Mattie Quesenberry Smith, Ph.D., instructor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies at Virginia Military Institute, was recently appointed the commonwealth’s new poet laureate by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

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.  

The schedule Gretal Shank ’25 keeps ensures she’s able to get all her tasks done. On top of a sport, she’s taken a heavy credit load her entire time at VMI — taking 20 credits this semester, three of which are dedicated to her honor’s thesis.

“Céad míle fáilte” is Gaelic for “a hundred thousand welcomes,” and captures the spirit of the warm hospitality a group of 11 Virginia Military Institute cadets and their two professors recently experienced while on an educational journey in Dingle, Ireland.

Conner Felts '24 experienced the profound impact of mentorship and networking that defines the VMI experience with alumni during his time as a cadet. His interest in the athletic communications field began with his involvement in photography and social media management for the VMI basketball team.

Jackson Miller ’24 has aspirations of becoming a doctor. The recent graduate from Rockville, Maryland, will be taking a step in that direction as a research technician at the Johns Hopkins Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory starting this summer.

Cadet Brooks Freeman ’25 always knew about VMI—in his family, it was almost impossible not to, as his grandfather is James Freeman ’66, and his father is U.S. Army Col. Lee Freeman ’96.

Jackson Miller ’24 was drawn to a research topic as he approached his 1st Class year with strong philosophical and religious themes. He presented his research "Dostoyevsky and Star Wars: Understanding How Narratives Can Help Us Deepen Our Moral Awareness" during Honors Week in the spring semester.

What does the Bible say about what we should eat? That is the question Josh Cheung ’24, a Virginia Military Institute cadet double majoring in English and biology, sought to answer in his honors thesis, “Is God a Vegetarian?”

Duncan Richter, Charles S. Luck ’55 Institute Professor, has published a paper titled “‘Obviously wrong’: the Tractatus on will and world” in the book Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus: A Critical Guide, edited by José L. Zalabardo and published by Cambridge University Press.