RADFORD – Radford University senior Holly LoJacono came to the university anxious to get on the field hockey team and play Division I sports. Little did she know that her journey at RU would take her not only from the hockey field to the classroom, but to racing drag strips in several states.

LoJacono wasn’t going for recreational purposes. It was part of her Honors Program capstone project. LoJacono, of Newbern, N.C., and originally of Prince Frederick, Md.,  is one of 473 RU students graduating on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Preston Hall at the university’s 96th Commencement.

Families and friends will gather to celebrate the stories and successes of students as President Penelope W. Kyle confers degrees on 72 graduate students and 401 undergraduate students. Each college will be represented with a speaker from their area.

LoJacono’s major is business management. “My mother and I took a summer road trip when I was looking for a college and RU had the best appeal. There was a good feel about the people,” she remembers.

Teacher and student collaboration has always been not only an initiative at RU, but a tradition. When it came time for LoJacono (right) to decide on her capstone project, she honed in on her resources and with guidance from Honors Program director Joe King and faculty mentor Christy Weer, she ended up on the sidelines of a drag strip.

“Perceptions of Females in Drag Racing” was the topic she choose. “I had never been to a drag race. I was watching the Speed Channel on TV and paused to watch a race. I noticed there were not a lot of women racers and I started thinking about the struggles that women within that industry may experience,” she says. Weer supported her idea and LoJacono was on her way to tracks in Georgia, Michigan, Maryland, and the local track in Pulaski County near the university. She was accompanied by five other women whom she met during her internship with Tysinger Promotions.

With guidance from Wendy Stallings, president of Tysinger, LoJacono delved into a whole new world – the American Drag Racing League. “We helped them hang banners, run their contingency program, set up for pre-race, clean up at the end of the race, and provide hospitality for any of the sponsors or drivers.”

Professional driver Joshua Hernandez helped LoJacono get a male perspective of female racers.

Weer says, “Holly is a self-motivated individual who needed very little guidance with her capstone project. She was able take her internship experience to another level and use the information gained to develop a fascinating research project. Holly is an excellent student and a caring individual who will be successful in whatever she chooses to do in life.”

After graduation, LoJacono has a month-long break before starting her new job with the Professional Consulting Division of IBM in Fairfax, Va.