“Resilience … is a journey,” healthcare executive and keynote speaker Susan Carroll ‘96 told crowds during Radford University's winter graduation ceremonies Dec 7-9. “It is about facing life’s storms and emerging stronger. It’s not merely surviving challenges, but learning, growing and thriving through them.”

When Sonya Sanie came to Radford University, she knew she wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. Sanie decided to major in political science, using her educational opportunities to focus on solving “Wicked Problems” – complex issues that do not have a clear solution.

This week in Highlanders in the News: Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce President Brenell Thomas M.S. ’23 is a new graduate and also the center of a recent profile and Q&A; Junior Kyndall Stanley gets a shout-out for her stellar work on the softball field; and journalist Dutchie Mirolli ’94 deepens her long ties to covering Virginia news.

Radford University’s Board of Visitors held its final quarterly meetings of 2023 on Thursday, Nov. 30, and Friday, Dec. 1, inside Kyle Hall on the university’s main campus. 

Radford University is the latest school to receive a rare “green light” rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Radford is one of only four schools in Virginia, and one of only 63 nationwide, that earn this rating.

Every two weeks, Highlander Highlights shares with readers some of the extraordinary research and accomplishments happening on and off campus through the tireless work and curiosity of our students and faculty. 

Radford University students participated in the bi-annual Wicked Festival on Nov. 9, 2023. The goal of the festival is to give undergraduate students, from freshmen to seniors, the tools and resources needed for them to become experts and problem-solvers for complex, persistent and “wicked” public issues. 

In September, the Commonwealth of Virginia opened a new trade office in Taiwan, thanks in large part to the efforts of Radford University alumnus Wyatt Toehlke ’18.

Radford University’s College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences honored alumni Nicole Robinson ’02 and Michael A. “Drew” Robinson ’01 for their gift to the college’s endowed scholarship fund, and awarded ESPN reporter and author Marty Smith ’98 with its 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award.