What is RISE?
Arriving on campus as a first-year student is all about finding your place. By sophomore year, you know the paths across Front Quad, you know your professors, and you’ve settled into life at Hollins. Sophomore year becomes a bridge between where you started and where you want to go. That’s where our Returning Inspired Sophomore Experience (RISE) program comes in.
Building on the foundation of the Hollins Core curriculum, RISE is the moment you begin to grow beyond requirements. As you begin this elevated path, we rise together.
We surround you with intentional support, high-impact experiential learning, and meaningful leadership opportunities so you can step confidently into the full life of a Hollins student.
The Four Pillars of RISE
RISE focuses on four key areas designed to ensure you thrive personally, academically, and professionally:
Academic Identity
Transition from exploration to direction with major discovery tools, direct faculty relationships, and clear academic pathways.
Community Belonging
Deepen friendships, join student organizations, and build a lasting home within the Hollins community through structured events.
Experiential Learning
Connect directly to J-Term pathways including internships, study away opportunities, undergraduate research, and community-engaged learning.
Career & Life Readiness
Leverage the Rutherfoord Center including Career & Life Design to access professional tools, networks, and career-building relationships early on.
Spring Pre-Advising Week – FIRST-YEAR April
Before you leave for summer break, Pre-Advising Week helps you enter registration with confidence and excitement. Enjoy low-stakes, joy-forward events designed to build community and help you reflect on your goals for sophomore year.
Sample programming includes:
- Advising preparation workshops: what to expect, how to make the most of your advising conversation, and how to begin thinking about your major.
- Field Day on the athletic fields: games, sunshine, and community.
- Yoga or movement on Front Quad: grounding and wellness before the registration sprint.
- Craft and scrapbooking sessions: reflecting on the first year and building memories, and supporting the creative, hands-on culture of the Hollins community.
- An intentional, explicitly branded RISE introduction: an exploration of RISE, what’s waiting for you in sophomore year, and how you Hollins journey continues next year.
RISE Week – early October
RISE Week is a celebration of intention with sophomores. Welcome back with intention and celebration. Each day has a distinct theme and purpose, building toward a sense of full membership in the Hollins community.
| Day | Theme | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, October 5 | Find Your Path | Special lunch with experienced faculty and campus mentors versed in advising and wayfinding. |
| Tuesday, October 6 | Leading with Love | Take a break and get creative with President Hinton. Crafts, snacks, and good company provided. |
| Wednesday, October 7 | Find Your People | RISE & Serve – Volunteer & Service Fair to explore meaningful ways to serve both the Hollins University campus and the greater Roanoke community. |
| Thursday, October 8 | Rise & Connect | Come ready to explore internships and study abroad opportunities to prepare for J-term. |
| Friday, October 9 | Root & Restore | Climb, play, or unwind: choose rock climbing, pickleball, or a guided mindfulness session, and grab snacks like popcorn and trail mix to enjoy along the way. |
The RISE REVEAL – Mid-Fall
Later in the fall semester, once J-Term experiential learning (EL) placements have been confirmed, RISE hosts a Reveal celebration — a milestone event at which sophomores share and celebrate the EL opportunities they will be undertaking in January.
Faculty, staff, and community partners celebrate alongside students as they reveal their J-Term plans, including internships, study away opportunities, research projects, and community-engaged learning.