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W&L student named Rhodes Scholar
Tahrington (Tahri) Phillips ’23, a cognitive and behavioral science and English double major, is Washington and Lee University’s 18th Rhodes Scholar.
The Rhodes Trust announced Nov. 13 that Phillips, 20, of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, was one of 32 scholars chosen this year to begin graduate studies next fall at the University of Oxford in England. The scholarship, which averages approximately $75,000 per year, and up to as much as $250,000, fully funds two to four years of study at Oxford.
The Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902. They are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, personal energy, ambition for impact, ability to work with others, a commitment to making a strong difference for good in the world, concern for the welfare of others, consciousness of inequities and potential for leadership.
At Oxford, Phillips plans to pursue a master’s degree in evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation. She will build on her undergraduate studies by exploring potential intervention strategies for at-risk and underrepresented youth inside and outside the classroom and how to best create more equitable learning environments for them.
Phillips was one of only two juniors to be initiated in spring 2022 into Phi Beta Kappa, the national academic honor society, and one of 13 juniors selected in spring 2022 for Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society. She is the Head Community Assistant for Woods Creek and Theme Houses for the Office of Residence Life, a leader with the Perry Minority Athlete Coalition, the treasurer and public relations chair for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a student representative on W&L’s Student Affairs Committee.
She is also a captain on the varsity women’s basketball team, the co-president of W&L’s all-female acapella group, a research assistant in a cognitive and behavioral science research lab and a three-time student co-facilitator for W&L’s recently launched First-Year Experience course, which is designed to introduce first-year students to college life.
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Alleghany Highlands Public Schools partner with Randolph-Macon for medical careers
Alleghany Highlands Public Schools and Randolph-Macon College are partnering to provide high school students with an in-depth look at medical careers that require advanced education and specializations.
Twenty-four students from Alleghany High School and Covington High School attended an initial session of the Advanced Healthcare Pathways Program on Oct. 28. The initial session, led by Erich Grant and Christi Hughes of Randolph-Macon, was held at the AHS library.
In Alleghany Highlands Public Schools, the Advanced Healthcare Pathways partnership with Randolph-Macon College is aligned with the school division’s Alleghany Highlands Healthcare Advancement (AHHA) initiative. AHHA assists students in exploring health sciences careers. The initiative is being used to help high school students earn their diploma, industry certification, and an associate degree from a community college.
But the Advanced Healthcare Pathways Program is geared toward students who are interested in medical careers that require higher levels of education and training.
After completing a career-goals survey in the initial session, approximately 33 percent of the AHS and CHS students indicated they are considering becoming occupational therapists, for example. Students were able to select multiple possible future careers under consideration. Other popular career options for the students surveyed included physician assistant, 8 percent; and dentistry, 5 percent.
Occupational therapists, like many health care professionals, must meet rigorous education and training requirements. To become an occupational therapist, an individual must earn an undergraduate and graduate degrees, and pass required licensure exams. High school students considering occupational therapy as a career can expect to spend six or seven years in school: four years for an undergraduate degree and two to three years for a graduate degree. Advanced Healthcare Pathways is designed to support students in navigating the pathways available ahead of them as they consider these types of career options.
“We want to provide them with information about these fields and link them to people in fields who can answer their questions,” Grant said.
The Advanced Healthcare Pathways Program will include six sessions. It will culminate with a visit to the Randolph-Macon campus to allow students to immerse themselves in the career they are interested in.
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Wytheville Community College Choir sets two performance in December
The Wytheville Community College Choir will perform two holiday concerts this December, the first in-person performances since 2019. The 45-member choir presents Gloria: a Holiday Concert on Thursday evening, December 1 at 7:00 PM at First United Methodist Church, 225 Fulcher Street in Hillsville.
A second performance will be held on Thursday, December 8 at 7:00 PM, at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 330 Church Street, in Wytheville.
There is no admission price for these events; however, donations to the WCC Choir Fund will be appreciated.
The WCC Choir was established in 2013.The choir has performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City with members of the New York Symphony Orchestra. They have also performed with the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Cynthia Jackson is the choir’s director. For more information about the WCC Choir, visit www.wcc.vccs.edu/wcc-choir.