Meet The Via Scholars
The Via Scholarships are made possible through the generosity of the late Mrs. Marion Bradley Via of Roanoke, Virginia, and her family. In 1987, Mrs. Via contributed $5 million each to the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering. Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors subsequently named the ECE department in honor of Mrs. Via’s deceased father, Harry Lynde Bradley, and the CEE department in honor of her late husband, Charles E. Via, Jr. Mrs. Via died in 1993. Both departments use a portion of the endowment to award scholarships to qualifying students.
These scholarships are among the most competitive in the country. Since the Via endowment was created in 1987, the department has received more than $20 million in support. We are proud to acknowledge that this is the 39th year of the Via endowment and the Via Report. We want to take this opportunity to recognize the current Via scholars as well as alumni that have come through the program for the last 39 years and continue to fulfill the mission set by the Via family.
Emily Sandt
Hometown: Berlin, Maryland
Career Goals: After graduation, I plan to join a transportation consulting firm. I hope to earn my Professional Engineer (PE) license and build a career where I can lead transportation and infrastructure projects from concept through construction. As I grow into project management, I want to use my technical knowledge and leadership skills to create safe, sustainable infrastructure that positively impacts my community and those of the future.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS
Gabriel Ackall
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Georgia Institute of Technology
Career Goals: I plan to earn an S.E. with the goal to start up my own company around adaptive reuse, structural design, and repair. Along the way, I hope to get involved in industry organizations to better building codes and the structural engineering profession.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS
Shelby Balding
Hometown: Centennial, CO
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Auburn University
Career Goals: Following graduation, I plan to work in forensic engineering, focusing on post-disaster response and failure investigations. I also aim to earn my P.E. license and help communities evaluate and rebuild critical infrastructure.
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Catherine Caputo
Hometown: Round Hill, VA
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: After earning my M.S., I will be working for Southland Industries as a Project Engineer I in Dulles, VA. My aim is to advance along the project management path while specializing in large-scale data center construction.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS
Liz Chen
Hometown: Bristol, Tennessee
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Notre Dame University
Career Goals: After finishing my M.S, I intend to work in industry in forensic engineering. I also aim to work toward obtaining my professional engineering license
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Abby DeCosta
Hometown: Dublin, Virginia
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: After graduation, I hope to pursue a career in structural engineering to gain hands-on experience and obtain professional licensure. My long-term goal is to get my PhD and begin research topics that have an impact in my community.
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Reagan Fields
Hometown: Chesapeake, VA
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: To build a successful career in construction management by gaining hands-on field experience, developing strong leadership and project management skills, and progressing into a Project Manager role where I can lead complex projects from planning through completion.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Megan Goulden
Hometown: Wharton, New Jersey
Location of Undergraduate Studies: United States Coast Guard Academy
Career Goals: Upon completing my M.S. degree, I plan to work as a Civil Engineer for the Coast Guard, improving the service's shore infrastructure and facilities. I hope to one day teach Environmental Engineering at the US Coast Guard Academy
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Anthony Hinson
Hometown: Grove, PA
Location of Undergraduate Studies: United States Air Force Academy
Career Goals: To become a squadron commander, have a fulfilling 20-year career, and have a positive impact on those I will lead.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Justin Lytle
Hometown: Hamilton, Ohio
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: After finishing my M.S., I plan to continue novel research in drinking water and pursue a job in consulting.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Emma Miller
Hometown: DeWitt, Iowa
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Iowa State University
Career Goals: My goal is to work as an environmental process engineer to design public water and wastewater facilities to help improve public and environmental health in small and underserved communities.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Samuel Peairs Nakai
Hometown: Winchester, Virginia
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: I aim to improve the reliability of design through the procurement of advanced data retrieval methods for both seismic and nuclear applications.
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Rory Oden
Hometown: Muncy, Pennsylvania
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Carnegie Mellon University
Career Goals: After completing my M.S., my career goal is to work in construction engineering with an emphasis in public policy. By analyzing the effects of policy decisions on local communities, I aim to drive the adoption of safer and more sustainable industry practices.
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Alexis Sexton
Hometown: Lexington, SC
Location of Undergraduate Studies: West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Career Goals: I plan to become a project manager or preconstruction manager on large-scale infrastructure or commercial builds. I strive to bridge the gap between designers and the construction industry to help deliver safer and more economical builds.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Grace Smith
Hometown: Concord, NC
Location of Undergraduate Studies: UNC Chapel Hill
Career Goals: I plan to pursue research roles at the intersection of water quality, microbiology, and public health. I hope to also eventually earn a PhD in a field related to these studies.
SUSTAINABLE LAND DEVELOPMENT
Brynna Tan
Hometown: Humboldt, Nebraska
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Concordia University-Nebraska
Career Goals: My career goal is to integrate emerging geomatic technologies with spatial analytics to address topographic and geographic challenges in land development, creating more efficient, sustainable, and resilient built environments.
Della Thomas
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS
Amelia Thieman
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Career Goals: After completing my MS, I plan to pursue a career in forensic engineering with a focus on structural collapse investigation and response. I hope to become involved in industry organizations, working to improve infrastructure standards and safety, and to eventually serve on a disaster response team.
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Paul Atwood
Hometown: Temple, Texas
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Utah State University
Career Goals: I will teach engineering at the Air Force Academy. and continue my military career as a Civil Engineer Officer, leveraging my Virginia Tech experience to bring cutting edge pavement design and rehabilitation techniques to the Air Force.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Megan Beever
Hometown: Stratham, New Hampshire
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: I hope to continue my research in academia or the federal government after graduating.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Michael Bennett
Hometown: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Lafayette College
Career Goals: After earning my Ph.D., I want to return to practice as a civil engineering consultant and work on large-scale domestic infrastructure projects to improve the free flow of people, commerce, and ideas within the United States.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Emme Bina
Hometown: Wichita, Kansas
Location of Undergraduate Studies: University of Kansas
Career Goals: After I complete my PhD, I would love to work for an environmental non-profit, where I will focus on pressing water resource issues and their policy implications.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Megan Blumenauer
Hometown: Middletown, Maryland
Location of Undergraduate Studies: University of Maryland, College Park
Career Goals: After earning my PhD, I want to continue research on the provisioning of ecosystem services to enhance human health and well-being. I hope to work in the public sector, leveraging engineering and social sciences to improve social quality by working with policymakers.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Daniel Ceglio
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Purdue University
Career Goals: After graduation, I just want to be happy, More specifically, I want an indoor basketball court and a pet raccoon.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Elowen Cox
Hometown: Christiansburg, Virginia
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Military Institute
Career Goals: I want to develop novel solutions to practical problems in water systems, domestically and abroad, to provide clean drinking water free of pathogens and contaminants of concern.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Paul Debole
Hometown: Cranford, New Jersey
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: After graduating, I would like to work as a postdoc at a national lab studying how to make water systems more resilient. From there, I plan to become a professor and lead a research group that studies water use and governance.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Alexandra Defalco
Hometown: Cohutta, Georgia
Location of Undergraduate Studies: University of South Carolina
Career Goals: I endeavor to contribute to water resilience research impacting resource availability. After graduation, I aspire to remain in academia to teach the growing relevance and interdisciplinary nature of water resources to future generations.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Fred Falcone
Hometown: Pembroke, Massachusetts
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Wentworth Institute of Technology
Career Goals: After completing my Ph.D., I want to continue work in research. My plan is to either continue in academia and work as a professor or to work for a research facility.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Krystin Kadonsky
Hometown: Clearwater, Florida
Location of Undergraduate Studies: University of South Florida
Career Goals: My main goal in my career is to help others, and Virginia Tech has provided my the opportunity to focus my expertise on pathogens in drinking water and wastewater. Throughout my career after graduation, I would like to provide mentorship to younger aspiring engineers, and help solve public health crises for communities in need. I would also like to write my own version of “Kitchen Confidential” one day, perhaps after I’m retired.
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Lillian Kobe
Hometown: Southaven, MS
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: I hope to continue in academia and research while furthering interdisciplinary studies within the field of sustainable land development.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Clayton Markham
Hometown: Syracuse, New York
Location of Undergraduate Studies: University at Buffalo
Career Goals: I would like to be a professor of environmental engineering concomitantly performing cutting-edge research and educating the next generation of environmental engineers to protect both planet and people.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS
Jack Mays
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Location of Undergraduate Studies: University of Central Florida
Career Goals: After obtaining an M.S., I hope to work towards a Ph.D. on a structural engineering topic. I also hope to obtain my P.E. and work in structural engineering.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Lillian Mcintosh
Hometown: Abilene, Texas
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Abilene Christian University
Career Goals: Upon completing my degree, I plan to pursue consulting as a wastewater treatment process engineer. My goal is to help communities on the municipal scale to have access to sustainable wastewater treatment. Later in my career journey, I hope to become a professor in an effort to lead future generations of rising engineers.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Zachary Ostrum
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Virginia Tech
Career Goals: Potentially pursue a career in academia
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Abigal Percich
Hometown: Lawrence, KS
Location of Undergraduate Studies: University of Kansas
Career Goals: I am pursuing a research-oriented career in water resources and environmental engineering, with a focus on synthesizing scientific findings to inform environmental management and policy decisions.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS
Bo Rider
Hometown: Bethesda, MD
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Cornell University
Career Goals: I aim to direct what I've learned during my PhD towards further research, design, and creation of modern, sustainable structures, particularly using 3D concrete printing.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Meave Storm
Hometown: Gretna, LA
Location of Undergraduate Studies: Florida State University
Career Goals: I hope to work at a government agency, national laboratory, or consulting firm, addressing environmental challenges involving fluid dynamics in rivers, estuaries, and coastal systems.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES
Olivia Yancey
Hometown: Redlands, California
Location of Undergraduate Studies: The University of Oklahoma
Career Goals: My career goals after completing my Ph.D. are to return to the government sector where I wish to work on water outbreaks. I plan to use my skills to protect public health by identifying, investigating, and preventing outbreaks caused by pathogens in various water sources