Highlanders in the News: Week of Sept. 14, 2026

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 little better, we'll feature their stories.

'Making our community a safer, better place'

A Radford student is the inaugural recipient of a new local scholarship that honors the life and memory of a local law enforcement officer.

Last month, Colby Gill, who attends Radford University Carilion (RUC) in Roanoke, was awarded the first Sgt. Perry Hodge Memorial Scholarship, presented as a collaboration between Pulaski County Public Schools Education Foundation (PCPSEF) and P.C. Hearts Behind the Badge.

The ceremony occurred on Aug. 29 at Pulaski's Calfee Park just before this year's Pulaski County Guns & Hoses Charity Softball Game. In its recognition of public service, the award also honors Hodge, a former sheriff's deputy and school resource officer who died in 2021.

Gill, of Dublin, Virginia, is taking EMT classes at RUC and attending New River Community College with the goal of becoming a professional firefighter; he also serves as a certified lifeguard and volunteers time at both his local fire department and his church.

"Colby is already making our community a safer, better place," said PCPSEF Executive Director Chris Stafford in an Aug. 31 story in the P.C. Patriot. "We are incredibly honored to award him this inaugural scholarship as he takes his next steps toward becoming a full-time firefighter."

'Power' supply

Virginia Business Magazine dropped its 2026 Virginia 500 list - the publication's categorized catalog of the "most powerful and influential leaders" from around the state - and one of the 25 spots in the education category went to Radford University President Bret Danilowicz.

"Danilowicz joined Radford University as its president in 2022," Virginia Business wrote. "He quickly set a fundraising record of $106 million for the university's 2024 capital campaign, as well as boosting enrollment the same year by 29%."

The magazine also noted that, in a 2025 interview that ran in its pages, Danilowicz said his chief goal was to help Radford's enrollment rebound, particularly by focusing on the New River Valley's high schools and communities.

"In March, Danilowicz accepted a $2.5 million pledge from Virginia Credit Union to start a financial education center at Radford set to open this academic year," the piece said. "Meanwhile, Radford's nursing school was upgraded to the College of Nursing in 2024, making it the only Virginia four-year public university with a standalone nursing college."

Getting away for a while

A Radford senior got a summertime change of scenery while studying overseas.

Emma Tompkins of Ashland, Virginia, traveled to Stirling, in central Scotland; situated beside the River Forth, the city is about a half-hour northeast of Glasgow and slightly further northwest of Edinburgh.

While overseas, Tompkins, a production technology major with minors in archaeology, cinema and science communication, served as a content creator for Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA) and CAPA: The Global Education Network.

According to the CEA CAPA Education Abroad website, its mission "is to empower students to become thoughtful and thriving leaders through living and learning abroad."

CEA CAPA recently profiled its 2026 content creators, which included an interview with Tompkins, and she explained why she made her first foray outside the United States to take part in the program.

"College, for me, was always about pushing myself out of my comfort zone. And what better way to test my limits than to leave the familiarity of my home country to learn what life is like somewhere entirely new?" she said before she departed.

"I'm looking forward to the beauty of the sweeping hills and towering cliffs, learning about the long Scottish cultural legacy and meeting lots of new people."

'A great addition'

When Jose Rivera '22 joined Radford's men's soccer team in 2019, he played hard but also found ways to use his skills even in his off time, through such efforts as assisting with the program's camps and coaching potential athletes in their training sessions.

Rivera earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with double majors in business management and finance and a minor in Spanish, but he continues to help others through athletics.

Last month, the former NCAA Division I student-athlete stepped into the role of assistant coach at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he'll focus on goalkeeper development, recruiting and mentoring student-athletes. He arrived at King's following a stint as a varsity and junior varsity staff coach at Herndon High School, also in Virginia.

Coach Brandon Raynor called Rivera "a great addition" to his program's development and, in a release, the new hire voiced his enthusiasm as well.

"Excited for this new chapter," Rivera said of his new post. "Grateful for the opportunity to be part of the program and ready to give everything I have to help our student-athletes succeed on and off the field."