Find your place, take it with you: celebrating the Radford University class of winter 2025
Every graduating class at Radford University carries forward something special, a mix of drive, curiosity and connection shaped by the people and places that helped them find their places here. This project celebrates that journey through the voices and experiences of members of the Class of 2025. Each student is pictured with a red suitcase, a symbol of the experiences, relationships and lessons they carry from Radford into their next chapter.
Their Radford story
The meaningful item inside each suitcase, revealed in the accompanying video, represents a defining part of their time at the university. Together, these stories reflect the heart of what it means to be a Highlander: to learn, to grow and to take that experience forward into the world.
Randi Dillow, College of Humanities and Behaviorial Sciences
Randi Dillow has a lanyard that has meant so much to her as a Radford student. It’s a reminder of the hours she has spent volunteering with College Mentors for Kids, a program that aims to transform the lives of children – and the university students who volunteer – through weekly mentoring and activities on campus.
She prizes the lanyard because “community service really means the world to me, and this club has given me a chance to give back to the kids that will one day be our future generation,” she said with a smile. “It means a lot to me to mentor and guide them, to let kids know that they do have an opportunity to go to college one day, and that goal is attainable.”
Law school is in Dillow’s immediate future. Soon after her graduation in December, she’ll attend the Appalachian School of Law. It’s an accomplishment the Honors College student credits to her own mentors, the faculty in Radford’s Department of Political Science.
As a work study student, Dillow has served the political science department in many ways, such as volunteering to help organize Poli-Sci Days and the popular Wicked Festival. Having the opportunity to “be a part of the behind-the-scenes of what the professors are doing, and how they do their research” has led to successes that have included numerous honors and hands-on experiences in the legal field.
“Radford has been extremely supportive in my journey of being super involved on campus within the political science field and within the pre-law field of getting into law school,” she explained, “and I feel like this has been the best environment for me and my journey.”
Jaimi Evans, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Ever since Jaimi Evans arrived at Radford University to study fashion and apparel design, she’s followed an expansive and fascinating journey, alternating stops at places new and exciting with others more familiar and supportive.
Evans first came to the New River Valley from Farmville, Virginia, in 2014, and immediately dove into her education and the work of creating the clothing she imagined in her mind.
“I was able to understand that design had the power to change the world,” she said. “That's one of the first things that I learned when I got here, and it's fueled my passion throughout my life.”
As an undergraduate, she also co-founded the Radford Design Collective, worked as a University 100 peer instructor and served as deputy to the secretary of legislative affairs.
In 2018, armed with her Bachelor of Fine Arts, she made the leap to a slightly bigger town – New York City – and worked in fashion as a buyer and technical design assistant. She later pivoted closer to home in Richmond, Virginia, and applied her technical abilities as a registration specialist for the Virginia Department of Aviation.
Last fall, Evans’ travels brought her back to campus, where she took a job as an alumni relations coordinator and pursued her Master of Fine Arts in design thinking. She’ll graduate in December.
On her return, Evans found some things had changed – her old stomping grounds, McGuffey Hall, for example, has since been replaced by the sparkling new Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity – but the place still feels like home.
“It seems more of a full circle moment, coming back to Radford,” Evans said. “Finding my place here again, it was just something that felt right.”
Joshua Barnhart, College of Nursing
When Jacksonville, Florida, native Joshua Barnhart decided to change careers from engineering to nursing, he had a big decision to make regarding where he would earn his degree.
“I decided on the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program because I wanted to get my degree as soon as possible and get to work,” Barnhart said, adding that Roanoke also offered a small-city appeal where he and his classmates could escape to explore downtown and the surrounding natural beauty.
In addition, there was the draw of being part of Carilion Clinic, one of the largest health systems in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“Being involved with Carilion has been huge,” Barnhart said. “It allowed me to be part of a larger community while doing schoolwork, and volunteering on the side with the Radford University Carilion Student Nursing Organization, I got to work for Carilion. That has been why I can call this place home.”
Barnhart plans to start his career as a cardiovascular ICU nurse once he graduates – hopefully in the new Crystal Springs Tower at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
“When I graduate, I will take the stethoscope I’ve used as I studied to become a nurse,” Barnhart said. “I came here to get my nursing degree, and Radford has not only maintained that passion for this field but accelerated it.”
Katelyn Spradlin, Waldron College of Health and Human Services
While in the Army, Katelyn Spradlin earned her emergency medical technician (EMT) certification and was a combat medic. After she left the service, the question was how she could build on that experience to begin a career in emergency medicine.
Spradlin began by taking a paramedic course offered through Radford University’s Continuing Education program. Once certified and working full time, she decided to return to Radford to complete her degree through the emergency services program at Radford University Carilion (RUC).
Spradlin says she chose Radford because her mother got her degree from Jefferson College of Health Sciences (which became RUC when Jefferson College merged into Radford in 2019), and her sister got her nursing degree from Radford.
“I knew Radford had a really good paramedic program, and the fire department I was working for at the time recommended it,” she said.
Spradlin loves the hands-on learning in the program and feels most at home in the ambulance simulator lab, which offers students learning experiences in a full-sized ambulance located within a classroom at RUC.
The future looks bright for the Goodview, Virginia, native who has already been accepted into the physician assistant (PA) program at RUC and will begin classes next fall.
“I will bring my stethoscope with me after I graduate to represent my time in the emergency services program,” Spradlin says. “Starting as a paramedic student and continuing on to PA school – this has been what has carried me through my whole journey so far.”
Amber White, College of Education and Human Development
As a community college student, Amber White had plans that involved where she wanted to go, but also how she had to get there.
“I knew that I wanted to teach,” White said, adding, “I used to teach dance, and I needed something that had me working in the daytime so I could spend time with my child at night.
“And I knew Radford had an amazing program.”
During a college fair, White, who’s from Blue Ridge, Virginia, met with a Highlander representative, and the rest took care of itself.
“They got me set up, made me feel very welcomed and appreciated that I had a life outside of college,” she recalled. “They were able to get me connected to an advisor who helped me get all my things in order, and they accommodated everything that I needed.”
White was able to use Zoom to attend some classes remotely, which helped her stay close to her family, but she said that when she had to be away, her parents gave her significant support and helped with child care.
She’s now about to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in inclusive elementary education and plans to work as a special education teacher in the Roanoke, Virginia, area.
“I know that I’m going to be taking all of the wisdom that I had and grew throughout my experience at Radford,” White said.
“I have met many friends and colleagues through the process, and it just brightens my day that I get to call myself a Highlander now.”
Max Van De Kuilen, Artis College of Science and Technology
An exceptional mathematics major.
That’s how a Radford University mathematics and statistics faculty member described Max Van De Kuilen, a senior from Vught, Netherlands, who is set to graduate in December.
Van De Kuilen came to Radford to play Division I golf and quickly found a community that helped him thrive.
“My teammates have really helped me find my place at Radford,” he said. “The first week I came here, they took me under their wing, showed me around and made me feel at home right away.”
At Radford, Van De Kuilen lived out his dream of playing highly competitive college golf. He also found his swing in the classroom, excelling with a 4.0 GPA. Faculty describe his work as “outstanding,” noting both his analytical depth and strong work ethic.
Like many Radford students, Van De Kuilen found a place in research. He combined his passions for golf and mathematics on a collaborative project with Associate Professor Caleb Adams, titled “Quantifying Psychological Momentum in Golf.”
“I’ve always been into the statistical side of golf, analyzing ways I can improve in any way,” he said.
Van De Kuilen presented his research at the Midwest Sports Analytics Conference. Now, he and Adams are preparing the project for publication. After graduation, he plans to attend graduate school to study computational science and engineering.
“Max has impressed faculty with his insight, precision and intellectual curiosity,” said Artis College of Science and Technology Dean Steven Bachrach, who also praised his “combination of scholarly achievement, research engagement and athletic dedication.”
Van De Kuilen found his place at Radford through a vast community support system, he said with a smile, one that has him teed up for future success.
Samantha Greer, Davis College of Business and Economics
There’s a lot more to being an undergraduate than just going to class, studying and completing the assignments.
A significant chunk of going to college also involves fitting all that activity into one’s everyday life – no small feat when the student in question is the mother of two elementary school-aged children and lives 30 miles south of campus.
That’s the case with Samantha Greer, who commuted 45 minutes a day to Radford, five days a week, and who’s now about to receive her bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Assistant Professor of Accounting Rob Warren noted that Greer had transferred credits from three different community colleges and will now graduate with 182 credits and a 4.0 GPA.
“Not only has she achieved complete academic success at Radford, but she has also found time to participate in Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor society for accounting, finance and marketing professionals,” Warren said.
Additionally, Greer recently parlayed a summer internship into full-time employment with McMillion and McMillion, a Christiansburg, Virginia-based CPA firm.
“Radford University allowed me to commute and take care of my husband and kids as well as be a student,” Greer noted. “It was challenging. My children had to be very understanding that I couldn't watch TV with them on the weekends, and I spent a lot of late nights studying, but we all have a common goal as a family to have financial success, and we care for each other, and my teachers and fellow students were very helpful.”