Feature Story
Finding Academic and Spiritual Growth in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Avery Prout (‘26) has always loved living in the mountains, having previously lived in Michigan and Utah. Now, she has found another home in the Blue Ridge Mountains and at Southern Virginia University, where her relationships on campus have helped her thrive academically and spiritually.
“The support and love that I have felt at this university is not something I can put into words,” Prout said. “I love having a personal connection with my professors, and attending a university where the faculty leaders take a visible interest in my success has made such a difference.”
Prout first learned about Southern Virginia as a child attending a homeschool conference hosted on campus. She reconnected with the school during her senior year of high school when she visited her boyfriend, a member of the men’s lacrosse team.
“I was driving around the mountains while he was at practice and walking through campus, and I thought, ‘I kind of want to live here,’” said Prout. “So I went upstairs in Main Hall to the registrar’s office and asked how to apply.’”
“I absolutely loved the location, and the Blue Ridge Mountains and Southern Virginia very quickly became home to me,” Prout continued. “I appreciated the smaller classroom sizes and the Christ-centered environment. The school also had an incredible science program and good placement in various healthcare programs.”
A biology major and American Medical Women’s Association member, Prout plans to attend nursing school after she graduates. As a student, she has found ways to apply her education, including her favorite class, Medical Ethics, to her summer job as a CNA.
“It’s important to know about your patients and ethical procedures and have a good moral understanding of your scope of practice,” Prout explained. “You have so much power over vulnerable people when you work in the healthcare system, so it’s important to understand it and think ethically about your patients.”
Prout has also found her relationship with Jesus Christ strengthened by the people she is surrounded by, who have inspired her to pray more often for guidance in making significant life choices.
“Being here has helped me realize that it’s important to have a relationship with Christ,” said Prout. “I’m around people that I admire and want to be like, and something they all have in common is that they have a strong relationship with Christ, and I realized that that’s part of their success.”