Our Highlanders are using their education to do extraordinary things. Every other week, we’ll highlight some notable mentions from local, regional, national and international news media. Whether our students, alumni, faculty and staff are featured as subject matter experts in high-profile stories or simply helping make the world a better place, we’ll feature their stories.
Center piece
If you've never had the chance to visit Radford University's Student Recreation and Wellness Center in person, the March/April edition of Campus Rec Magazine can walk you through it pretty well.
Both the center itself and Director of Recreation and Wellness D.J. Preston grace the cover of that issue, and the story, together with a digital video on the Campus Rec website led by Marketing Coordinator Emma Mayers, offer an extensive tour of the 115,000-square-foot facility.
The cover story touches on such topics as the Fitwell health and exercise classes, Esports offerings, fitness equipment options, and Higher Ground, a 5-day outdoor orientation for freshmen that’s set against the 380-acre SELU conservancy near campus.
“Our approach centers on flexibility, inclusivity and listening to student needs so we can help them find balance no matter where they are on their wellness journey,” Preston told Campus Rec.
The article also introduces readers to Health Educator Shannon Moore; Associate Director for Esports Doug Benedict; and Assistant Director of Outdoor Programs Connor Russell.
“What unites us all is a shared passion for campus recreation and a strong commitment to providing the best possible recreational opportunities for the Radford University community,” Russell said.
Farewell to the chief
Becoming a Highlander can lead one to some unanticipated heights. Take the case of Tazewell native Todd Brewster ’96.
“I moved to Blacksburg in 1994 to attend Radford University and fell in love with the area,” Brewster said in a March 13 article in The Roanoke Times.
Indeed, he’s stayed in the New River Valley ever since. After graduating, he served as a volunteer firefighter and worked for Blacksburg Transit before joining the town’s police department as a dispatcher. He became an officer in 1999 and rose through the ranks until, in the summer of 2022, he was appointed chief of police.
Brewster will step down in July, he recently announced, but leaves as part of his legacy the Crime Analyst Program, which was developed and implemented during his tenure. According to the article, that program “assists other agencies with tracking crime trends across Southwest Virginia” and “has been recognized by the FBI National Academy and other organizations throughout the country.”
“I have served the citizens of this town for over 30 years, and I have enjoyed every second of it,” he said.
Blacksburg Town Manager Marc Verniel thanked Brewster, noting, “His love for this community is evident in every interaction he has.”
Brewster’s retirement was also recognized by Roanoke television stations WSLS-TV and WDBJ7.
Full ‘court’ press
During this year’s Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia, a current Radford freshman who’s majoring in psychology will serve in the court of the event’s queen.
That student, Molly Helen Shea-Roop, was named a member of the court in an article in the Northern Virginia Daily on March 14.
She and several other festival princesses will accompany the festival queen to functions from April 25 to May 4, including the Queen’s Ball and Dance Party, and she’ll also ride on the royal float during the Glo Fiber Grand Feature Parade, held May 3 at 1:30 p.m.
Shea-Roop graduated from John Handley High School last year and was a member of the Student Government Association (SGA), serving as vice president her senior year. She also earned her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) qualification as a junior.
According to Winchester’s city website, the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival – now in its 98th year – is an annual 10-day event that draws about 250,000 people and features the Apple Blossom Carnival, the Old Town Wine & Arts Festival, parades, dances, concerts and more.
Music as medicine
A recent graduate is using her degree in music therapy to help older patients cultivate a sense of community and enjoy richer lives, according to a March 7 profile in the Williamson Scene, which reports on news in Williamson County, Tennessee.
Leah Piemonte ’20 works as a music therapist at Fifty-Forward, a nonprofit organization near Nashville that focuses on patients aged 50 and over.
“Piemonte’s music classes are strategically curated for older adults living with memory diseases like Alzheimer’s, and her work touches the lives of several families,” the story says.
“I do a lot of music with them because it’s one of the most amazing tools that you can use with patients as they’re declining and losing speech,” Piemonte told the Williamson Scene. “Rhythm and music really [use] a lot of different parts of the brain, so it’s super effective.”
After earning her degree from Radford, Piemonte worked in music therapy in Washington, D.C., but was drawn toward Nashville – also known as Music City – by her creative ambitions.
Under her stage name, Leah Chris, Piemonte has released a full-length album called “Thank You Note,” as well as several singles, all of which are available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.