Meet these members of the Class of 2018

- - Class of 2018: Zach Simmons first in family to graduate, first to pursue medical school
    The importance of getting an education for Simmons couldn’t be measured in miles. But if it could, it would come out to a 60-mile round trip every day for a year of community college. Then moving 44 miles up the road to Blacksburg.
- - Class of 2018: Neuroscience graduate Dallece Curley is headed for year-long fellowship at Mayo Clinic
    When the Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience first launched four years ago, incoming first-year student Curley was one of the first students to jump at the chance to be part of the new, one-of-a-kind program within the College of Science.
- - Class of 2018: Miss Virginia USA uses national spotlight to follow Virginia Tech motto of service
    Ashley Vollrath is competing for the Miss USA crown to grow her Boys and Girls Club initiative, Spread Your Wings and FLY (Forever Love Yourself), to help motivate disadvantaged youth to achieve their dreams.
- - Class of 2018: Budding 'rockhound' journeys forward by looking back
    Alex Bradley loved picking up rocks as a kid growing up in Alaska. But his passion for natural treasures didn't stop then.
- - Class of 2018: Mechanical engineering student top graduating senior in College of Engineering
    Ahmed Elnahhas received the Phi Kappa Phi Medal as the top graduate in the College of Engineering April 9. A mechanical engineering senior, Elnahhas is graduating with a 4.0 grade point average.
- - Class of 2018: Graduating senior Genevieve Gural spent undergrad career learning beyond her major
    Gural began her undergraduate career as a member of Hypatia, the College of Engineering's living-learning community for women.
- - Class of 2018: Daniel Surinach shapes the future of men’s reproductive health
    During his time at Virginia Tech, Surinach has grown into an essential member of his lab’s team by conducting preliminary research for a condition known as Peyronie’s Disease.
- - Class of 2018: Taylor Swan develops Student Affairs experience into career path
    Over the past four years, Taylor Swan has developed a passion for service and discovered her leadership style through involvement in Student Affairs departments and programs.
- - Class of 2018: Kyle Kirkpatrick helps to crack long-sought key to make quantum computing a reality
    Graduating senior Kirkpatrick of chemistry may have found a new key to make the path toward quantum computing a reality.
- - Class of 2018: Juan Hernandez leads inside and outside the classroom
    A senior from Salem, Virginia, studying biochemistry in the College of Science, Hernandez said he is most proud of his Mexican heritage and being a Mexican immigrant here in the United States. He'll graduate with a 3.93 overall GPA and Dean's List with Distinction honors.
- - Class of 2018: Kirsten White’s trek from Poquoson to the Peace Corps
    White, a geography major, has developed a passion for sustainability. She has been accepted to the Peace Corps and plans to begin service within the next year.
- - Class of 2018: Graduating senior Saherah Khan seeks to create the change she wishes to see in the world
    Khan is a business management major and a recipient of the Pamplin New Horizons Scholarship, established to recruit more students with a diverse background to Pamplin and to promote a better understanding about the importance of diversity in higher education and in the workplace.
- - Class of 2018: Corps of Cadets experiences prepare Brian Kehs for a career as an Army officer
    Kehs, the regimental commander for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, says he will leave Virginia Tech with this key lesson: Great leaders don’t try to be the best at everything.
- - Class of 2018: Engineer, athlete, time management superstar
    Mechanical engineering major Ian Ho is a time management master, juggling a heavy course load and excelling at D-1 athletics - holding two Virginia Tech swim records.
- - Video: Graduating student Chanz Hopkins helps others while pursuing his dream
    Hopkins, a fish conservation major at Virginia Tech, has reinvented himself and will graduate this year, 17 years after graduating from high school.