Shenandoah University

Shenandoah University's School of Business awarded five $5,000 Legacy Scholarships during its sixth annual Legacy Golf Tournament on April 21 at the Winchester Country Club. This year's recipients were Hanniel Osorio Vasquez '29, Serena Hepner '29, Matthias Rivera '27, Brynna Nesselrodt '27 and Afsara Chowdhury '28. The endowed Legacy Scholarship supports high-achieving, first-generation regional business students and reflects the power of experiential learning, leadership and community partnership. Including this year's recipients, $67,500 in Legacy Scholarships has now been awarded to 14 business students through proceeds generated by six Legacy Business classes - a legacy mindset in practice.

The Legacy Mindset Business Class in Shenandoah University's School of Business held its annual Legacy Awards Ceremony in May, during which students were recognized for outstanding leadership, fundraising achievement and service.

Shenandoah University's Matt Conroy has earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award, the conference's top senior scholar-athlete award, for the 2025-26 year following a vote from the conference's board of directors. Each year, the ODAC awards the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson awards to one female and one male senior (or graduate student), respectively, who exhibit the highest athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements. The ODAC's 2026 Berkley Award went to Washington and Lee two-sport star Sarah Zimmerman.

Shenandoah University had 1,019 students earn a spot on the Dean's List for the 2026 Spring Term. To qualify for the Dean's List, students must be enrolled full-time in baccalaureate degree programs and earn a semester GPA of 3.50 or higher. Dean's List students who achieve a semester GPA of 3.90 or higher also qualify for the university's President's List.

Shenandoah University had 437 students earn a spot on the President's List for the 2026 Spring Term. To qualify for this prestigious academic recognition, students must be enrolled full-time in baccalaureate degree programs and attain a semester GPA of 3.90 or higher. All President's List honorees are also recognized on the university's Dean's List, which includes students who earn a semester GPA of 3.50 or higher.

Thanks to the skills he's developed as a Shenandoah University business student - and the network he's built along the way - David Mann has secured an internship with USA Baseball as he continues to make strides toward a career in the sports industry. Mann '27, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration with concentrations in sport management and entrepreneurship, begins his internship in baseball operations with USA Baseball in May and will split his summer between the organization's facilities in Arizona and North Carolina.

Shenandoah University announced the winners of the 2026 Student Leadership Awards during a ceremony on Sunday, April 26, at Winchester Country Club. Thirty-five individuals and organizations were nominated for 10 awards, which included two organization awards, six individual awards and two Shenandoah University Leadership Academy (SULA) Awards of Distinction.

In March, Shenandoah University sent a group of 10 students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia as a part of the Global Citizenship Project. The trip, led by Assistant Director of Global Education and Assistant Professor of Music Literature Alanna Tierno, PhD., saw participants take part in a variety of activities, tours and experiences all geared toward immersing them in the local culture. The group began its trip in Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. There, the group took a guided walking tour around the city and a Slovakian cooking class before visiting Bratislava Castle the next day. Next, participants made their way to Zilina, taking a day trip out to Terchova for a hike along the Janosikove Diery, a trail packed with scenic gorges and waterfalls, before returning to visit the Vrba-Wetzler Memorial Room. Back in Bratislava, the group took a communism tour of the city, where participants learned about the architectural and cultural history of the area. Then, the group finished the trip with a pottery lesson and tour in Modra before returning back home to the states the following day. Shenandoah University's Global Citizenship Project celebrated its 21st year in 2026 and sent students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Hong Kong and Ghana this spring. Since its inaugural year in 2005, GCP has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees to over 70 countries and seven U.S. states and territories so that each participant might learn more about the world and themselves. To learn more about GCP, visit su.edu/gcp.

The Shenandoah University Research Expo (SURE) showcased the depth, creativity, and rigor of student scholarship during its two-day event on April 28-29 at the Hazel-Pruitt Armory, and 27 students were announced as winners in 11 award categories following the conclusion of the annual expo. The Shenandoah University Research Expo is an annual event that showcases undergraduate and graduate students' research and creative projects, allowing students to present their work to the Shenandoah community in a supportive, professional setting. To learn more, visit su.edu/sure.

In March, Shenandoah University sent a group of 10 students and faculty members overseas to Kenya as a part of the Global Citizenship Project. The group, led by Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Katherine Bain, PhD., saw participants take part in a variety of activities, tours and experiences all geared towards immersing them in the local culture. After arriving in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the group toured the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and the Nairobi National Museum before visiting Amref International University the following day. Then, the group toured Kibera, one of the most densely populated and impoverished urban areas in Africa. After taking a train to Voi the next day, the group toured Taita Taveta University and did a safari ride at Tsavo East National Park. Then, in Diani, the group visited the Shimoni Slave Caves, a series of tunnels used as a slave-holding port in the 17th century. Lastly, the group traveled to Mombasa, visiting the Swahilipot Hub Foundation, a non-profit youth empowerment organization focused on innovation and technology, before finishing the trip with a tour of the Jumba la Mtwana ruins. Shenandoah University's Global Citizenship Project celebrated its 21st year in 2026 and sent students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Hong Kong and Ghana this spring. Since its inaugural year in 2005, GCP has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees to over 70 countries and seven U.S. states and territories so that each participant might learn more about the world and themselves. To learn more about GCP, visit su.edu/gcp.

Shenandoah University's field hockey team posted the fourth-highest collective GPA across all three NCAA divisions in 2025 as 24 Hornets were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's 2025 Division III National Academic Squad. Fourteen of those 24 Shenandoah's student-athletes - Camryn DeLeva, Ava Fields, Regan Fields, Reagan Flory, Autumn Goldsberry, Lily Kyvelos, Kaitlyn Mogar, Kaitlyn Nakamura, Elizabeth Quinn, Madison Short, Emily Swartzbaugh, Sidney Tucci, Kayleigh Vodvarka and Mackenzie Watkins - also were named an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction, which recognizes those who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or higher during the fall semester. A minimum GPA of 3.50 is required for student-athletes to qualify for the NFHCA National Academic Squad.

Shenandoah Conservatory has announced the winners of the 2026 Student Soloists Competition (SSC) following the final round on March 1 in Armstrong Concert Hall. Winners included Morna Chenchen Hu, soprano (Category II); Wentao Luan, saxophone (Category I); Andrew Wood, piano (Category I); and Coleman Wright, saxophone (Category II). Honorable mentions went to Grace Ashby, soprano (Category I), and Lizhuo Sun, piano (Category II). Winners of this year's competition will be featured in performances with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra throughout the Conservatory Performs 2026-27 season.

Shenandoah University's Division of Athletic Training continued its run of excellence at the 2026 Virginia Athletic Trainers' Association (VATA) Annual Meeting on Jan. 2-4, at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia. Shenandoah's student quiz bowl team, composed this year of Makenna Thrush, Trilby Kite, Aesia Garban and Kristen Meinberg (alternate), won the VATA Quiz Bowl for the fourth straight year. Those four, and fellow student Caitlyn Sweet, also presented research posters during the conference, and professors Kim Pritchard, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, and Kelley Wiese, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, were each recognized for their oral presentations.

Shenandoah University welcomed 27 new inductees into Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the national leadership honor society, on Sunday, Dec. 7. ODK recognizes sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students and alumni who excel in leadership and academics. Students selected to Omicron Delta Kappa must meet the honor society's leadership values of collaboration, inclusivity, integrity, scholarship and service. Additionally, they must be in the top 35% of their class and demonstrate leadership in at least one of the five pillars of campus life: academics and research; athletics; service to campus and community; communications; and creative and performing arts. To become a member, students can self-nominate or be nominated by a faculty member, staff member or current ODK member. Nominees are then selected for induction through an application process. Benefits of ODK membership include access to exclusive scholarship opportunities, regular publications and resource materials to support leadership development, and job-related networking opportunities with over 250,000 current ODK members and hundreds of thousands of alumni and honorary members worldwide. For more information about Shenandoah University's ODK circle, visit su.edu.

Shenandoah University set another school record during the 2024-25 academic year with 358 student-athletes garnering Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honors. This year marked the second straight that Shenandoah has had over 300 honorees, and the most recent total is 29 more than SU had in 2023-24. The Hornets trailed only Washington and Lee (539) in total ODAC All-Academic honorees, and was one of three schools to eclipse the 300 mark (Lynchburg had 341). In all, the ODAC had 3,364 honorees and topped 3,000 for the second straight year. Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete who competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class. Prospective honorees must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the academic year to be considered for ODAC All-Academic Team recognition.

Shenandoah University is pleased to announce that 1,369 graduates earned degrees and/or certificates during the 2024-25 academic year. This total includes 239 August 2024 graduates, 366 December 2024 graduates, and 764 May 2025 graduates. Shenandoah's 2025 University Commencement took place on May 24.

On April 24, the Student Government Association held its inauguration ceremony for the 2025-26 Executive Council in the Pruitt Health & Life Sciences Building, Halpin Rotunda. The Executive Council consists of undergraduate and graduate students dedicated to leading other members of the SGA and serving as liaisons with faculty. Although most positions are chosen through an application process, Shenandoah University students elect the president and vice presidents each spring. The 2025-26 Executive Council is as follows: President: Carter Sand Vice President of Undergraduate Affairs: Masha Balakersky Vice President of Graduate Affairs: Carlie Cross Director of Communications: Amy Oleksy Director of IDE: Jessica Velasquez Director of Finance: Emma Thompson Speaker of the House: Elisabeth Myers Chief of Staff: Jaxson Hall

Shenandoah University third-year Pharm.D. student Sheridan Herron '26 won the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) National Patient Counseling Competition during the APhA Annual Meeting that took place March 21-24, in Nashville, Tennessee. Herron, who was recognized during the APhA-ASP Student Awards Celebration on March 22, is the third Shenandoah University student in the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy to win the APhA-ASP National Patient Counseling Competition, joining Joanna Lyon (2014) and Danielle Przychodzin (2003). Shenandoah, which admitted its first class of doctoral pharmacy students in 1996, began participating in the National Patient Counseling Competition in 2000. Shenandoah University's three national winners are the most of any pharmacy school over the last 25 years, and Shenandoah is tied with the University of California, San Francisco for the most in the history of the National Patient Counseling Competition, which debuted in 1985.

Shenandoah University's Esports program recently announced the recipients of the 2024 Shenandoah Esports Awards. A total of seven individuals received one of six awards during a ceremony on May 7.

Eva Gary '25 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre) will join "Pretty Woman: The Musical," for the last leg of its U.S. national tour in 2025. Gary will play the lead role of Vivian Ward in the production based on the 1990 film of the same name.