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In just five years, the Schar School’s immersive Learning Communities program has expanded from a single cohort of first-year government majors to four vibrant communities, now also serving students passionate about the intersection of law and politics, as well as international policy. See what is driving the success of the programs and the students.

George Â鶹ÊÓƵ music professor June Huang sees connections between musical collaboration and peacebuilding, and she and her students demonstrate those connections with The Spheres Project, a strings faculty and student collaborative space established in 2021.

Historical dramas may be nothing new to the theater, but an original opera based on a landmark Supreme Court Civil Rights case? Rick Davis knew this was something different. After learning that Virginia Opera was planning to stage their new opera, Loving v. Virgina—based on the historic Supreme Court case striking down a Virginia law that banned interracial marriage—Davis seized the unique opportunity for his students. 

Sporting green and gold Air Jordan sneakers, George Â鶹ÊÓƵ student Samantha Lewis rose from her wheelchair and put one foot in front of the other.  Less than four months after complications from medical treatments left her without feeling in her legs, Lewis walked across the stage to receive her bachelor’s degree at the 2025 College of Humanities and Social Sciences Degree Celebration on May 16.  

A subtle shift in mindset has turned James Quinn-Irons into a force at the plate—and it has made all the difference in Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s baseball postseason run.

Li-Mei Chen assistant professor in the Department of Social Work, and Health Services Research PhD student Linda Hayes Bennett participated in the annual Gerontological Society of America’s Capitol Hill Advocacy Day. The advocacy campaign brought together researchers and professionals from across the country to promote aging-related policy priorities and champion additional funding.

Haoling Wang was taking a professional skills development course taught by Karen King, an associate professor in business foundations at the Costello College of Business, when he was encouraged by her to take advantage of the resources being offered by the college.

When Dawn Lowry, the director of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s forensics team, recruits prospective students to join the university’s intercollegiate speech team, she reviews videos of high school competitions.  A competitive speech coach for more than 30 years, Lowry remembers being blown away the first time she watched footage of now economics major Prem Ganesan in action.

A Â鶹ÊÓƵ team of Systems and Industrial Engineering (SIE) won awards for developing a training system to assist people working toward their drone pilot license.

Leticia Nunez Nova’s desire to nurture a business from the ground up paved the way for a series of internships with start-up companies.

Senior of the Year Haley White said double majoring in business and art history was one of the best decisions she made during her time at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Her second best decision was joining the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Chooses Kindness initiative.

Community Health student Paris Stephens shares how her undergraduate research experience on cancer care interventions bridges the connection between her commitment to lead ethical research initiatives and her dedication to becoming a more skilled public health practitioner.