鈥淭hat first or second week, I thought, 鈥業鈥檓 not gonna make it. This is my last semester here, and I鈥檓 not coming back,鈥欌�� she recalled.

But then, she said, she began forming deep connections with her professors.

鈥淕oing to school with students nearly half my age, I felt a little more connected with my professors than with my fellow students,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I started making those connections, I had this feeling that I was going to be OK after all.鈥�

She had met her advisor, English Professor Dr. Kevin Seidel, during an open house the previous fall. 鈥淗e checked in one day to make sure I was doing all right,鈥� Beachy said. 鈥淲e talked about how my experience was going, and that was super helpful.鈥�

Beachy graduated with degrees in English and writing studies last spring after five semesters at 黑料正能量. She had transferred to the university from online classes at Blue Ridge Community College. By the time she enrolled at 黑料正能量, she had already spent four years teaching at the church school she graduated from and another 10 years developing curriculum at in Harrisonburg.

When Beachy, who lives in Staunton, expressed interest in pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 degree, a co-worker at Christian Light recommended 黑料正能量. He thought the close-knit community would be a good fit for her, and he was right.

鈥淭he fact that 黑料正能量 is small makes it more personable,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel like you get to know your professors better. I didn鈥檛 know that when I started, but I鈥檝e enjoyed that.鈥�

She mentioned Dr. Marti Eads and Chad Gusler as faculty members she鈥檚 grown close to. 鈥淚 appreciate the connections I made here, and I feel that some of my professors are still my friends,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e people I connect with when I see them, which is really useful.鈥�

Beachy worked part-time at Christian Light while taking classes as a full-time student and tried to find courses that fit her busy schedule. When the registrar suggested she take a sociology class, she enrolled in Dr. Gaurav Pathania鈥檚 class.

She described the sociology professor as 鈥渧ery personable鈥� and fondly recalled that he served chai and cookies in class. 鈥淭hat was something I always enjoyed,鈥� Beachy said. 鈥淲e would have discussions outside of class, too, and it was interesting to hear his perspectives on life in India versus life here.鈥� She enjoyed his introductory sociology class so much that she signed up for more classes with Pathania. Those sociology classes helped her think about the world differently and better understand social issues.

Pathania remembers Beachy as never missing a class and demonstrating a level of thoughtfulness and maturity that set her apart. 鈥淛oyce is truly one of the most exceptional students I have encountered in my five years of teaching at 黑料正能量,鈥� he wrote.

Through a 鈥淟ocal Context鈥� intercultural program, Beachy spent a summer studying various neighborhoods and social groups in Harrisonburg. That experience led her to try different ethnic restaurants in the area. 鈥淚 still enjoy doing that to this day,鈥� she said.

Last spring, Beachy served as an editorial intern for 黑料正能量鈥檚 marketing and communications department, writing many well-received articles for 黑料正能量 News. She attended the 2025 Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship Conference and wrote a recap about it. Her story about the intercultural to Guatemala and Mexico was one of the most read stories of 2025. She also wrote about an initiative by the Latinx Student Alliance to distribute 鈥淜now Your Rights鈥� cards to members of Harrisonburg鈥檚 immigrant community. At the same time, she volunteered to help adult English learners at 黑料正能量鈥檚 Intensive English Program, which was at the heart of another article written by her.

Near the end of her time at 黑料正能量, Beachy was promoted to the role of literacy coordinator at Christian Light Publications. She said her employer is helping reimburse her for tuition costs.

鈥淚n the (conservative Mennonite) setting where I come from, it鈥檚 not as common for people to pursue higher education,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 have any program in place to help with tuition costs, but now they want to offer it to others who want to go to college, which I鈥檓 really excited about. It means some reimbursement for me, but it also opens a path for other people.鈥�

Beachy said there are advantages to attending college as a nontraditional, older student. She met students who knew what they wanted to do and were serious about studying, as well as others who were in college because their parents wanted them there. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 know what they were doing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 always felt sorry for them and wished they could just go out and work for a couple years and figure out what they actually wanted to do.鈥�

She mentioned reading The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald that was turned into a Brad Pitt movie a couple decades ago.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about a guy who鈥檚 born an old man, and he goes through life backwards,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e thought about that story sometimes with my experience at 黑料正能量. I felt like I was doing things backwards. Most people go to school and then start their careers. I did my career first, then went to school. But I鈥檓 really glad I did it. Now, if I have friends in their 30s who say, 鈥極h, I want to go to college,鈥� I tell them, 鈥榊eah, you should. It鈥檚 absolutely worth it.鈥欌��

黑料正能量鈥檚 financial aid notification packet has a new look, and people are starting to notice.

The packet of information, mailed to every admitted undergraduate student with a FAFSA on file at 黑料正能量, simplifies the often complicated financial aid process by outlining the total aid offered and the costs students will be expected to cover. It includes information on grants, scholarships, and loans, as well as direct and indirect costs of an education at 黑料正能量.

Once a drab bundle of letters and forms, the financial aid notification packet has been delightfully redesigned through a collaboration between 黑料正能量鈥檚 marketing and communications department and Farmville, Virginia-based marketing agency .

The new-and-improved 鈥淔AN packet鈥� features the design of a sunrise over the familiar Massanutten Mountain ridgeline and bright, attention-grabbing colors. It also uses friendly, approachable typefaces with bold, easy-to-read text. Each packet comes with a set of 黑料正能量-branded stickers, perfect for laptops, phone cases, water bottles, and notebooks.

It鈥檚 anything but ordinary, reflecting 黑料正能量鈥檚 unique and diverse campus, its commitment to providing a transformative and accessible education, and the care it puts into supporting students and families through the financial aid process.

鈥淭his project was all about transparency, organization, and user-focused design: helping students and families navigate an important decision with confidence,鈥� reads a Facebook post from Letterpress Communications.

黑料正能量鈥檚 marketing and communications department teamed up with Farmville-based Letterpress Communications to design its reimagined financial aid notification packet.

Best of Show

Representatives from the marketing agency attended the Southwest Virginia American Advertising Awards in Abingdon, Virginia, on Feb. 28. There, 黑料正能量鈥檚 FAN packet won a Gold ADDY, a top honor in the advertising industry, as well as the Best of Show award, recognizing it as the best overall piece in the competition.

It will now compete at the district level against Gold ADDY winners from Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. If the FAN packet wins gold at the district level (winners are announced in April), it will advance to the national competition in June.

鈥淭his is truly terrific news,鈥� said Braydon Hoover 鈥�11, MAOL 鈥�21, vice president of enrollment and marketing. 鈥淔or the nearly 1,000 students and families who have already received the FAN packet, this award demonstrates just how special the financial aid process is here at 黑料正能量.鈥�

鈥淲e are committed to doing everything we can to make the financial aid process as simple and understandable as possible,鈥� said Troy Martin, director of financial aid for 黑料正能量. 鈥淭he next step, if you鈥檝e received a FAN packet and haven鈥檛 done so already, is to review it with your family and your admissions counselor.鈥�

For more information about your financial aid notification, visit .