Alumni spotlight: Valerie Cason Williamston
Valerie Cason Williamston (B.S.’88/B) was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She worked at VCU, in the grants and contracts accounting department, after graduation before moving to Washington, D.C., to accept a position with the American Bar Association. She returned to the Tidewater area and has been employed with Virginia Beach City Public Schools for […]
Pride and professionalism
As the AAAC Mentoring Circle prepares for record participation in its eighth year, returning mentors share what makes the program special and what motivates their service. By Brelyn Powell VCU’s African American Alumni Council has been connecting current Black VCU students with alumni mentors since the launch of its Mentoring Circle program in 2015. Over […]
Don’t miss all the A-10 action in D.C.
Mark your calendars for March 9-13 as the VCU Rams travel north to Washington, D.C., for the 2022 A-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament. Join VCU Alumni and the VCU community for a host of exciting tournament activities! Need help getting around D.C.? Plan your Metro trip online. If you reserved a room at the Renaissance Marriott […]
Alumni spotlight: Daniel Brisker, DMV Chapter leader
After graduating from VCU, Daniel Brisker (B.S.’09/H&S) found work in his field in the Washington, D.C., area, and earned his M.S. in biotechnology/bioinformatics in 2014 from the University of Maryland. In 2015, he joined the Food and Drug Administration. “I’m in the public health regulatory field in the Office of Compliance at the FDA,” he says. […]
Teaching from experience
A School of Education student and scholarship recipient’s military service sets her up for success in the classroom By Brelyn Powell Winter Minter is well on her way toward a career that combines her passion for teaching and the leadership skills she has developed as a member of the U.S. Army National Guard. This spring, […]
Pitch Perfect
A pair of Brandcenter alumnae hit the right note to be crowned the 2021 VCU Alumni Pitch Competition champion In 2018, Elizabeth Heinberg (M.S.’08/B), a veteran tech founder, and Claire Glisson (M.S.’16/B), a startup brand strategist, collaborated on a freelance project for a friend-of-a-colleague and never got paid. In hindsight, they admit working on a […]
Paying it forward
Through their scholarship, Iris Harrell and Ann Benson help first-generation students reach their capacity When Iris Harrell’s (M.Ed.’75/E) parents divorced during her junior year at what is now the University of Mary Washington, her college education was left in jeopardy. She didn’t have enough money to supplement the scholarships that had allowed her to be […]
Rodney Harry dies; former president of the VCU AAAC led expansion, left lasting legacy
Rodney A. Harry (B.S.’90/H&S), former president of VCU Alumni’s African American Alumni Council, died Oct. 12 from complications related to diabetes. He was 56. A Petersburg, Virginia, native and 1983 graduate of Petersburg High School, Harry dedicated much of his life to serving others, including eight years as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps […]
Stephen Andrews, Ph.D., finds his post-retirement calling through VCU Link
Not one to sit around, in 2018 new retiree Stephen Andrews, Ph.D. (Ph.D.’87/H&S), got involved with VCU Alumni as a volunteer, where, he says, “you get to see a lot of the knobs and wheels that run the university.” He became a big fan of VCU Link, which he refers to as a Facebook for […]
Alumni Biz Spotlight: Perk! Coffee & Lunchbox
Christophile Konstas (B.F.A.’00/A) and Elizabeth Ellen (B.F.A.’00/A) were randomly assigned as roommates at VCU, which led to a lifelong friendship and, eventually, a business partnership. The idea first germinated as they chatted over endless cups of coffee in between art classes, way before the third-wave coffee scene of today. After moving away from Richmond (then […]