In the photo, a young woman (Maggie Carolan) sits on a desk in her dorm room. Her wall is covered with decorative posters, string lights, and a hanging Australian flag.

Maggie Carolan takes on Flint, rainwater harvesting, and Stanford (Virginia Tech Honors College)

Erica Corder Photo, Writing Leave a Comment

Maggie Carolan’s freshman year spring break was where it all started. “I was going to IKEA with my mum, because IKEA’s the best,” the Stafford, Virginia native explains, pronouncing her words with a hint of an accent she picked up from her Australian mother. “We were in the car, and I get a call. And it’s Dr. Marc Edwards.” Edwards …

A photo of a group of people sitting under an outdoor gazebo, eating plates of food.

Dialogue on Race aims for action (The Pylon)

Erica Corder Photo, Writing Leave a Comment

In the 1980s, a historic Black community located at the south limit of Blacksburg fought to prevent the paving of a road on their own land that led right up to their cluster of homes. Backed by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, developers paved the road anyway, naming it after the nickname of the family’s late matriarch, Nellie, a …

In the photo, soon-to-be President Donald Trump stands on a platform and speaks in front of a massive crowd of people.

Humans of a Southwest Virginia Donald Trump Rally (The Pylon)

Erica Corder Writing Leave a Comment

When Kathy Siron dressed for the Donald Trump rally on Feb. 29, she draped her grandfather’s dog tags around her neck and pinned her other grandfather’s Purple Heart onto her shirt. Her grandfather received the Purple Heart, she said, after being shot in the head on the beaches of Normandy. He survived. And if he were alive today to see …

A logo of a gray weather vane with one maroon spoke.

Letter from the Cofounders (The Pylon

Erica Corder Writing Leave a Comment

Welcome to The Pylon. We are thrilled to finally have you here. After months of preparation, discussion, and brainstorming, The Pylon is here. What started as a conversation outside Squires Student Center has become Blacksburg and Virginia Tech’s newest digital publication, driven by Tech students and local residents who believe this community deserves a truly independent, local publication devoted to investigative and …