In her opening essay, President Lawrence writes about the dedication at Hollins to making our society a better place for all. It’s hard to tell whether our students and faculty bring this sense of service with them when they come to Hollins, or whether there’s something here that inspires it. In truth, it’s probably a combination. If there’s a theme to this issue, it’s about how faculty members and alumnae are turning inspiration into action in their quest to improve life for other people.

Beth JoJack ’98 contributes two articles along these lines. In “On the Front Lines of Addressing America’s Opioid Crisis,” she profiles alumnae who are working with victims and families, writing about the epidemic, and changing laws.

Switching gears, she writes about the benefits to young teens of learning outdoor survival skills—how spending “Time in the Wild” not only enhances self-confidence but also promotes the development of leadership skills.

Inspired by her daughter’s experience in a rock ‘n’ roll camp in North Carolina, Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies LeeRay Costa helped create GirlsRock!Roanoke. The exclamation point underscores the camp’s success in helping young girls and teens find their voice and their power in music (“This Is How We Roll”).

Martha Park M.F.A. ’15 profiles Gay Lloyd Pinder ’68 (“Families at the Helm”), who with two colleagues founded Children’s Therapy Center, which pioneered a family-centered approach to helping children with neuro-developmental issues.

In “Turning the Page on Early Literacy,” Jeff Hodges M.A.L.S. ’11 writes about how three faculty members—Anna Baynum (education), Tiffany Pempek (psychology), and Ruth Sanderson (children’s literature)—transformed an unpublished manuscript by Margaret Wise Brown ’32 into an interactive tool for parents and caregivers.

Jean Holzinger M.A.L.S. ’11
Guest Editor

Note: You may also view the Winter 2018 issue in a flipbook version. >