Cadets enrolled in the economics and business analytics class taught by Col. Barry Cobb, professor in the Department of Economics and Business, heard an award winning presentation by two juniors from Roanoke County’s Hidden Valley High School (HVHS).

A different college experience was what Conner Reid ’27 was searching for. He said that Virginia Military Institute offered that and it’s what attracted him.

It was a goal of Luke Schalow ‘26 to play college football. But he also knew, if he could never play football again, he wanted to go to a school he would be proud to have attended.

John Gibson ’26 initially underestimated the academic challenges at Virginia Military Institute, leading to a rough first semester, but his determination to improve transformed his approach to learning.

Harrison Williams ’25, a cadet at Virginia Military Institute majoring in economics and business, researched the wisdom of investing in the United States for his honors project, “Sustainable Debt Limit Estimates for the U.S. and 20 Other OECD Countries.”

College was the last thing on Cameron Thomas’ ’27 radar in high school. Instead, he was looking to enlist in the military once he graduated. That was until he started track his junior year, specifically competing in pole vault.

The College Debates and Discourse Program at Virginia Military Institute continued its development throughout the fall semester, beginning with a partnership with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the national College Debates and Discourse Alliance.

Becoming one of the co-captains of Virginia Military Institute’s men’s soccer team, Colin Blandford ’26 didn’t expect to carry so much weight. It was a stark contrast to him serving as captain in high school.  

Business and computer science were two industries that Warner Collier ’24 saw opportunity in. Coming to Virginia Military Institute, he wanted to cast as wide of a net as possible, which brought him to major in economics and business, with minors in computer science and cybersecurity.

Gaining real world experience was a high priority while attending college for James ‘Alex’ Baber V ’25. The economics and business major from Richmond, Virginia, landed an internship at Tandem Investment Advisors, headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, for the summer.