Christopher Hicks ’24 takes a deep breath, sets up his sight, braces his weapon, and fires. For Hicks, the sport of rifle is 90% mental. It’s also long and arduous.

Virginia Military Institute’s Aviation Club is selective — only eight people can join at a time, because VMI foots the bill for participating cadets to get five hours of flight time towards their private pilot’s license.

Zac Somers ’24 wasn’t hitting his shots the Sunday at a golf tournament. His swings weren’t looking good. The day just felt off. He needed some support to continue on the course.

Although it’s an individual sport, the VMI Powerlifting Club is very team-oriented. When someone is going for a personal record (PR), the rest of the club is there to back them up and cheer them on.

The Chessie Nature Trail, which runs along the Maury River from Lexington to Buena Vista consists of seven miles of level path including several pedestrian bridges. Lawrence Porter ’24 is examining the serviceability of one of those bridges in his 10-week SURI project.

Owen Clifford ’24 first began his journey at Virginia Military Institute on an Army scholarship, but due to medical reasons, he wasn’t able to pursue that specific path. Instead, he turned to the private sector.  

Capt. John E. “Ned” Riester Jr. ’78, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Virginia Military Institute, is retiring after 29 years.

Cadets at Virginia Military Institute recently demonstrated a computer-controlled golf cart to assist those who have trouble with mobility. The idea came about when the VMI Alumni Association got requests for golf cart transportation around post during reunions.  

Community service projects brought assistance to organizations such as Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Lime Kiln Theater, Health Center Bull Oyster Fest, Waddell Elementary School Garden, Rockbridge SPCA, Boxerwood Garden, Virginia Museum of Civil War, and Timber Framers.  

Growing up in Newton, Massachusetts, a small town near Boston, Cadet Kate Taylor ’24 never thought of herself as the kind of student who’d attend a military school. When the time came to apply to colleges, she sent applications far and wide, aiming mostly at what she calls the “big football schools.