College of Humanities and Sciences

Alum and Donor News

At the time Paul Henderson started to write his book, he felt as though he was going through a tunnel "and I just didn’t see the end of it." (Tom Kojcsich, University Marketing)

Meet-a-Ram: Paul A. Henderson, an educator who wrote a book about perseverance

Oct. 3, 2022

Henderson, a former track and field athlete at VCU, strives to help students be the best versions of themselves.

Kadidia Macki Samake, who received a bachelor's degree in international studies at VCU, works as American Center deputy director and EducationUSA adviser for the American Embassy of Mali. (Contributed photo)

VCU alum starts ‘dream job’ at the American Embassy of Mali

Sept. 14, 2022

Among her duties, Kadidia Macki Samake provides guidance for students planning to study in the U.S.

Tax delinquency of company-owned properties was the only variable in the researchers' model that predicted violence in all but four of Richmond's 148 neighborhoods. (Getty Images.)

What best predicts violence in Richmond neighborhoods? Negligent landlords.

Sept. 13, 2022

A study by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers found that the tax delinquency of company-owned properties was the only variable that predicted violence in all but four of the city’s 148 neighborhoods.

Alumni Stars, hosted by the VCU Office of Alumni Relations, celebrates alumni from across the university’s academic units for their extraordinary personal and professional achievements.

VCU to celebrate 15 notable alumni at biennial Alumni Stars event

Sept. 7, 2022

Honorees will be recognized at a Sept. 29 ceremony at the Science Museum of Virginia.

Martina Hernandez, a neuroscience Ph.D. student, is the first at VCU to receive a Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience Award. (Photo by Sha Aguado, VCU School of Medicine)

Prestigious NIH grant sets up neuroscience Ph.D. student for continued success

Aug. 30, 2022

Martina Hernandez is the first VCU graduate student to receive a Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience Award, which will fund the remainder of her Ph.D. training and up to four years of postdoctoral research.

Sesha Joi Moon, Ph.D., a two-time VCU graduate, joined the U.S. House of Representatives' Office of Diversity and Inclusion as its director this summer. (Kristina Aleksander, U.S. House of Representatives Office of Diversity and Inclusion)

Alum Sesha Joi Moon ‘working with purpose and on purpose’ as leader of diversity, equity and inclusion at U.S. Capitol

Aug. 24, 2022

Moon, a two-time VCU graduate who this summer became the director of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Office of Diversity and Inclusion, encourages students to have ‘equal parts patience and perseverance’ as they embark on their careers.

Madeline Doane, who graduated from VCU in May 2020, is in the midst of a Spanish immersion program at Middlebury Language Schools in Middlebury, Vermont. (Contributed photo)

VCU graduate’s peace fellowship supports her commitment to human rights work

Aug. 18, 2022

Madeline Doane, who spent a semester in Argentina and hopes to return to work with migrants and Indigenous peoples, is completing a Spanish immersion program as a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace.

"Birth of a Planet" premiered in June at the Richmond Film Festival. (Contributed image)

‘Birth of a Planet’ spotlights the life of Richmond Planet founder John Mitchell Jr.

Aug. 9, 2022

VCU alum Scot Crooker played an instrumental part in creating the half-hour documentary.

Leslie Bolda, in Bariloche, which is in the western part of Argentina situated on a lake called Nahuel Huapi surrounded by the Andes Mountains. Contributed photo.

VCU alum is loving her time in Argentina, helping to teach English

July 22, 2022

Leslie Bolda got the chance to live and work in South America thanks to a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award.

At two high-profile events in Washington, D.C., celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant program, Virginia Commonwealth University grad and Pell Grant recipient Anir Ahant will share his story and explain how the need-based grant program set him up for success at VCU and beyond. (Photo by Isaiah Mamo, University Marketing)

As part of the Pell Grant’s 50th anniversary, a VCU grad is sharing his story with federal policymakers

June 22, 2022

Anir Ahant, who graduated in May, will co-moderate a reception hosted by national higher education organizations and will speak at a congressional briefing at the U.S. Capitol.