Tag: Clubs and Activities

Emma Funkhouser ’24 grew up in Rockbridge County, often attending events at Virginia Military Institute. She knew she wanted to make an impact, somehow, while attending college and into the future. 

“I got to see the character of people who came out of here and see the success that people were set up for here,” she said.  

That was one of the main reasons she chose to attend VMI.

Giving back and being part of the community is in her blood. Her father is a police officer, and she grew up participating in Girl Scouts.  

“I grew up with that aspect of giving back to the community, it is one of the best things you can do,” she said. 

She’s the cadet in charge (CIC) for VMI’s Building BRIDGES Club, which bridges the gap between VMI cadets, faculty, and staff and the community. Bijon Bose ’24, the other CIC for the club said he was drawn to serve his community, and helping out the community is just part of being a cadet.  

“This club is important to VMI because all cadets should be willing to serve in a capacity greater than themselves or serve others,” said Bose, a computer science major. “Every cadet at least should want to serve others. You don’t come to VMI with selfish intentions. We have our code of cadet; we have rules for how cadets should act. I think Building BRIDGES provides cadets a way to engage with the community where they wouldn’t have been able to do so by themselves.” 

Some goals of the club include facilitating learning outside the classroom, while providing space to have discussions concerning societal issues. The club helps develop the citizen -soldier mindset, while expanding critical thinking skills, promoting the ideas of selflessness, and creating compassionate engagement in the community.  

From guest speaker events, the Braver Angels debates, building with the area’s Habitat for Humanity, helping the Rockbridge SPCA, to making holiday postcards for local assisted living facilities, mentoring school children from kindergarten through grade 12, the club touches all aspects of the community. 

Funkhouser and Bose are both cadet EMTs, so they have a pulse on what sort of things need to be addressed in the community — both on and off post. One of the foundational aspects of VMI is creating citizen-soldiers, said Funkhouser, a chemistry major, who is pre-med. Building BRIDGES emphasizes the citizen aspect of that. She said that VMI focuses a lot on the soldier aspect, so this club helps cadets interact and connect with the community.  

Bose, Funkhouser, along with Madelyn Kennedy ’25, assistant CIC, hold a meeting at the beginning and end of the year. Throughout the two semesters, though, the club acts as a call-to-action group. There are several service projects or activities the club participates in — anytime there’s an event or activity, there’s a bulletin sent out asking for volunteers.  

The club is made up of about 40 members and holds dozens of different activities throughout the year. Bose said there’s no set schedule on what they do. It’s even open for rats to join.  

Most of the club’s events on post are open to the full VMI community, so a lot of cadets who are not in the club participate. Hundreds of cadets have participated in the club’s fall debate, the Social Business Standards event, the fall Life, Culture and Society film event, and the Native American Heritage event. 

“The nature of the things that we do is very dynamic. We’ll have people from the community reach out to us on a few day’s’ notice,” he said. “Some weeks ago, a few of us went to the public library and we helped out with moving shelves there and that was on short notice.” 

Col. Valentina Dimitrova-Grajzl, along with Lt. Col. Sara Whipple and Dr. Sabrina Laroussi, are faculty co-advisors for the club. Dimitrova-Grajzl said the club aims to build relationships and connections between people. 

“That is very meaningful, especially when technology facilitates living in our echo chambers and augments divisions,” she said. “Our club leaders have the opportunity to be creative, to communicate with multiple stakeholders, and to learn how to organize events. All of our club members have the opportunity to develop new skills, gain a sense of efficacy, and develop an appreciation for community engagement and service. We are very proud of the work of our club leaders and members. Cadets always do exceptional work, which is why the community reaches out to us with volunteer opportunities on a regular basis.”

Bose said he can see that they are fostering good relationships between VMI and the community. 

“I think it shows the community that cadets are always there to help. People from the community reach out to our club all the time because they know that we’re kind of the liaison between cadets and the community,” he said. 

Funkhouser said the club serves as a reminder for the Corps of the type of standards they are held to. 

“I think the Corps really appreciates the fact that we do set up events for everything and have that kind of in with our community,” she said. “If you need help, absolutely let us know. Anybody would be willing to do anything for you.” 

When Carter Wasser ’25 got in a plane to fly it for the first time, she was scared for her life. Climbing up in the sky, they reached the desired altitude, and her instructor took his hands off the controls. She grabbed on, let her fears settle, and ended up falling in love with flight.  

“I found my passion of aviation at that moment,” she said. “It was insane to be so high up. I was just around my hometown so I could see it from a different perspective. That’s one of the things I love about aviation is you can go up and see the world from a different perspective and kind of just breathe for a little bit.”

Wasser is part of Virginia Military Institute’s Aviation Club. It’s selective — only eight people can join at a time, because VMI foots the bill for participating cadets to get five hours of flight time towards their private pilot’s license. The contract is through Blue Ridge Aviation, based out of Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport.  

The club is open to 1st Class cadets, with the exception of some 2nd Class cadets. Wasser and Brayden Jones ’24 were some of those exceptions — both joining as 2nd Class cadets. The enrollment process for the club is first-come, first-serve, with higher classmen getting first dibs.  

Those who participate in the club have to give a good deal of their time up for it. It requires travel to the airport in Weyers Cave, then hours up in the sky. Jones said you have to have your own transportation to make the trips to clock your flight hours.  

“People who are in a lot of different clubs or NCAA stuff, we kind of stay away from because we want to make sure people are getting the most hours as they can so that we can keep the club up and running since there’s not a lot of people,” said Jones, who is the cadet in charge of the club. 

The club is also geared towards those who plan on commissioning and entering the aviation field. Wasser said the club is a good opportunity to test it out — aviation in the military is selective, so the club gives a good option to try it out.  

To get your private pilot’s license, you need a total of 140 flight hours. The club will provide five of them each year per cadet. Members have already racked up hours, though, ranging from 15 to 40 hours.  

Club activities include understanding the basic flight controls of a Cessna 172, understanding flight pictures, also studying and working toward the written test portion of the private pilot’s license, which consists of a random selection of 60 total questions from a pool of 1,000.  

“It’s all learning about the flight controls of the Cessna 172 and how that correlates to flying in the Shenandoah area because flying the mountains is not the easiest thing in the world,” Wasser said.  

Experience in the air 

Wasser may have more flight time and plane experience than most members. She’s been flying back home in King George, Virginia. Graduating high school during COVID-19, her parents gifted her flight lessons.  

“I ended up falling in love with it. So, after my few flight lessons, I convinced my parents that I should continue, so I’ve been working on it for about two years now,” she said. “Every summer I go home I take flying lessons and work towards that.” 

But Jones went up in a plane to fly it for the first time last year. He said the instructor was surprised by how Jones kept his cool.  

“A lot of people kind of freak out when they get on the controls for the first time,” he said, but his instructor pointed out that, despite the plan doing weird things, Jones was able to remain calm and under control. “Then I got down on the ground and I was like, ‘OK, this is awesome. I’ve got to keep doing this.’ And I knocked out my hours for the first semester in like two or three weeks.”

Both are commissioning after graduation — Jones into the Navy and Wasser into the Army, both with aviation paths. For Jones, after graduation, he must teach for two years while waiting to go to flight school in the Navy.  

“I’m going to work towards getting my private pilot’s license and then fly in the Navy. Whatever they give me., I’m just happy flying,” he said.  

His plan after the military is flying privately for either the Department of Defense or other companies that have private pilots flying smaller planes. 

Wasser said she hopes after her time in the military she could come back to her hometown area near the Chesapeake Bay to work on conservation work. She wants to use her civil engineering degree and private pilot’s license to work with farmers and apply it to pesticide runoff reduction into the Chesapeake Bay. 

“Growing up on a farm I’d seen so many species die from runoff, pesticides, and herbicides,” she said. “I could take the flying aspect and the being outside aspect and kind of go out to farmers, get their soil, take it back to my lab tested and then take my own airplane and apply it and know that I was doing the right thing for the Chesapeake Bay, because that’s my home.” 

Calin Green ’24 was looking to escape from the rush hour of cadets at Virginia Military Institute’s regular gym. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday around 4 p.m. he’d run into an influx of other cadets trying to get a workout in.  

With a background in wrestling, he was looking for options in strength training. Plus, he wanted to stay in shape in preparation for commissioning into the Marines, while also participating in ROTC. 

“Powerlifting was really right up my alley, and I fell in love with it really quickly,” the psychology major said.  

As the cadet in charge of the VMI Powerlifting Club, he said even though the club is a team, the sport itself is a competition with yourself.  

“You’re trying to better yourself,” he said. “This is such an individually-focused sport. You can really focus on what you did right and what you did wrong. There’s no other confounding factor, like an opponent you’re going against.” 

You can be your greatest competition, Green continued.  

“IIt’s just you and that bar and whether you get it up or not,” he said. “Usually you can see or feel what exactly went wrong. Whether there was a missed groove in your form or if you just chose too heavy of a weight for your next lift.  It’s also something that you can constantly improve at and you can track your improvement very easily.” 

Although it’s an individual sport, the club is very team-oriented. When someone is going for a personal record (PR), the rest of the club is there to back them up and cheer them on. The powerlifting gym, which is in the basement of Cocke Hall on post, is completely outfitted for heavy lifting — plus it has an amazing sound system that allows for music to be blasted while members work out.  

“I like the type of people that it attracts, and the environment of the gym, especially,” Green said. “Everyone’s very supportive of each other and their lifts and their goals. I think it’s good to have people that support you and I think it’s good to support other people and their goals. I just think it fosters growth better than anything else.” 

Powerlifting club also provides a good mental break.  

“I think being able to give your maximum effort in something and just say that I trained the hardest that I possibly could today, that it makes you feel like you’re worth something, makes you feel like you can do something and it makes you better off,” Green said. 

Owen Clifford ’24, a civil engineering major, got into the club post-Breakout after he started hitting the gym more. He was looking for a club sport to participate in and he had heard from several friends that powerlifting was a good option.  

The assistant cadet in charge for the club said his favorite part about the club is the separate space and equipment allotted for the club. But also, being surrounded by people who are working towards the same goals.  

“That creates a very encouraging environment and people to kind of compete with internally,” he said. “Having the guidance from the coaches to make sure that I’m doing the best I can so I’m reaching a much higher goal, much higher lifts than I would just on my own in the normal gym.”

Both Green and Clifford said having the powerlifting club is a good departure from the demands of being a VMI cadet.  

“Having a little outlet — the hour and a half, where you’re not really worried about anything else, you don’t even worry about how long you have to be there because that’s your time to be there,” Clifford said. “So it makes it super easy to just focus on that. Go as hard as you want to, have the music pretty much as loud as the speakers will handle, and just work on yourself before finishing up the day.” 

The club centers on three main lifts: deadlift, back squat, and bench. The club, which has about 40 members, participates in various competitions throughout the year, where members are broken up into different weight classes. On average, about 20 cadets participate in the club practices regularly.  

Coach David Henson, police captain for VMI Police, and Coach Rebecca Owen enjoy interacting with the cadets and boosting their physical power. Henson has been coaching the team since 2013 and became head coach in 2016. The two work with cadets on their form, technique, programming, and preparation for competitions or meets.  

“Working with the cadets doing something they are very passionate about not only helps them but helps us as well,” Henson said. “Powerlifting is tough not only physically, but mentally. It’s a maximal strength sport and you have to have an appreciation for strength to enjoy lifting heavy weights a majority of the time.” 

The sport, he says, is beneficial in increasing overall strength and requires “sacrifice, discipline, discomfort, and determination.” 

“What makes it worth it is when you lift a weight that you previously thought was impossible,” he said.  

This is Owen’s ninth year coaching the team.  

“As coaches, we are trained to pick apart the power lifts (squat, bench, deadlift). We are pretty good at picking out weaknesses due to technique or muscle imbalances,” she said. “The strength aspect definitely helps with physical fitness tests, but one of the biggest benefits is being a part of the powerlifting family. We tend to develop strong relationships as we support each other in the trenches — tough training, maximal efforts in competitions, etcetera.” 

The two coaches said they most enjoy seeing the progress and transformation of the club’s members.  

“I really enjoy interacting with the cadets at practice and when we travel to meets,” Henson said. “Powerlifters go out of their way to support one another and that creates a great atmosphere to be in, especially here at VMI where nothing is really easy. Watching the cadets hit a PR at a meet and being able to celebrate with them makes it all worthwhile. It shows them that hard work pays off and that carries over to other aspects of life.”   

When a cadet is looking for a unique club experience at the Virginia Military Institute, the equestrian club might just be the perfect fit. David Hess ’24 explained that the club is best known for its blend of riding, training, and trail adventures.  

The VMI Equestrian Club attracts a diverse group of cadets. Some, like Hess, come from horse-related backgrounds, while others enter the equestrian world with no prior experience. At the heart of this club is Tish Vest, a dedicated horse trainer who leads the club.  

“She will work with anybody and teach you everything you need to know,” said Hess, the cadet in charge.  

Access to the equestrian club is made possible through Vest, who boards the horses, some of which belong to her, while others are owned by individuals who pay for their care at her barn.

Cadets, in return, provide a valuable service by riding and exercising these horses, ensuring their well-being.  

Saddling up to de-stress

For Hess, the equestrian club serves as a sanctuary from the rigors of academic life at VMI.  

“I love to get outside and go to the barn two to three times a week. It makes me feel like I’m at home,” he said.  

The stressors of everyday cadet life fade into the background as cadets interact with horses.  

“You truly do get to know the horses, and building a relationship with them is just like you do with a pet. It helps lighten your mood,” said Hess.  

The club’s regular weekly meetings begin at the Washington Arch on Thursdays. From there, the group travels to Windhorse Farm, where they saddle up for the evening.  

Once at the farm, club meetings are kicked off by grooming the horses. This task tidies up the animals and deepens the connection between rider and horse.  

“The first thing you do is brush them down, and that does two things: it cleans up the dirt and debris before putting the saddle on, and it also formulates your bond with the horse,” said Hess.  

Once the horses are ready, the cadets determine their riding goals for the day — whether it be in the ring or a trail ride — all under Vest’s guidance. The practice lasts for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, after which the cadets return to the barn to care for the horses, removing saddles and brushing them again.  

No equestrian experience? No problem.  

For cadets interested in joining the equestrian club with no prior horseback riding experience, Hess emphasizes the club’s welcoming and supportive atmosphere.  

“You don’t have to have any gear,” he says, “everything you need is available at the barn.” 

Newcomers can contact Hess to arrange a visit.  

The introductory experience resembles learning to swim, where they will quickly acclimate to the horses, their size, and their temperament.  

“You just kind of throw them on the horse and it’s sink-or-swim,” he said. “You’ve just got to get on the saddle and learn the technique from there.”   
 
“A lot of people who haven’t been around a horse get intimidated,” he said. “But the more you’re around them and get to know them, it’s almost like being around an oversized dog.”  

Currently, the equestrian club is comprised of around a dozen members, with an average of four to five cadets attending each practice. The flexible schedule accommodates the demanding commitments of cadet life, with members deciding on participation shortly before each session.  

On Matriculation Day in 2020, Joyce Ellis ’24 wore a shirt that said, “I was in chorus in high school.” It caught the attention of Col. John Brodie, Virginia Military Institute’s music director. 

“He was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you sing!’ she said. “He just had this crazy personality and he told me that I was coming to glee club, wrote my name down, then emailed me later.” 

She’s been in the VMI Glee Club since she was a rat — it’s one of the only clubs that rats can join. Glee club is also one of the oldest clubs on post. The club was first listed in the VMI yearbook, The Bomb, back in 1885, where the club performed with vocals, guitars, mandolins, and violins. 

According to Brodie, in the early days of glee, cadets would sing on the stoops around post and perform for the other cadets.  

The more-than-a-century-old club has been in high demand since its inception, performing around the country and the globe. Members like Ellis, who is the club’s vice president, say that their spring trip is often the highlight of the year, performing in places like Florida and even Puerto Rico. 

Club president Rommel Meza ’24 has an extensive background in vocal experience. The tenor was part of a professional acapella group at his high school in Petersburg, Virginia. It was something he wanted to continue, no matter what school he ended up at for his degree.  

Ben Lovingood ’25, the glee club secretary, has been in choir since elementary school. But, prior singing experience isn’t a prerequisite for joining the glee club. 

Overall, the club has a welcoming vibe. Meza said they encourage incoming rats and cadets who are showing up for the first time to step out of their comfort zone. The range of experience varies — some people have spent much of their life singing or being involved in music while others have never touched sheet music or even sung before. 

“You have kids like us who are willing to step in, help, encourage them, and teach them the ropes,” Meza said. “We’re just trying to keep an open and welcome vibe, ensuring that they step out of their comfort zone a little bit and try something new.” 

The club rehearses twice a week and includes two smaller ensembles — the “Men In Grey,” a male acapella group, and the “Sentinels,” a mixed voice specialty septet. 

“One of our main points is that you don’t have to have any singing experience,” Lovingood, a baritone, said. “Obviously it helps. But if you’ve literally never sung a song in your entire life, and you’re like, ‘I want to try this,’ then we’re very welcome to that.” 

Ellis, an alto, said the club really drives inclusivity, especially with the acceptance of rats into the club. 

“It makes it feel like more of a family for them, like stress relief from their day-to-day. So that’s kind of a big pull,” she said.  

For Ellis, the glee club was something she could look forward to every week. 

“I would know Mondays and Thursdays, I could be with some of my closest friends. And I would be able to just sing, which is what I really enjoy doing,” she said. “I just really love the environment, like how nice everyone was and how inclusive everyone was.” 

Members of the glee club also act as ambassadors for the Institute. 

“For the glee club, it’s not just performance-based. We’re also interacting with a lot of people, civilian speaking and alumni, too,” Lovingood said.  

“Every time we go out, we are acting as representatives for the Institute at all times,” Meza added.

Two years ago, the club went to Puerto Rico and performed at the governor’s mansion and for Congress. Last year, they performed in Florida. This spring, the club is headed back to Puerto Rico.

Brodie said the glee club allows cadets to have a musical outlet. With more than 60 other clubs on post, glee has to compete with a lot of variety. Brodie said there are only a few fine arts club cadets can choose from, glee being one of them. With the busy schedules, he said it can be tough for some cadets to fit it in, especially with the later practices twice a week.

“Singing kind of lets off steam,” he said.  

Brodie gets to put his hat in the ring for the music selection, picking more patriotic tunes and old standard acapella music. But, the members also get a say. In the past, they’ve done Disney songs, Beach Boys, and even Backstreet Boys. This year, Brodie said they’re working on “Killer Queen” by Queen and potentially some songs from the musical Hamilton.  

Overall, Brodie likes the musicality of the glee club and how it not only provides the members solace, but it gives those who are listening to it an experience they won’t forget.  

“I’ve had much more meaningful musical experiences, conducting concert music with the glee club than I ever get with the band or the jazz band or stuff like that,” he said. “It’s kind of cool. I’ve had times when the glee club could bring you to tears, like emotionally and you know, playing ‘Hey, baby’ doesn’t bring you to tears.”

Growing up, Reese Devries ’24 spent a lot of time on the water. His family owned a marina on the James River in the 1960s. As the seasons changed, so did their hobbies.  

“Fishing and being on the boat were kind of a segue into duck hunting,” he said. “Once the summer runs out, we’re switching over and trying to find something new to do on the weekends.” 

After spending time on both federal and state land, he was inspired to preserve the land he loved. Eventually, his family boating trips turned into clean-up efforts.  

“We would go out, and pick up trash, or rebuild blinds,” he said. “We wanted to keep the habitat up for fish, waterfowl, and everything else.”  

Throughout his childhood, Devries spent weekends hunting with his uncle and grandfather, and occasionally attended Ducks Unlimited meetings. During his first year at Virginia Military Institute, he learned that his uncle–dyke (a roommate of his senior mentor) was one of the founding members of VMI’s Ducks Unlimited Club.  

“He asked if any of us wanted to go to the club, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I love Ducks Unlimited,’” he said. “And now here I am — three years later, as a chairman.”  

What is Ducks Unlimited?  

The mission of Ducks Unlimited is to conserve, restore, and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. The VMI Ducks Unlimited Club hosts an annual banquet at the Commonwealth Club in Richmond, which is accomplished by fundraising through a live auction, raffle, donations, and selling tables.  

Last year at the annual banquet the VMI club raised $27,000 for Ducks Unlimited.  

“All of that money goes towards the conservation mission,” said Devries.

“We’re not just a VMI club — we’re also a part of a national organization,” said Devries, who is the cadet in charge of the club. “We get to work with people who have been doing this for 20 to 30 years, as opposed to us, who have only been in the club for three years.”  

With nearly 4,000 Ducks Unlimited chapters across the nation, the VMI Ducks Unlimited Club is making a huge mark.  

“We’ve been recognized as both a silver and an all-American chapter at our National Collegiate Conference,” said Devries. 

The VMI Ducks Unlimited Club works directly with the VMI Alumni Association, the regional director of Ducks Unlimited, and the chairman of the Richmond Ducks Unlimited Chapter, Elliot Warren ’17. With these resources at hand, the VMI club can send out invitations and orchestrate large-scale events.  

Devries shared that the banquet is much greater than a networking event — It’s a chance to connect with likeminded individuals and make lasting relationships.  

“Alumni will come to their reunion, and they’ll recognize me and shake my hand and say, ‘Hey, man, when’s the next Ducks Unlimited banquet?’” he said. “The banquet doesn’t just impact us as a chapter — but the people that get to come and experience it really enjoy it.”  

A club strictly for hunters and fishermen? Nope.  

When it comes to hunting, deer, duck, squirrel, and rabbit are all fair game to Lucas Wood ’24. Growing up in Eastern North Carolina, he started hunting with his dad at a young age. 

Wood, an economics and business major, interned with Ducks Unlimited last summer. After graduating from VMI, he hopes to return to their corporate office. “I’m looking at potentially going back there to work for Ducks Unlimited, or going into agricultural sales,” he said.   

There’s a common misconception about Ducks Unlimited. It’s a conservation group, not a hunting club, according to Wood, the assistant cadet in charge.  

The biggest challenge the organization faces? Convincing hunters to practice conservation.  

“When somebody gets that itch, they want to take people with them,” said Devries. “They want to get other people involved … so they have somebody to go with and Ducks Unlimited is a great place to find people to go with.”  

The group has two main recruiting pools: “people who enjoy hunting and people who are solely there for the conservation efforts,” said Devries.  

For hunters, the organizations’ goal is to educate and inform them.  

“The biggest thing that anybody that’s out hunting can do … is making sure that they’re following all of the regulations,” said Wood.  

While these rules may seem strict to the average person, they are in place for a reason.  

“If they have a limit on how many ducks you can kill, there’s actually a scientist and biologist who figured out that that is the best way that we can grow the population of the waterfowl,” said Wood.  

Ducks Unlimited is open to all cadets, including rats. The club hosts their annual event during the Spring semester and encourages members to take on leadership roles within the club. “It’s really nice having [the rats] come back… and then they can give guidance as 3rd Class cadets,” said Devries. “Then, they can take on a leadership role as a 2nd or 1st Class cadet.”  

As a junior in high school, Heaton Lawrence ’26 was inspired by his science teacher to become a volunteer firefighter. Within a year, he began volunteering his time at Goochland County Fire and Rescue.  

“I completed the academy, got all of my certifications, and started volunteering which was two nights a week of 12-hour shifts,” said Lawrence, the assistant cadet in charge of the VMI Firefighting Club.  

For John Taxiarchou ’24, the decision to become a firefighter wasn’t quite as easy. 

One of his friends volunteered at the local fire department and encouraged him to join. He was interested in becoming a firefighter but gave himself two weeks to simmer on the idea.  

“I told myself, if I don’t like it, I could always decide that it was not for me,” said Taxiarchou, the cadet in charge of the VMI Firefighting Club. After several nudges from his friend, he turned in the paperwork and began volunteering as a firefighter at Long Valley Fire Company.  

“Within the first call, I was pretty much hooked,” said Taxiarchou.  

From jumping on the engine to rushing through town, he experienced a thrill that encouraged him to keep serving.  

“For me it’s a humbling experience to see people at their lowest point and have them look to you for help,” he said. “The lights and sirens and going fast to call gives me an adrenaline rush.” 

Becoming a volunteer firefighter 

To become a firefighter, you must be state certified. It’s a lengthy and grueling process, Lawrence said.  

Before receiving your certification, you complete an academy which requires six months of training.  

“I was in the academy on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., and again on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.,” Lawrence said. “Then, you’re ready to take your state exam.”  

Cadets in the VMI Firefighting Club have the option of serving at three different departments — Lexington Fire Department, South River Fire Department, or Kerrs Creek Fire Department. Members of the firefighting club are permitted to volunteer for two days each week — once during the academic week, and once on the weekends.  

As a volunteer, Taxiarchou works 12-hour shifts on weekdays. His shift begins shortly after supper roll call (SRC) and ends the next morning at breakfast roll call (BRC). On the weekends — his shifts range from 24 to 48 hours.  

Volunteer firefighters work alongside full-time firefighters at the Lexington Fire Department. Taxiarchou shared that this has been a highlight of his volunteer experience.  

“You volunteer and you’re embedded with the career staff,” said Taxiarchou. “They uphold all the same standards, and they expect of you the same as they would any other firefighter, whether you’re a career or volunteer.”  

The reward outweighs the risk 

Firefighting is a large time commitment, but one that Taxiarchou enjoys. He shared that many people ask him why he volunteers his time. His response – “If I can help even one person, that’s enough for me.”  

For Lawrence, the brotherhood among firefighters is what keeps him going. He is especially close with his home department, the Goochland County Fire and Rescue.  

“I feel honored to have run calls with them,” he said. “I couldn’t say enough good things about the people in that department.”  

Firefighting on post 

In addition to serving the community, the VMI Firefighting Club also serves the Corps. “We focus on educating people in the Corps about firefighting and fire safety,” said Lawrence.  

During room inspections, members of the club go from room to room and ensure the fire escape plans are up to date. The club also hosts the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb each year.  

“I helped run the 9/11 stair climb this year, which was an incredible experience,” said Lawrence.   

This year, the club hopes to improve room inspections, drill with the local firehouses, and continue to educate the Corps and the community. To accomplish this — they have set a goal of producing a public service awareness campaign.  

Before cadets leave for Thanksgiving furlough, the club is planning to hold a public safety announcement on post.  

“We are working to organize some kind of event to bring awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, one potential option being explored is the possibility of a real-life vehicle extrication drill that would simulate a drunk driving accident,” he said. 

In 1975, several Black cadets at Virginia Military Institute joined together to create a community for minorities on post. To better understand VMI, and navigate the Institute as a Black cadet, these students assembled to build what is now known as “Promaji.”  

When the club was created, the members made it their goal to leave a legacy for Black cadets at VMI.  

“One of the first classes of Black cadets thought that they needed to have a community of people where they felt like they belonged,” said Fatoumata Diallo ’23, last year’s president of Promaji. “It was this idea of togetherness … looking out for each other and looking out for the people that came after them.” 

Promaji comes from the Swahili word “Pamoja,” which translates to “togetherness.” Today, the group still embraces this pillar and has extended its mission to serve all cadets and all minorities.  

Representing the underrepresented  

“The club members have become more diverse over the years to include people from different cultural backgrounds and different genders,” said Diallo.  

Mark Shelton II ’23, council member of Promaji and 2023-24 regimental commander, explained the group’s significance – “We have a lot of underrepresented groups at VMI,” he said. “Promaji gives those individuals a safe space, a place to interact with their peers and people that look like them or may have a similar background.”  

The club meets once a week and holds various events throughout the year.  

“We host movie nights, trivia nights, and open mic nights,” said Shelton. “We also sponsor sporting events, like basketball tournaments and other tournaments.”  

To celebrate different heritages, the club hosts events for most heritage months.  

“We’ve held events for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Shelton.  

The bond among cadets and alumni at VMI is best defined by the term – “One Corps, One VMI.” Shelton shared that this bond is parallel to the mission of Promaji.  

“Togetherness … ‘One Corps, One VMI,’ they’re interchangeable,” he said. “We encourage everyone from different backgrounds to come and share their ideas, beliefs, and to be supportive of everybody because no one person is the same.”  

Building leaders and breaking up the Rat Line 

Shelton and Diallo were both influenced by their dykes to join the club, and they became members during their first year at VMI. When it was time for club meetings, Diallo and several of her brother rats gathered in their dyke’s room to head down for the meeting. “Initially, we didn’t think much of it,” she said.  

Diallo joined the club to accompany her friends and her dyke, but it later grew into a meaningful experience. At one of her first meetings, Diallo noticed that the atmosphere of the club was different.  

“Seeing how welcoming the upperclassmen were to us, even though we were rats…” she said. “Telling us about opportunities we could apply for, telling us how to stand out, and strive at VMI… is what made me interested in staying in Promaji.”  

Diallo shared that the club was instrumental in her leadership journey, helping her take steps towards being someone who stands up for people like herself.  

“I wanted to be a role model for other cadets who came in and looked like me, or who felt like they didn’t see representation in leadership positions,” she said.  

As a rat, Diallo recognized the importance of the club and wanted to follow in her dykes’ footsteps. Holly Jabo ’20 was the president of Promaji in 2019 and spurred a long journey of leadership in her rat. As a 3rd Class cadet, Diallo became the secretary and the following year, she served as the vice president of Promaji.  

Each year, Promaji alumni ask a single question to the 1st Class club members: “What legacy do you want to leave once you leave Promaji?” For Diallo, the answer is inherently clear.  

“I hope that Promaji remains a club for minorities and that they feel safe to discuss any issues,” she said. “I hope Promaji keeps representing and being a voice for minorities … and that they will not be shackled or submit to any pressure from people or organizations … that’s what makes Promaji unique.”  

Diallo hopes that the club can increase its membership and continue to expand its diverse composition.  

“I hope that Promaji will continue to welcome anyone that is willing to listen or learn,” she said.