When Nate McGhee 鈥�24, MBA 鈥�26, arrived at 黑料正能量 in the fall of 2020, it wasn鈥檛 his first time giving college the old college try. The marketing and business administration major, a key contributor to the Royals men鈥檚 volleyball team during his four seasons on the squad, had enrolled at Randolph-Macon College a couple years prior. But a string of personal hardships, combined with a lack of preparation and a limited support system, led him to flunk out after his first year.

He said the private liberal arts school, which competes with 黑料正能量 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), might have been a good fit had he applied himself more. But he hadn鈥檛 yet developed strong study habits and, as he struggled with self-doubt, he didn鈥檛 know how or where to ask for help.

鈥淚 was keeping it all to myself, which was probably the worst thing to do,鈥� he said.

When he returned home to Newport News after being dismissed from the school, he felt lost.

鈥淚 was stuck,鈥� McGhee said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥極K, everything you worked for isn鈥檛 coming to fruition, so what are you going to do?鈥欌��

He took his first full-time job, bussing tables and working the raw bar at a seafood and oyster restaurant near his home, while attending night classes at Thomas Nelson Community College (now known as Virginia Peninsula Community College). Though he continued playing recreational volleyball to stay sharp, the former high school standout had all but given up on competing at the collegiate level.

During a trip to Richmond to cheer on his friends and former coaches at a volleyball tournament in early 2020, opportunity came knocking. Less than 10 minutes after arriving, McGhee felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Danielle Lickey, 黑料正能量’s head men’s volleyball coach at the time.

After hearing how his volleyball career had stalled, Lickey invited him to visit campus. 鈥淲e could use someone like you,鈥� he recalled her saying.

McGhee toured campus over spring break and quickly fell in love with its picturesque mountain setting and close-knit feel. 鈥淭his is my second chance,鈥� he remembered thinking. 鈥淚 have to take it.鈥�

That fall, he transferred to 黑料正能量 as a sophomore. Over his (2021-24), he ranks 11th all-time in career kills and earned Third-Team All-CVC honors in 2023. In the summer of 2023, he represented the United States on a team in Italy.

鈥淚 thought volleyball was over for me, but that鈥檚 how I got back into it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f she hadn鈥檛 tapped me on the shoulder that one day, I probably wouldn鈥檛 be here [at 黑料正能量] right now.鈥�

Nate McGhee ranks 11th all-time in career kills over his four seasons with the 黑料正能量 men鈥檚 volleyball team (2021-24). He earned Third-Team All-CVC honors in 2023 and represented the United States on a team in Italy that summer.

Learning to lead

Off the volleyball court, McGhee found a firm footing in 黑料正能量鈥檚 classrooms and campus community. He earned a spot on the Dean鈥檚 List, an honor given to students with a semester GPA of at least 3.75. He grew more comfortable opening up to others on campus and seeking help when needed. He credited his advisor, Dr. Jim Leaman, associate professor of business, with helping keep him on track.

鈥淚 probably wouldn鈥檛 have graduated without him,鈥� McGhee said. 鈥淗e became a mentor to me and was with me every step of the way.鈥�

He said his parents鈥� love and support also helped him persevere when times were tough. 

鈥淔or a while, I felt like I was letting them down and failing at life,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut they told me it鈥檚 what you do after failing that makes it a failure. If you stay down and give up, then you鈥檝e failed. But if you get up and learn from your mistakes, then the mistake is history.鈥�

After graduating with a degree in business administration and marketing in spring 2024, McGhee stayed at 黑料正能量 as a graduate assistant coach for head men鈥檚 volleyball coach Omar Hoyos Aliff while pursuing his MBA, which he completed this past spring.

McGhee plans to use his degrees to build a career in sports marketing. He鈥檚 applied for positions with professional athletic organizations such as League One Volleyball.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 really what I have a passion for,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ventually, maybe five years down the line, I would love to open my own business sponsoring athletes and getting them more exposure.鈥�

While coaching was never a career path he considered as a player, his experience as a graduate assistant has shown him that he has a knack for it and genuinely enjoys it. 鈥淚 like seeing player growth,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 look at volleyball as an art. You can always build on it and learn something new.鈥�

McGhee said that multitasking, time management, and resilience are all skills he learned while at 黑料正能量. 鈥淚鈥檝e definitely developed a lot of confidence in my craft,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a lot of confidence before I came here in anything I did, and at 黑料正能量 I鈥檝e learned how to lead with confidence.鈥�

When the Royals men鈥檚 volleyball team traveled to Ashland in April for the 2026 ODAC Championship match against Randolph-Macon, it was a full-circle moment for McGhee. The Yellow Jackets ultimately prevailed in the , but the match reminded him of the many times he had faced his former team, including a conference quarterfinal at Randolph-Macon during his senior year when the Royals swept the Yellow Jackets.

鈥淭hat was unreal,鈥� McGhee said. 鈥淲henever I played games there, I always did poorly because I felt there was something hanging over me. But that game, and this last game we played, really showed me how much I鈥檝e grown.鈥�

Watch Nate talk about the close-knit community and support he found at 黑料正能量.

This story appears in the summer 2026 issue of Crossroads magazine.

That’s the question 黑料正能量 students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests will tackle at a forum Jan. 22, beginning at 8:45 a.m. in the Suter Science Center that is open to the community. Read more about the event…

The university is hosting the morning-long event to foster a sense of ownership and excitement in plans to renovate the existing science center and create a sustainable learning environment. The “how green?” question invites people to dream about innovation and how sustainable building fits with 黑料正能量’s core vision and mission.

“There’s no doubt 黑料正能量 is committed to building green,” said President Loren Swartzendruber about the upcoming event, noting that 黑料正能量 is well-known for its energy-efficient buildings.

The school’s historical commitment to sustainable building is well documented, he noted. “Now that we are in the planning phase of a significant building project, we are considering how to mesh our values and dreams with the realities of appropriate funding goals and a booming new field in green technologies,” the president stated.

The forum will include input on Anabaptist theology and sustainability by retired sociologist Dr. Calvin Redekop; a summary of 黑料正能量’s track record on sustainability by Eldon Kurtz, director of 黑料正能量 facilities; an overview of green design and building with Bill Barnard, LEED-AP certified architect with the . The event will also include discussion on 黑料正能量’s principles of sustainability.

Current students who are part of a new “green design” class this semester at 黑料正能量 will also participate. They will gather ideas at the forum to research throughout the coming semester.

Planners hope that a building project that has the backing of the campus and broader community will:

• Model the community’s theological commitment to creation care and God’s mandate in Micah 6:8 to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.”
• Serve the university well from a pedagogical perspective.
• Attract students and faculty who share 黑料正能量’s core values.
• Showcase the university’s creativity, innovation and motivation.

The forum will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 12 noon, Tuesday Jan. 22, 2008. It is free and open to all.

The event is sponsored by the university’s Creation Care Council. See more at www.emu.edu/begreen. Email questions to begreen@emu.edu or phone 432-4348.

“Blue Like Jazz//Live,” a solo theatrical multimedia performance based on celebrated author Donald Miller’s book, will be presented 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, in Lehman Auditorium.

Professional actor Jason Hildebrand incorporates video, projected motion graphic and an original jazz soundscape in presenting a personal, raw and humorous reflection on spirituality, God, and community.

Hildebrand, also a dramatist and performance coach, has performed in theater, film and television and tours the globe with his critically-acclaimed solo performances.

He also works with organizations, theater and film companies and educational institutions in various capacities across North America and in Europe.

“Blue Like Jazz//Live, besides being an amazing theatrical experience, seeks to provide a catalyst for drawing people into a deeper exploration of the soul and to foster community,” 黑料正能量 campus pastor Brian Martin Burkholder said.

The event is sponsored by the Student Government Association, Campus Ministries, Young People’s Christian Association and Campus Activities Council.

General admission is $5 at the door; free with 黑料正能量 I.D.

Some area children will open Christmas packages who may otherwise not receive any gifts, thanks to the efforts of several 黑料正能量 students.

For the second year, 黑料正能量 social work majors sponsored a project to buy gifts for a holiday drive coordinated by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Department of Social Services (DSS). The students raised more than $800 toward this year’s drive from 黑料正能量 faculty, staff and fellow students.

The project benefits about 460 clients, most of them children of needy families.

DSS gave the students 24 clients’ first names and a Christmas wish list for each.

majors Heather M. Hernley, Megan R. Yoder, Emiley F. Wagler, Sarah G. Yoder and Gabrielle S. (Gabby) Lewis spent more than four hours shopping, then returned to campus and spent an evening wrapping and labeling the gifts.

黑料正能量 social work professor Jane Wenger Clemens helps deliver more than $800 in gifts.
Photo by Gretchen Hostetter Maust

Jane Wenger Clemens, assistant professor of social work, and Gretchen Hostetter Maust, office coordinator, delivered the gifts to DSS on Dec. 7 for a Christmas party held Dec. 11.

“As social work students, we feel a connection to the community and wanted to respond to a local need,” said Heather M. Hernley, a senior from Luray, Va. “It felt good to support this project, and we were pleased with the response in financial gifts from the campus community.”

Look out, Harrisonburg, the college students are coming.

黑料正能量 wants to introduce its newest group of first-year students to the community by some direct involvement in local service programs.

For the first time, as part of its orientation program, some 300 new 黑料正能量 students and student orientation leaders will spend Saturday, Aug. 28, working with non-profit and other social service agencies.

“We want our students to understand that they are not coming just to a college campus, but to a real community that has both needs and opportunities for learning,” said Deanna F. Durham, community learning coordinator at 黑料正能量.

“We require all first-year students to do 15 hours of community service their first semester. This ‘Day of Service’ is designed to introduce them to the many non-profits and social service agencies in our communities and to accomplish some much-needed work in our community just before school starts,” she added.

The program will begin at 10 a.m. in Lehman Auditorium with a welcome and comments from Vice-Mayor Rodney Eagle, Ron Copeland, an 黑料正能量 student and former owner of The Little Grill restaurant; Adam Starks, a 2003 黑料正能量 graduate and manager of Panera Bread; and representatives from local non-profit agencies.

In addition, locally-owned restaurants and Panera Bread have agreed to host and provide lunch for the students or donate food for lunch. Local non-profits will host the students for an afternoon of community service. Transportation will be provided by Harrisonburg Transit and 黑料正能量 vans.

Participating restaurants include Little Grill, Chanello’s Pizza, Lil’ Italia, Calhoun’s, Mr. J’s Bagels, Panera Bread, Bombay Indian Restaurant, Taste of Thai and the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) cafe.

The organizations where students will work include Black’s Run Greenway, The Children’s Museum, Gift and Thrift, Artisan’s Hope, Booksavers, A World of Goods, Salvation Army Thrift Store, Camp Kaleidescope, Camp Still Meadows, WVPT, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Glen Eco Farm, Our Community Place, Highland Retreat, Rockingham Memorial Hospital, Crossing Creeks, Mercy House, VMRC and Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center.

Activities will run through 5 p.m. that day.