Highlanders in the News: Week of Oct. 10, 2025

Our Highlanders are using their education to do extraordinary things. In this column, we 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.

Spreading a wealth of health

Students in the PA program at Radford University Carilion (RUC) spent most of Oct. 3 hosting their annual Community Health Fair at the Elmwood Park Art Walk in downtown Roanoke, Virginia.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, the fledgling physician assistants offered the public free blood pressure screenings, vision tests and lung function evaluations and gave away free first-aid kits, socks, diapers, toiletries and dental supplies, as well as water and snacks. They also staged a Red Cross blood drive at the Highlander House at RUC.

This was the second year they've held the event, and it marks the opening of PA Week, held nationally from Oct. 6 to Oct. 10.

WSLS-10 covered the health fair and said more than 150 people attended, a total that doubles last year's figures.

"We help anyone who shows up," senior Jadyn Weink, vice president of the RUCPA program, told the station. "Our target audience is the underserved, uninsured and the unhoused here in Roanoke. We're just trying to provide access and care to the community."

Reclaiming the keys of knowledge

The piano has been central to junior Leah Bratton's life since she was young - she majors in music therapy and works as a church pianist on the side.

Last fall, however, Bratton suffered painful injuries that temporarily stalled her ability to perform. She recovered, however, and is now back at the keyboard, but the experience prompted her to research a small subset of musical compositions - pieces specifically created to be played with just one hand - and to undertake her own single-handed arrangements of existing works.

Bratton and her faculty mentor, Associate Professor Matt Cataldi, have spent the past several months channeling her subsequent work into a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) project, and she's scheduled to present an overview of that through a free lecture and recital in the Davis Performance Hall in the Douglas and Beatrice Covington Center for Visual and Performing Art at 11 a.m. on Oct. 14.

In a Sept. 26 interview with WDBJ-7, Bratton talked about her work and the opportunity to conduct a SURF project, which offers a stipend for the students and their advisors.

"If you're selected, you're able to spend the summer taking classes and working with your mentor," Bratton explained. "Instead of having to work a part-time job, you are literally employed to do research."

Bratton was also recently the subject of a Radford article and video profile.

Open for business

Late last month, a new local business called Zaldamo moved into a workspace at The Hub @ Radford University, then took to social media to announce its arrival.

"After five years of planning, going back to graduate school at William & Mary and writing a lot of software, my new company, Zaldamo, is getting ready to launch," founder Timothy Richards posted on LinkedIn. "Zaldamo opened our first office this week!"

According to its website, Zaldamo is an internet search application "built for creative, innovative people who dare to challenge the status quo."

The site explains: "We are building the world's most people-oriented information-finding and sharing ecosystem by using innovative technology as a means of connecting people with each other and the information they desire to find."

In a Sept. 24 post on X, the company said it is excited to have partnered with The Hub and hopes to use its downtown Radford location to better interface with the community.

"We can't wait to connect with students, researchers, and local businesses," Zaldamo's post said.

New arrivals

As the 2025-2026 school year unfurled in mid-August, a pair of recent articles in the Vinton Messenger announced a raft of new faculty and staff members who'll be working and teaching within the Roanoke County Public Schools system, and we found no shortage of Highlanders within those ranks.

According to a Sept. 22 story, Kayla Gibson '24 just became a second-grade teacher at Bonsack Elementary School. A Vinton native, Gibson grew up in Vinton and attended Herman L. Horn Elementary, then later graduated from William Byrd High School, where she performed in the marching band.

"This is my dream job," Gibson told us this week. "I love watching my students grow in confidence, curiosity and kindness each day. Their excitement for learning and their big hearts remind me why I chose to teach."

Another piece that ran on Sept. 24 introduced a trio of educators who just started at Mount Pleasant Elementary School, also in the county.

Kari Barnes '15, of Roanoke, is teaching kindergarten. Growing up, she attended Masons Cove Elementary and then Northside High School. Afterward, she graduated from Radford and has worked in education for a decade. She'll be joined at Mount Pleasant this year by her two children, who are students.

"I have worked with kindergarten for nine years of my career," Barnes said. "I love that age group. They show so much growth, and I love being part of their first school experience."

Ann Keith '08 will work at Mount Pleasant, as well as at Bonsack and W. E. Cundiff elementary schools, as an elementary instructional technology resource teacher. She graduated from Lord Botetourt High School before earning her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Radford. This is her 18th year in teaching, the story said.

"In my role, I serve as a coach to teachers, a co-educator to students, a resource for administrators and an advocate for digital learning within our community," Gray told the newspaper.

Marissa Noell '19 now teaches second grade at Mount Pleasant Elementary School. She is from Roanoke and is a graduate of Roanoke Catholic School. A sixth-year educator, she earned her Master of Education in special education from Radford University.

"Second grade is one of the best grades to teach," Noell declared. "They are so sweet and full of life and love! I am passionate about teaching children to read and helping all children to learn and grow in a safe and loving environment."