Planning and production of the spring issue of Hollins magazine takes place in late winter and early spring—too early to take the kind of glorious garden photographs that inspire devourers of seed catalogs and garden books. So we decided to inspire you with stories about gardeners—Hollins gardeners, especially those who’ve risen to leadership positions inside the Garden Club of Virginia. Libba Wolfe, herself a member of Roanoke’s Mill Mountain Garden Club, writes about these alumnae in “Growth Opportunity.”

You might think “Go Green” is another story about gardens, but it’s about a different kind of growth: in the energy and focus of Hollins’ athletic teams, which are experiencing success at just about every level. This issue went to press before Hollins sent three riders to the IHSA National Championships in Raleigh, North Carolina, in May. One captured third-place in her class, and two won national titles. You can read more here.

The winter 2012 issue launched our Civil War series with an article about the collection of war-era artifacts housed in the Wyndham Robertson library. We continue the series in this issue with “I must & will survive,” an article by Special Collections Librarian Beth Harris that chronicles the story of Virginia Daniel Woodroof, class of 1866. Virginia comes to life through the passages of her diary and shows the kind of true grit and independent spirit Hollins women can be proud of.

Speaking of grit, I encourage you to read Jeff Hodges’ story about Associate Professor of Communication Studies Vladimir Bratic, who grew up in war-torn Bosnia, an experience that inspired him to use the power of media to promote peace.  Hodges is director of public relations at Hollins, and we’re also featuring a link to a video he produced of Bratic becoming a United States citizen. He was officially sworn in during a Naturalization Ceremony held May 18, 2012, at the U.S. District Court in Roanoke.

If you wonder whether students are too career focused to ponder what it means to get a liberal arts education, the essay by Kelsey DeForest ’13 (“Preparing for a Lifetime of Change”) should reassure you. DeForest backs up her claim that a liberal arts education is a superior education with survey results from the Annapolis Group, an organization of liberal arts colleges to which Hollins belongs.

Happy reading and happy gardening.

Jean Holzinger
Editor