“That first or second week, I thought, ‘I’m not gonna make it. This is my last semester here, and I’m not coming back,’” she recalled.

But then, she said, she began forming deep connections with her professors.

“Going to school with students nearly half my age, I felt a little more connected with my professors than with my fellow students,” she said. “When I started making those connections, I had this feeling that I was going to be OK after all.”

She had met her advisor, English Professor Dr. Kevin Seidel, during an open house the previous fall. “He checked in one day to make sure I was doing all right,” Beachy said. “We talked about how my experience was going, and that was super helpful.”

Beachy graduated with degrees in English and writing studies last spring after five semesters at 91����Ƶ. She had transferred to the university from online classes at Blue Ridge Community College. By the time she enrolled at 91����Ƶ, she had already spent four years teaching at the church school she graduated from and another 10 years developing curriculum at in Harrisonburg.

When Beachy, who lives in Staunton, expressed interest in pursuing a bachelor’s degree, a co-worker at Christian Light recommended 91����Ƶ. He thought the close-knit community would be a good fit for her, and he was right.

“The fact that 91����Ƶ is small makes it more personable,” she said. “I feel like you get to know your professors better. I didn’t know that when I started, but I’ve enjoyed that.”

She mentioned Dr. Marti Eads and Chad Gusler as faculty members she’s grown close to. “I appreciate the connections I made here, and I feel that some of my professors are still my friends,” she said. “They’re people I connect with when I see them, which is really useful.”

Beachy worked part-time at Christian Light while taking classes as a full-time student and tried to find courses that fit her busy schedule. When the registrar suggested she take a sociology class, she enrolled in Dr. Gaurav Pathania’s class.

She described the sociology professor as “very personable” and fondly recalled that he served chai and cookies in class. “That was something I always enjoyed,” Beachy said. “We would have discussions outside of class, too, and it was interesting to hear his perspectives on life in India versus life here.” She enjoyed his introductory sociology class so much that she signed up for more classes with Pathania. Those sociology classes helped her think about the world differently and better understand social issues.

Pathania remembers Beachy as never missing a class and demonstrating a level of thoughtfulness and maturity that set her apart. “Joyce is truly one of the most exceptional students I have encountered in my five years of teaching at 91����Ƶ,” he wrote.

Through a “Local Context” intercultural program, Beachy spent a summer studying various neighborhoods and social groups in Harrisonburg. That experience led her to try different ethnic restaurants in the area. “I still enjoy doing that to this day,” she said.

Last spring, Beachy served as an editorial intern for 91����Ƶ’s marketing and communications department, writing many well-received articles for 91����Ƶ News. She attended the 2025 Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship Conference and wrote a recap about it. Her story about the intercultural to Guatemala and Mexico was one of the most read stories of 2025. She also wrote about an initiative by the Latinx Student Alliance to distribute “Know Your Rights” cards to members of Harrisonburg’s immigrant community. At the same time, she volunteered to help adult English learners at 91����Ƶ’s Intensive English Program, which was at the heart of another article written by her.

Near the end of her time at 91����Ƶ, Beachy was promoted to the role of literacy coordinator at Christian Light Publications. She said her employer is helping reimburse her for tuition costs.

“In the (conservative Mennonite) setting where I come from, it’s not as common for people to pursue higher education,” she said. “They didn’t have any program in place to help with tuition costs, but now they want to offer it to others who want to go to college, which I’m really excited about. It means some reimbursement for me, but it also opens a path for other people.”

Beachy said there are advantages to attending college as a nontraditional, older student. She met students who knew what they wanted to do and were serious about studying, as well as others who were in college because their parents wanted them there. “They didn’t know what they were doing,” she said. “I always felt sorry for them and wished they could just go out and work for a couple years and figure out what they actually wanted to do.”

She mentioned reading The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald that was turned into a Brad Pitt movie a couple decades ago.

“It’s about a guy who’s born an old man, and he goes through life backwards,” she said. “I’ve thought about that story sometimes with my experience at 91����Ƶ. I felt like I was doing things backwards. Most people go to school and then start their careers. I did my career first, then went to school. But I’m really glad I did it. Now, if I have friends in their 30s who say, ‘Oh, I want to go to college,’ I tell them, ‘Yeah, you should. It’s absolutely worth it.’”

Patterson is a special agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). She was one of more than 50 special agents assigned to protect America’s athletes and teams as they trained, competed, and traveled to media appearances.

The writing studies grad, who excelled as a cross-country and track athlete at 91����Ƶ, worked as a field liaison officer at the ice rinks in Milan, where she safeguarded USA’s figure skaters, hockey teams, and speed skaters, including gold medalists Ilia Malinin, Alysa Liu, and Jordan Stolz.

“Part of being there is taking time to observe the crowd and ensure everything’s secure and all set-up,” said Patterson. “But it’s also a lot of sport-watching and cheering on Team USA and hoping the athletes you’ve been with do well.”

“Figure skating was phenomenal. I was in awe of what they’re able to do. But the crowd with the biggest atmosphere, I think, was probably men’s and women’s hockey. It was a very exhilarating environment. It was hard not to get caught up and feel the roar of the crowd cheering on the teams.” 

Hannah Patterson ’14, a special agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, worked a “pretty intense schedule” at the 2026 Winter Olympics, often starting her workday at 7 a.m. to protect athletes while they trained and working well past midnight for competitions that ended late.

‘It’s just one big adventure’

Born in Singapore to parents involved in community development work, Patterson moved with her family to Indonesia when she was 12. She attended Mountainview International Christian School. It was there she learned one of her classmates, nursing grad David Jantzi ’13, whose parents were alumni, had his sights set on attending 91����Ƶ.

“I ended up applying on a whim,” said Patterson, “and I’m so grateful I did.”

She said one of the major draws to 91����Ƶ was that its financial aid office was “so proactive” in telling her which grants and awards were available. “91����Ƶ was such an obviously tight-knit community that cared, even before I showed up, and that just followed through over the next four years,” she said. “Looking back now, I wouldn’t have done as well at a big state school where I would’ve felt like just a number. My professors were always there for me, and I loved that about 91����Ƶ.”

Another draw was its intercultural programs. Patterson immersed herself in the cultures of South Africa and Lesotho for a semester and said she treasures 91����Ƶ’s global focus.

“I love the sense of adventure that 91����Ƶ carries with it,” she said. “That’s something I feel almost every day on the job. It’s just one big adventure, and every day is a cross-cultural experience.”

Hannah Patterson ’14 (pictured third from left), a cross-country and track athlete at 91����Ƶ, said her coaches ensured she was growing and finding her place in the world. “I loved being on a team that was incredibly supportive, and I think my teammates, coaches, and track and cross-country teams really shaped me as a person, pushed me, and helped me grow. In a school that is so community-focused, it was nice to have an even tighter group to grow and dream with.”

Patterson graduated with a writing studies degree in 2014 (right photo). She said her intercultural experiences in South Africa (left photo) and Lesotho, along with the mentorship she received from professors, helped shape her love of adventure. “It’s a huge thing to be able to travel as much as I do and I am very grateful for it,” she said.

Landing the job

After graduating in 2014, Patterson was working at Black Sheep Coffee in Harrisonburg when she mentioned to a coworker she was seeking a career change. Unbeknownst to her, that coworker’s husband was a DSS agent working at a training center in West Virginia, and she suggested that Patterson would be a good fit for the job, based on her experience growing up overseas and her love of adventure.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted it to be relational,” Patterson said. “Along with the daily problem-solving and micro-challenges I enjoy, I’m very grateful this job exists, that I’m able to do it, and that I had a lot of good mentors at 91����Ƶ along the way to encourage me.”

Patterson worked at the training center (now known as the ) for a half-decade, before applying and landing a job as a . She began training in July 2021 and, after a rigorous training process, officially became an agent in April 2022.

Since then, she’s built up an impressive foreign service career. She worked in Kyiv, Ukraine, for three months during the war. She also served at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for one year.

Last year, Patterson interviewed for her current role as an agent at the Major Events Coordination Office, which secures international events such as the G7 and G20 summits, Pan American Games, and FIFA World Cup, in addition to the Olympics and Paralympics. When she learned she had been selected to join the office, she said she was “out-of-this-world thrilled.”

“It can be quite competitive, and I was very excited that I get to do this for the next two years (DSS agents typically switch offices every one to three years),” said Patterson. “Next year, we’ll have the Pan American Games and the Women’s World Cup, which will be in Brazil.”

This month, Hannah Patterson ’14 will help protect Team USA’s athletes as they train and compete at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, held in Milan and Cortina, Italy, from March 6-15.

Patterson, who has been in Italy since Jan. 27, will also keep watch over America’s athletes during the 2026 Winter Paralympics, held in Milan and Cortina from March 6-15. She’ll serve as one of the special agents staffing a DSS Joint Operations Center at the U.S. Consulate in Milan.

She took advantage of the four-day break in between training for the Olympics and Paralympics to explore the mountains of northern Italy. Inspired by the athletes she watched during the Olympics, she learned to ski for the first time.

“I never thought of this as a career option when I was going to school,” said Patterson. “I remember telling my poetry professor, Michael Ann Courtney, ‘I’m going to be a starving artist for the rest of my life,’ and she told me, ‘No, Hannah, don’t worry. The world is so much bigger than that.’ And it turns out she was right.”

“I’ve written a lot of comedy, satire and even horror, but I’ve never written a cancer play,” explained Bodner, an aspiring playwright.

“I decided I was going to start interviewing people who had their lives affected by cancer — patient, doctor, nurse, family member — and try to create a fictional story based off the interviews I had with them,” he continued.

More than 150 pages later, Bodner settled on an idea. He would write a play centered on the life of a 50-year-old man stricken with Grade Three anaplastic astrocytoma, a type of brain cancer.

After more consideration, Bodner changed course again.

“Originally, [the play] was going to be about a 50-year-old man, then I decided that was horrible. I had never been a 50-year-old man,” said Bodner. “So, I wrote from the perspective of a high schooler instead.

“The original script that I had is very different from the one [I ended up with].”

Hence the final installment of his idea, “The Crowleys of Tobias,” a student-oriented Laboratory Production, which will run Dec. 5-7 in 91����Ƶ’s Lee Eshleman Studio Theater.

The play follows 17-year-old Tobias in his final moments battling brain cancer, which fully develops in his temporal lobe. Throughout the drama, the audience witnesses the development of Tobias’ relationships with his mother, Lydia, his friends, Blake and Zoe, and the hallucinogenic manifestation known as Crowley, which helps Tobias cope with dying.

“The theme is still very much the same, but a lot of the plot structure itself has changed because it’s not a 50-year-old man,” said Bodner. “The dynamic changes from ‘What I could have done’ to ‘What I’ll never be able to do.’ ”

To help Bodner bring his lines to life, co-director Amanda Chandler sought to display the realism she found throughout the script.

“We see Tobias as a normal 17-year-old,” explained the senior theater and major. “I wanted to highlight [his] relationships and juxtapose them with the outrageous behavior of Crowley and the dream world he orchestrates.”

Bodner explains Crowley’s relationship with Tobias.

“It’s the idea of having the wickedest man in the world running around in your head causing all sorts of ruckus,” Bodner elaborated. “Crowley, to me, represents a cruel reality of love within death, a weird, twisted, morbid form of love. But it in that grotesqueness you find something beautiful.”

Associate professor of 91����Ƶ’s theater department Heidi Winters Vogel oversaw the creative process behind the presentation and commends Bodner for his script.

“Michael is a very good writer,” said Vogel. “He did a lot of interviewing with hospice workers and Astrocytoma patients — most of them who are no longer alive — because it does have a very high mortality rate. He’s been really honest to their experience.”

“The journey I took comes out in the play,” concludes Bodner.

The play stages at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 and 6; and 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Dec. 7.

Tickets are $5 for general admission and $2 for 91����Ƶ students. Contact the 91����Ƶ theater department at 540-432-4360 for more information and age appropriateness.

Courtesy Daily News Record, Dec. 5, 2013