October 25, 2011

1) CS alumna Becca M., now Becca A., (Seminar class of 2002) was featured in a recent Associated Press article on young women changing the face of the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math). The article was picked up by The Roanoke Times and appeared on the front page of the October 24 edition. Becca, currently a second year doctoral student in chemistry at Yale University, started in the CS preschool program and continued all the way through, ending up as one of the first students at the new Community High School. Read the entire article at http://www.crescent-news.com/ap%20general%20news/2011/10/18/women-making-slow-sure-strides-in-science-math or check out a copy of The Roanoke Times edition. Becca’s older sister, Rachel M., also a CS alumna (Seminar class of 1997), earned an engineering degree from Virginia Tech.

2) Congratulations to Joseph H. (Seminar class of 2007) on recently being designated an AP Scholar with Distinction for having earned an average of 3.5 on five or more AP exams, including scores of 5 on his AP Biology and Calculus tests. Joseph graduated as valedictorian from Hidden Valley High School in June and is now a freshman pre-med student at Virginia Tech.

3) CS alumnus Peter T. (Seminar class of 2008) was featured on the front page of the  September 28 edition of The Fincastle Herald. Pete, now a senior at Lord Botetourt, has set a goal of running in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London next summer. A double amputee below the knee, Pete is currently ranked number 6 in the world in the International Paralympic Committee Rankings for the 400 meters. He was named a 2011 US Paralympics Track and Field High School All-American. When he was a CS student, Pete appeared before the Virginia Assembly speaking in support of legislation requiring insurers to cover prosthetic limbs. At the time, he was the youngest person ever to speak before the assembly.