My first thought was to head for the door,” she said of the 1966 experience that ended up charting her course. Instead, “I said, ‘Good morning, I’m Mrs. Olsen,’ and my life began.”

She shared her longtime relationship with service last week with students at the University of Mary Washington’s College of Education (COE) in Seacobeck Hall. Plucking tales from her lengthy career, including her time as Peace Corps director amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she wove a theme. International experiences – especially teaching abroad with the Peace Corps – can build the foundation for richer careers in the classroom. Read more.

Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 with a giant tortoise in the Galápagos Islands
on a Mary Washington Alumni on the Road trip in 2011. The experience
led her to establish the Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 Study Abroad Scholarship
in Biology to support students going on faculty-led trips to the islands. Photo courtesy of Sally Brannan Hurt.

Growing up in rural Southwest Virginia, Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 dreamed of travel. She finally got her chance to go abroad to the Bahamas during a spring break trip in college. Yet, she realized she yearned to see rainforests and savannas more than she wanted to sunbathe in the sand. Read more.

“Being in nature brings me joy,” said Hurt, who has since visited some of the most biodiverse places on the planet through the University of Mary Washington’s Alumni on the Road trips. “I love seeing plants, insects and animals that aren’t in my neck of the woods.” Read more.

Between them, University of Mary Washington’s Melissa Yakabouski and Sarah Lindberg hold a half-century of college admissions experience.

Both recruited as admissions counselors upon earning their own bachelor’s degrees, they work together to break the often-perplexing college application process into bite-size pieces prospective students and their parents can easily digest. Take, for example, their “pizza” analogy, where the crust, sauce and cheese are fundamental ingredients for students vying to get into the school of their dreams, and the toppings add flavor and flair. Read more.

A Google calendar app links to University of Mary Washington senior Jaylyn Long’s “booking page,” where free slots are hard to find.

A biomedical sciences major with an African American studies minor, she’s Student Government Association (SGA) president and Class of 2024 vice president. She’s a diversity peer educator, R.I.S.E peer mentor and – perhaps most importantly – a senior student coordinator for both New Student Programs and Student Activities and Engagement. And that’s just for starters.

“I know I can’t do it all, but that never stops me from trying,” said Long, the first Black woman to serve in the roles of SGA president and vice president at UMW. “It really wouldn’t be possible without the faculty support and the people who look out for me.” Read more.

President Joe Biden (D) is tied in Virginia with former President Donald Trump (R) in a possible 2024 presidential election rematch, according to a new statewide survey from the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington.

Each candidate received 37 percent in the 1,000-person poll of Virginia adults, which was conducted by Research America Inc. Sept. 5-11. Other respondents said they were undecided.

Biden defeated Trump by a ten-point margin in Virginia in 2020, the latest in a string of four consecutive Democratic Electoral College wins in the commonwealth. George W. Bush was the last Republican presidential candidate to win in Virginia, and he did so in both 2000 and 2004. Read more.