VCU news

By Kristen Caldwell
Office of Development and Alumni Relations

VCU Alumni will recognize 10 graduates of the last decade (GOLD) this fall at the second annual 10 Under 10 awards. 

The awards celebrate alumni who earned their first VCU degree within the past 10 years and who have enjoyed remarkable professional success, made important contributions to their community and/or loyally supported the university. 

The following alumni will be recognized at the private ceremony:

Sudharshana Apte, Ph.D. (M.S. ’11/H&S; Ph.D. ’14/H&S), a research scientist with Altria, works at the national and local levels to promote STEM fields to young women and underrepresented groups.

Charlotte Arbogast (Cert. ’12/GPA; M.S. ’12/AHP), an advocate on aging-related issues, works in the public sector developing state-level guidelines and policies for long-term care service delivery.

Joshua Boone (B.F.A. ’10/A) is making his mark in the acting world, landing roles in TV dramas, Hollywood hits and Broadway productions.

Terrell Brown (B.S. ’09/MC), an award-winning news anchor, has covered some of the nation’s biggest stories, including the Boston Marathon bombing and NASA’s historic final space shuttle mission. 

Rachel Mercer (M.S. ’12/MC) works in the advertising industry as a brand strategist where she leads multidisciplinary teams to create groundbreaking products, such as Time magazine’s 2015 invention of the year, Hackaball.

Tin Htut Myint (B.S. ’06/En), a product development and customer solutions engineer with Dominion Voltage Inc., gives back to the VCU School of Engineering and VCU Alumni by contributing his time, talent and leadership to efforts that inspire and engage students and alumni.

Daniel “Danny” L. Plaugher (B.A. ’06/H&S) leads the nonprofit Virginians for High Speed Rail where he has successfully spearheaded an effort to make Virginia the first state in the nation with a dedicated funding source for intercity and higher-speed passenger rail. 

Kevin Powers (B.A. ’08/H&S) is a writer, poet and Iraq war veteran whose debut novel, “The Yellow Birds,” earned national acclaim and literary awards.

Fatima M. Smith (M.S.W. ’12/SW) works professionally and personally to bring awareness to domestic and sexual violence issues and to create victim-assistance programs.

Joseph Stemmle (B.S. ’13/B) works as a financial adviser in the Richmond, Virginia, area and volunteers his time with professional and civic organizations, including VCU Alumni’s RVA GOLD Chapter, where he’s spearheaded a partnership with the Richmond YMCA to benefit local schoolchildren.

Read more about these remarkable alumni at www.vcualumni.org/Events/10-Under-10/.