Martinsville resident among Shenandoah University graduates
Fabiola Vazquez Becerra, of Martinsville, was among the 1,180 graduates who earned degrees and/or certificates from Shenandoah University during the 2025-26 academic year. That total includes graduates from August 2025, December 2025 and May 2026.
Vazquez Becerra earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music.
Shenandoah’s 2026 University Commencement took place May 9 in the James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics and Events Center.
Handy Elected into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
Kyndal Handy of Ridgeway, was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at Radford University.
Handy is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and its territories. Its mission is to “cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning.”
