Spotlight

Spotlight

How Eryn Pawluk’s (‘21) Academic Experiences Prepared Her for Yale

Nov. 9, 2023 — A graduate in biochemistry and biology, Eryn Pawluk (‘21) praises her Southern Virginia University professors and undergraduate experiences as she prepares to complete her master’s degree at the Yale School of Public Health, where she is specializing in epidemiology of microbial diseases with a primary focus on environmental infectious diseases.

Spotlight

Alum Researches Genetic Variant in Polynesian Populations in Investigational Lab

Sept. 26, 2023 — For Jacob Taloa (‘23), going to college wasn’t originally in his life plan. Now, after graduating from Southern Virginia University with a 4.0 GPA, he is currently working as a research associate in the Summers/Holland Investigational Lab in the University of Utah molecular medicine program. With plans to become a doctor, Taloa hopes to be an example to Polynesians unsure about pursuing higher education.

Spotlight

First Design Graduate Secures Position at Multinational Design Agency

Sept. 7, 2023 — Aly Day (‘22), one of the first graduates in Southern Virginia University’s new Design major, has joined Oliver Agency, a multinational design agency, as a junior graphic designer and credits her design classes and professor in helping develop her skills, experience, and confidence as a designer.

Spotlight

Calling the Tune: How Three Music Majors’ Summer Experiences Are Cultivating Their Future Careers

Aug. 17, 2023 — With professors dedicated to Southern Virginia University’s mission to Gather, Lift, and Launch, Knights have the opportunity to receive personalized mentorship from their professors for their chosen careers. Through these professional relationships, several music students were connected to jobs and internships this summer that allowed them to further develop their skills as musicians.

Spotlight

Jaden Nelson (‘23) Receives Prestigious Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship to Pursue Dentistry at Tufts University

July 21, 2023 — The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, recently awarded a $8,500 Fellowship to Jaden Nelson (‘23) to pursue a Doctor of Dental Medicine at Tufts University this fall. Nelson is Southern Virginia University’s second student to receive this prestigious award.

Spotlight

Class of 2023 Launches Into Grad School, Public Service, and More

May 31, 2023 — As the 2022–23 academic year comes to a close, the Class of 2023 at Southern Virginia University are preparing to launch into their next steps in careers and graduate programs. Highlighted below are five such students.

Spotlight

Jacob Adams (‘23) Receives Sigma Delta Pi’s Prestigious Gabriela Mistral Award

May 5, 2023 — The national collegiate Spanish honors society Sigma Delta Pi today awarded Jacob Adams (‘23) the Gabriela Mistral award. Founded in 1984 and named after the first Latin American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in literature, the Gabriela Mistral award is given to only a handful graduates and undergraduates each year who are active members of the Sigma Delta Pi honors society and have demonstrated noteworthy involvement and initiative in their chapter. 

Spotlight

Preparatory Academy Director Crystal Cleveland (‘17) Reflects on the Impact of Her SVU Professors

April 18, 2023 — From an undergraduate student to academy director in just five years, Crystal Cleveland (’17), who serves as director over grades K–6 for the newly opened Charter One Wake Preparatory Academy in North Carolina, attributes the learning environment and professors at Southern Virginia University for helping her impact the lives of her students.

Spotlight

Elevating Higher Learning in Science through the Honors Program

April 5, 2023 — Taking higher education to the next level as members of the Honors Program, seniors and biochemistry majors Emma Miller, Jaden Nelson, Clayton Tacker, and Janna Tidwell are diving deep into the scientific process for their honors thesis project—changing the color of yeast from green to red using the gene editing tool CRISPR.

Spotlight

Theatre Professor Amaree Cluff Takes the Stage in “Cyrano de Bergerac” As Roxane

Feb. 10, 2023 — Joining the Tennessee Shakespeare Company for the first time, Assistant Professor of Theatre Amaree Cluff stars in her dream play as the female lead character, Roxane, in TSC’s newest production, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” from Feb. 2–19.

Spotlight

Carlos Duran (’23) Published Twice In Pluma, The First Spanish-language Literary Magazine For The Shenandoah Valley

Dec. 20, 2022 — Carlos Duran, a senior at Southern Virginia University majoring in mathematics and minoring in Spanish, recently had his second Spanish poem, “Mi Sentimiento,” published in Pluma, a Spanish-language literary magazine run by Washington & Lee University and the first of its kind for the Shenandoah Valley.

Spotlight

Meet the Class of 2026

Nov. 17, 2022 — Over 400 new freshmen from all over the nation have gathered on Southern Virginia University’s campus for an incredible academic year. Meet five of our new Knights below and learn what brought them to Southern Virginia University.