VMI Alumni Association

06/05/2026

There aren’t many people who can say they’ve directly impacted 35,000 lives for the better—but in his quiet, unassuming way, retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Woodson “Woody” Sadler ’66 has done just that. Over the past 12 years, through his work with Rotary International, Sadler and his fellow Rotarians from western Virginia have distributed more than 5,000 wheelchairs to individuals in 14 Latin American nations. Add in all the cadets Sadler taught during his 33 years teaching mechanical and civil engineering as an adjunct professor at VMI, and the number of lives he’s touched grows even larger, like an ever-expanding web.

There aren’t many people who can say they’ve directly impacted 35,000 lives for the better—but in his quiet, unassuming way, retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Woodson “Woody” Sadler ’66 has done just that.

06/04/2026

For Cadet Ethan Epstein ’28, the path to the Institute began when he decided to graduate from high school early after many college application deadlines had already passed. VMI was still accepting applications, and though he admitted he did not know much about VMI at first, “I knew it was a reputable college, and I knew it had a reputation for being difficult, and so that intrigued me and interested me. … The whole ‘don’t do ordinary’ thing really captured my attention, but I didn’t have any exposure to any alumni or anyone; I’m the first person in my family to go to VMI.”

After receiving a conditional appointment to the Institute in the mail and later being awarded an Institute Merit Scholarship, his decision became clear. “I just knew that’s where I belonged,” he said.

See the full story in the next Corps Connection email from the VMI Alumni Agencies, coming soon.

06/03/2026

This Class of '26 grad is already doing big things!

The Next Step: Hunter Sipe '26

What started as a goal in bridge engineering turned into a passion for transportation, which led Hunter Sipe '26 to a highway design role with AECOM.

From the classroom to Interstate 81, Sipe is ready to make a real-world impact — bringing VMI grit and engineering precision to the roads ahead.

Read more here: https://pulse.ly/acfqhskcma

06/02/2026

In September 2025, Whitney Matthews ’07 took her seat on the Alumni Association board as the Region IV Mid-Atlantic regional director. “It’s important for me to be involved with the Alumni Association because I want to show other women that they can be involved, too,” she said. “It’s a little bit of a sore subject that sometimes women don’t feel represented by the Alumni Association here, and I want to help rectify that. I want to show girls who are in school that this is another option to think about, that VMI isn’t just for males, it is for females.”

06/01/2026

Eight 1st Class cadets majoring in electrical and computer engineering at VMI recently presented their capstone project, which they worked on throughout the academic year, with the goal of improving a disabled veteran’s quality of life.

Eight 1st Class cadets majoring in electrical and computer engineering at VMI recently presented their capstone project, which they worked on throughout the academic year, with the goal of improving a disabled veteran’s quality of life.

05/29/2026

The VMI team won first place at the 2026 Seerist Intellithon in Reston, Virginia, in late March 2026.

The prestigious competition hosted by Seerist—a company whose mission is to shape the future of risk intelligence by enabling organizations to proactively anticipate, manage, and respond to global cyber threats—brought together top talent from five senior military colleges, including The Citadel, Norwich University, the University of North Georgia, and Virginia Tech, as well as VMI, to solve real-world open-source intelligence and security challenges.

The VMI team won first place at the 2026 Seerist Intellithon in Reston, Virginia, in late March 2026.

05/28/2026

On Saturday, April 18, 2026, members of the VMI family gathered in Marshall Hall to acknowledge and celebrate the philanthropy making cadetships possible for so many members of the Corps of Cadets. This year’s VMI Foundation Scholarship Banquet attracted approximately 200 fund representatives and their guests, along with almost 100 cadets. The annual event, hosted by the VMI Foundation Board of Trustees each spring, is held in grateful recognition of donors’ philanthropy.

On a warm April afternoon that felt more like June, members of the VMI family gathered in Marshall Hall to acknowledge and celebrate the philanthropy making cadetships possible for so many members of the Corps of Cadets.

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

To many, VMI is a leadership lab—a meticulously structured organization that guides each cadet through the process of reaching their full potential. It’s a noble cause, to be certain, but such verbiage rarely does the Institute’s mission justice.

To Cadet Ebenezer Abebrese ’27, VMI is a furnace. It’s intimidating. It’s unrelenting. And, within the confines of its secretive flames, it molds you into something entirely new.

To many, VMI is a leadership lab—a meticulously structured organization that guides each cadet through the process of reaching their full potential. It’s a noble cause, to be certain, but such verbiage rarely does the Institute’s mission justice.

05/25/2026

As we commemorate Memorial Day, we remember all those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We are grateful, today and always.