectual man to undertake the rigorous physical activity for which the president was so famous. But these words ring today in the ears of those longing for a call to undertake the rigorous mental activity they are missing in a culture full of intellectual timidity and resignation. Some college students want to enter a different arena from the one primarily presented by Roosevelt, to be “marred by the dust and sweat and blood” of the intellectual work required to ask and answer truly difficult questions. Among this group are the founding contributors of this journal. We have made this platform to enter the arenas of conversation surrounding the important issues that interest us. In doing so, we have set foot in multiple arenas and made one more. Entering the former, the many unending conversations to which we may add a few words, will provide us with extracurricular intellectual formation. But there is something to a direct clashing of pens, so we have created the Journal’s Arena, one entered by contributors each issue to spar over a subject controversial between them. We hope through this to strengthen our tolerance for respectful but substantive disagreement, a tolerance all but stunted by our contemporary culture. Finally, we hope, dear reader, that our effort to form ourselves as thinkers yields thoughtful articles for your thoughtful enjoyment.
S i n c e r e l y ,
Charles Wilcoxon and Zosia Collins, Co-Editors-in-Chief
Our contributors:
Zosia Collins, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Zosia is a first
year at UVA, where she is pursuing a degree in the
extraordinarily practical field of Classics. Besides editing The
Arena, she is an intern at the Institute for Family Studies, a
fellow at the Blue Ridge Center, and highly involved with
Catholic Hoos. Although a very busy person, she will make time
for anyone who wishes to discuss flute music, good literature,
writing novels, or ancient philosophy.
Charles Wilcoxon, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Coming from
Columbus, Ohio, Charles is a first-year student at UVA studying
history. He is involved in the altar service and parish
maintenance ministries with Catholic Hoos, and, alongside Mr.
Miller and Miss DeBono, he is a founder of CREDO Apologetics. Be
careful getting into conversations with him about history,
philosophy, literature, film, or economics —you might be there
for a while. Especially dangerous, however, is picking his brain
on Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
Pamella Parker, Editor and Contributor
Pamella is a
first year Chemistry major at UVA. You may know her better by
her middle name, Maude. She still doesn’t know what her parents
were thinking. She’s known for her sharp sense of humor,
practical mindset, and ability to keep things both thoughtful
and down-to-earth. She’ll talk your ear off about anything, and
whatever her opinion may be, it will certainly be a strong one!
Keira Thomas, Social Media Manager and Contributor
Originally from Front Royal VA, Keira is a first year at UVA,
majoring in History and English. An aspiring teacher, Keira
loves to discuss literature and humanities as a way to engage
with the good, the true, and the beautiful. At UVA, she is
involved with Catholic Hoos and handles events coordination for
Hoos for Life, in addition to contributing to the Arena.
Paul Didenko, Journal Photographer
Paul Didenko is a
first-year from Sevierville, Tennessee, studying Mechanical
Engineering. He is involved in the choir and instrumentalists at
Catholic Hoos and dabbles in the realm of photography.
Charles Miller, Arena Contributer
Charlie is a
first-year at UVA from Richmond VA planning on majoring in
Economics and Finance. He is involved in the altar service and
men's ministries with Catholic Hoos, and is the founder of the
CREDO Apologetics club. He enjoys playing table tennis,
spikeball, chess, poker, basketball, pool and guitar. He enjoys
discussing philosophy and theology particularly in the realms of
Catholic apologetics.
Bridget Noonan, Arena Contributer
Bridget is a
first-year at the University of Virginia planning to study
Politics and Economics. She is currently involved at UVA as the
Finance Chair for A Moment of Magic, as the Website Manager for
Catholic Hoos, and as an active member of Undergraduate
Constitutional Law and Hoos For Life. Bridget enjoys deep
conversations about subjects that pique her interest and
particularly always loves to discuss political theory and
philosophy or literature and film reviews.
William Thissell, Arena Contributer
Growing up in
Alexandria, Virginia, William is a first-year student at UVA
studying Aerospace Engineering. He is involved in Catholic Hoos
and UVA Rocketry, where he is on the airbreaks team. He loves
spending time outdoors and tries his luck at the poker tables
every now and then.
Gianna DeBono, Arena Contributer
Gianna is a
first-year from Greenwich, CT, interested in majoring in
Political Philosophy, Policy and Law. She has a big love for
music and is a member of the Virginia Belles, a Capella group
here on grounds. She’s also a fan of philosophy and politics and
is in the Jefferson Literary and Debate Society. She plays
intramural soccer in her free time and is involved with Catholic
Hoos on their service council and the CREDO Apologetics group.