Five Shenandoah University Students Participate In Sullivan Foundation’s Ignite Retreat

Five Shenandoah University students attended the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation’s Ignite Retreat in October 2025, a three-day event that advances the foundation’s mission to help college students strengthen their leadership abilities through transformative workshops and mentorship opportunities.

Valeria Perero Santa Cruz ’28 (Bachelor of Music in performance and Bachelor of Music in music education), Francesca Brown ’28 (Bachelor of Science in chemistry), Katherine Weinhold ’25 (Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in psychology), Katelyn Garback ’26 (Bachelor of Arts in English and Bachelor of Science in psychology), and Alice McNutt ’28 (Bachelor of Music in music production and recording technology and Bachelor of Business Administration) traveled to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, on Oct. 24-26 for the retreat, a biannual event that allows participants to work on a project, gain clarity on career paths, or take a deep dive into problems they’re passionate about solving, according to the Sullivan Foundation’s website.

Additionally, Perero Santa Cruz was selected as Shenandoah’s fellow for the Sullivan Foundation’s three-year fellowship program. Sullivan Fellows, according to the foundation’s website, learn how to become leaders alongside like-minded students and meet yearly with their peers, with a central focus on changing the world.

This has been really meaningful to me, and I feel honored to have the support of our university in pursuing it. It’s given me more confidence as a leader and motivated me to keep growing while finding ways to make a positive impact in my community. The Ignite Retreat helped me reflect on my strengths and areas for growth as a leader, and it gave me the chance to start building connections with other fellows, which has already been incredibly supportive and inspiring. I can’t wait to see how this experience continues to shape me throughout the rest of my fellowship, and I’m excited to keep learning, developing, and engaging in opportunities to make a difference both on campus and beyond.”

Valeria Perero Santa Cruz ’28

Students at the Ignite Retreat are able to customize their experience by choosing workshops that fall within three tracks – personal, problem or project – and they’re connected with experienced coaches who have started nonprofits and other social ventures as well as peers who share the same passion for creating change in their communities and the world.

For more information about the Ignite Retreat, or to learn more about the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, visit sullivanfdn.org.