Peabody Student Stories

Learn about what inspires the Class of 2025 Outstanding Senior winner and read about all the nominees. Read More

Meet three members of the Class of 2024 who represent belonging in action, enriching the Vanderbilt community along the way. Read More

The Vanderbilt Fusion Project, an initiative involving 40 undergraduates from 22 majors across three schools, is seeking to build a miniature nuclear fusion reactor—and make history. Read More

Class of 2023: Read how Thomas Schultz, VandyBoys pitcher and double major in human and organizational development and medicine, health and society thrives with humility on and off the field. Read More

Class of 2023: Read how Commodores defensive lineman Nate Clifton found confidence in the classroom and on the field. Read More

Meet some members of the Class of 2023 who are pursuing unique and impactful paths with enthusiasm, intellect and a strong vision. Read More

Meet some members of the Class of 2023 whose inspired collaborations—within Vanderbilt, across the Nashville community and beyond—are making the world better.  Read More

Class of 2023: Amanda Harding wears three hats at Vanderbilt—one as a university staff member, another as a doctoral student pursuing her degree online and a third as president of the advisory group that represents Vanderbilt staff members. Read how her desire to further her education complements and inspires her work in the online learning space.  Read More

Meet some members of the Class of 2023 who are cultivating belonging to strengthen, support and enrich the community at Vanderbilt and beyond.  Read More

Class of 2023: See how New Orleans native Darren Francis has expanded his faith and his future with the help of a special community at Vanderbilt. Read More

Class of 2023: Read how special education major Nora Smith has found inspiration, friendship and connection within the disabled community at Vanderbilt. Read More

Working across every continent and time zone, the Vanderbilt Office of Global Safety could be called the office that never sleeps. The office works to ensure the health, safety and well-being of all Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff as they travel beyond the borders of Davidson County. Read More

Ten students from the Class of 2023 have been named as finalists for the Outstanding Senior award, one of the highest honors an undergraduate student can receive at Vanderbilt. Each of the nominees will be recognized, and the top Outstanding Senior will be announced, during halftime of the Commodores’ Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 8. Read More

On the basketball court, Jordyn Cambridge excels at making those around her better. A point guard who played the most minutes for a team that reached the third round of this season’s Women’s National Invitation Tournament, she finished third in assists in the mighty SEC. Little wonder that the Nashville native gravitated toward human and organizational development at Vanderbilt. For as long as she has played basketball, she has studied the subtleties of human interaction. Read More

Vanderbilt tour guide Madison Woods strives to be authentic, optimistic and inviting when meeting prospective students and families for the first time. From her perspective, creating a sense of belonging starts on day one. Read More

Chronic illness prevented Jens Herman from earning his degree from Peabody more than a decade ago. The pandemic gave him a second chance. Read More

With a heart for serving others and an interest in the intersection of theology and social justice, Erica Johnson was drawn to pursue a master’s degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School while working at a social services center for victims of domestic abuse. Read More

Ryan Boyette is using his Peabody master’s degree to further the work of the education nonprofit To Move Mountains, which he and his wife, Jazira, launched a few years before coming to Nashville. Read More

Any Nashville songwriter will tell you that some of the most meaningful collaborations come during crisis. Vanderbilt undergraduates in a songwriting class at the Blair School of Music got a taste of this when they partnered with peers on the other side of the globe, who also were dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, to co-create original songs. Read More

James Boehm, who earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Peabody College in May, turned a life-changing incident into a mission to help others recovering from traumatic injuries and blindness. Read More