My name is Jenna Janicki and I am from Graham, North Carolina. I graduated from Ferrum with the class of 2021 and will continue my education by studying law at Liberty University School of Law.
At Ferrum, I majored in Health & Human Performance.
As well as being a member of the Boone Honors Program I was a four-year member of the women’s soccer team at Ferrum and a member of the National Society of Leadership & Success.
Abbey Hayes is a 2022 graduate of Ferrum College from Virginia Beach. She earned a B.S. in Pre-Professional Health Science and plans to attend dental school after graduation.
Abbey was a member of the women’s soccer team and served as an honors mentor.
I’m Laurynn Hackett and I’m from Appomattox, Virginia. I am an Agricultural Science major with an emphasis in Animal Science, and minoring in Biology and One Health.
I have always had a love for animals, but I recently became fascinated with the veterinary field while I was working at my local vet clinic. My goal is to be a veterinary technician when I have completed college.
I’m Sean Grande, a 2021 Ferrum College graduate. I majored in political science with a minor in media & communication. I spent the 2021 spring semester in Washington, D.C., to finish my undergraduate studies with American University’s Washington Semester program. Through this program, I had an internship with the Federalist Society in D.C.
A few months after his Ferrum graduation, I accepted a position with Grassroots Voter Outreach and a “canvas” position in Phoenix, AZ and canvassed voters from Tucson to Flagstaff at many venues getting signatures in support of an environmental bill. While in Arizona I found a job posting in Des Moines, IA, with Vote Smart, a national non-profit organization that produces briefs and information on candidates, judges, and policies for voters nationwide. My dad told me the job description sounded as though I wrote it for myself. The bulk of my earlier internship with the Federalist Society last spring in Washington DC entailed writing the same types of briefs required for the Vote Smart job. Now I work for Vote Smart on the Drake University campus in Des Moines, where I oversee four interns. My current position will continue through the Fall 2022 election cycle, and I am still considering law school at some point in the future.
I played football at Ferrum for two years and wouldn’t trade my time with that team for the world. I also play guitar and read A Song of Ice and Fire series when I’m not busy with school or work.
Thanks for reading about me.
Hi! My name is 
Cayla Berry and I am a 2021 graduate of Ferrum College from Kernersville, North Carolina. I double majored in Criminal Justice and Psychology. I was a member of the Boone Honors program for the entirety of my four years at Ferrum College.
I was also captain of the women’s soccer team at Ferrum and currently coach a youth soccer club.
Beginning with the Fall 2021 semester, I’ll be attending graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I’ll be working toward a master of science in counseling with a concentration in clinical mental health. I hope to work with victimized children.
cberry@ferrum.edu
Hi! My name is Ashley Minnick and I am a freshman here at Ferrum College. I am originally from Martinsville, Virginia. I am majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Political Science. I am a part of the Boone Honors Program, Help Save the Next Girl, and The National Society of Leadership and Success. My end goal in life is to obtain my doctorate in education. I hope to use my degree to impact the lives of children all across the state of Virginia.
Born and raised in Roanoke VA, Jeremy was initially a self-taught breakdancer turned self-taught drummer. After years of lessons, study, & performance, Jeremy landed in the hit Off-Broadway production, STOMP. Jeremy toured with the show for 17 years performing several roles and serving as the American tour’s resident director from 2016-2019. He is also the founder of Plastic Musik, a melodic based percussion ensemble devoted to taking Boomwhackers to new musical heights and promoting the importance of music education. Mr. Price currently drums for Nashville recording artist The Low Low Chariot and is an adjunct faculty member for the Ferrum College Dept. of Music. Aside from musical endeavors, Jeremy has a keen interest in health, wellness, & pushing the perceived limits of the human being through breath work, functional fitness, Yoga & Mindful meditation.
Madison Cogle graduated in April 2022 after three years at Ferrum to begin studies at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Madison is originally from Charles Town, WV, but her family moved to a small town in North Central West Virginia. Madison grew up on a small family farm raising sheep and beef cattle, and she loves being around animals. She’s also a big fan of mysteries and true crime (novels, crime shows, podcasts, etc) and I love baking.
At Ferrum, Madison majored in Liberal Studies with emphases in Agriculture, Biology, and One Health. She was also involved in many clubs on campus such as the Chemistry Club, Rotaract, and Lions Club. She served two one-year terms as the secretary of the Ferrum College Ag Club & Collegiate Young Farmers and as chair of the Honors Advisory Council for 2021-22. She was also a PAL Tutor and an honors mentor.
BSN, 1998 – Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Roanoke, Virginia
MSN, 2008 – Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Roanoke, Virginia
DNP, 2012 – Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
Ferrum Moves Classes Online as Coronavirus Spreads in Virginia | By Mary Stoudt
A novel coronavirus has recently spreaded around the world since its first case was identified in Wuhan, China in January, when the nation was about to celebrate its lunar New Year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus is named SARS-CoV-2 and the disease that it causes has been named coronavirus disease 2019, which abbreviates to COVID-19.
Upon its outbreak in China, many precautions were soon made by the World Health Organization and other institutes.
According to the CDC, “On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ (PHEIC). On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to COVID-19. On March 11, 2020, WHO publicly characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic.”
Following this information and its increasing prevalence in the United States, all colleges and all K-12 public schools are under a state-mandated closure. Ferrum College also responded to this pandemic quickly, by making the decision to switch to online learning on March 13, 2020.
In an email sent by Ferrum President Dr. David Johns, he said, “We have been monitoring carefully the unfolding COVID-19 situation and its impact. As always, the health and safety of our students and employees is our top priority.”
Also in this announcement, Johns notified Ferrum students of the transition from
face-to-face learning to online learning, which began on March 18. As of now, in-person classes are expected to resume at Ferrum on April 6.
In the same email, students were also informed that they would be allowed to stay on campus if they chose to; however, students who left campus would not be permitted back until face to face classes start again. Additionally, the dining hall will remain open to serve students who stay on campus.
Junior Dakota Fletcher currently chose to stay on campus during this time. “I want to enjoy the spring season on campus even with all the panics going on. I also wanted to take advantage of being able to work on campus during this time,” said Fletcher.
In the email sent by Johns, students were also updated about the suspension of different activities. “Suspension of all College sponsored or supported travel that is non-essential to the operations of the College. Suspension of any non-essential gatherings or events. Please use your best judgment when considering rescheduling, conducting remotely, or canceling the gathering/event. Suspension of athletic events and travel for all teams (competition and practice) beginning Monday, March 16.”
Junior Mikayla Moreno who is Student Government President and involved with her sorority Delta Phi Epsilon, as well as numerous other clubs shared her thoughts about the protective measure of social distancing. “Having to cancel classes for a few days and then proceed with online classes is definitely not what anyone expected to happen. It sucks not being able to have all of the scheduled events, intramurals, the end of the greek process, the SGA
elections, and such. But, I know that Dr. Johns and his team are doing what is best for everyone,” said Moreno.
In addition to the information provided by Johns, Dean of Students Nicole Lenez sent out an email to students regarding information about staying on campus as well as for those who chose to leave campus during the online learning period. Lenez stressed a “social distancing” policy that no gatherings on campus are allowed and no exceptions would be made; if any student is caught violating the rules during this time, they will be asked to leave campus immediately. As of March 22, two students were asked to leave campus and to go back home, due to the violation of this policy.
Dr. Sandra Via, Director of the School of Graduate and Online Education Studies, also sent out an email to students through the Office of the Provost in regard to online learning.
Via said, “We know that this is a stressful time for you, and that this transition is not easy. Again, you are our main priority and we want to ensure that you are successful in your courses.” In a joint effort, Dr. Via and every Ferrum faculty have provided a stream of guidelines and instructions to help maximize the effectiveness of distant learning during the past two weeks. More online learning resources can also be found on Ferrum’s webpage.
Ferrum College will be constantly updating students on COVID-19 via email as well as on the Ferrum website www.ferrum.edu/coronavirus.
