The Marlin Chronicle THURSDAY 11.13.25|| MARLINCHRONICLE.VWU.EDU
VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
S T U D E N T S C R E AT E
Inside Look: Freshman brings Student feature film turns expertise of poetry and vision to reality -- Page 5 performance
Junior Liam Castellano planned the plot of “Lila” in Nov. 2024, finalized the script in April 2025, finished filming in August and released it to the world on Oct. 18.
BY KAMI WHISENHUNT khwhisenhunt@vwu.edu
Freshman BreAnna Downing, known as Verity, went from singing and dancing in front of the pews of her church as a child to finding her passion for poetry soon after. “When I was seven years old, I performed at an auction for the first time,” Downing said. “Me performing has just always been a getaway, in a sense.” Downing began taking poetry seriously at 14, when she joined Teens with a Purpose (TWP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping teens express themselves, build confidence and find community through art and service. “When I got the opportunity to start being able to share my poetry, I took it very seriously, and then I got immediate gratification for it, so I never stopped,” Downing said. This year, Downing earned the title of Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureate in March 2025 at an event called Slam Fest Season. She’ll hold this title until 2026, representing her community.
See POET Page 4
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Verity Downing|Courtesy BreAnna “Verity” Downing takes the stage at the “Unseen to Unstoppable” Fashion Show Gala & Youth Move Maker Awards on Nov. 1, hosted by Teens With a Purpose
content stays consistent, preparation varies Whiteboard art by Kyla Robberecht.
Isaac Fick|Marlin Chronicle
The program brings VWU professors to local prisons to teach courses adapted to technologyfree limitations. BY MARS SMITH rssmith@vwu.edu
As of 2024, Virginia Wesleyan is the first four-year institution in Virginia to offer an Incarcerated Persons ReEntry Program, where professors adapt the university’s courses to teach at prisons. “We are an institution that values service to our community. This is what we do here, and I think this is our opportunity to serve a community that will be very valuable,” said associate professor of English Dr. Rebecca Hooker, who teaches for the program. Dr. Katie Harrington, assistant professor of psychology, also teaches in the program. “For a lot of them, the fact that there may be some community when they’re released is part of the benefit,” Harrington said “I see this as an opportunity for them to do something with their minds,” Hooker said. She said she also sees the program as offering students at the prison a different perspective. “For a lot of them, connecting them to Virginia Wesleyan gives them not only a community that they can hold on to, but also potentially a community that I hope they will enrich with their experiences,” Harrington said. There are two prison campuses, the St. Brides and Indian Creek Correctional Facilities in Chesapeake, and Hooker has taught English and humanities courses at both. Hooker’s teaching content and process remain the same as in VWU classrooms, but preparation and delivery methods differ because incarcerated students do not have computer access. “Most of [the professors] that are teaching are either teaching a course as it already exists or slightly modifying a course,” Harrington said. “It’s really just making a few adjustments to what we already have.” “One of the largest issues getting things into the prison is physically getting things into the prison,” Harrington said. “Papers have to be cleared, so the biggest changes to my process have been in pre-planning. I make sure I can do everything purely with pencil, paper and dry-erase board, and I make sure that all of my materials are at the facility ahead of time.”
See REENTRY Page 3
Liam Castellano|Courtesy
VWU responds to the ‘Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education’ The Compact asks universities to change policies in exchange for federal funding advantages.
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Budget-friendly, earth-friendly ways for weekend fun -- Page 10
Calee Lukowski|Marlin Chronicle Slover Library is one local spot with free sources of weekend entertainment.
Coaches must adapt to recruiting changes or pack their bags
VWU coaches share perspectives on the recruitment strategies of today.
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