Rho Rhoades

(she/her/hers)

Graduation Year – May 2027

Hometown – Aldie, VA

What is your major? If undecided, what field(s) are you considering? – Major in Psychology with minors in Dance and Leadership Studies

What are your career and educational goals? – After receiving my Bachelors in Psychology from CNU I am planning on pursuing a Masters and potentially a PhD in Psychology. My current life plan is to mesh my love for dance and psychology and my desire to help people in order to become an art/dance therapist. I would either like to work with youth/young adults or the elderly community. I have masterminded and designed an organization that I would love to bring to life one day. This organization would focus on revolutionizing the standard of care for our nation’s elderly population through art therapies and invigorating communities to become more involved by creating intergenerational relationships that will benefit all parties.

Do you speak any languages other than English? If so, which one(s)? – I am semi-fluent in American Sign Language. I have studied ASL for the past year and a half and can communicate decently well with those a part of the deaf and hard of hearing community.

What are you most looking forward to about coming to CNU? – I am really looking forward to the people at CNU. For the past few years, I had been planning on attending James Madison University and really only decided to visit CNU to make sure I had made the right decision with JMU. It was the people at CNU that completely changed my mind. When I went to visit, everyone I met was incredibly friendly, helpful, and dedicated to helping me decide which university would be the best fit for my success. The answer was very clearly Christopher Newport for me. Every person who I talked to was focused on my future and what programs would boost my resume the most to help me attain my future goals and dream career. Setting Sail and Leadership Adventure has just increased my excitement about CNU’s community. I love all of the people that I met while on campus and have already made what I think will be lifelong connections. I am super excited to come back and spend more time with the amazing people I befriended in the fall.

Please list the top three service areas or populations you are interested in working with as a Bonner. – Arts & Culture, Support Services, and Youth Development & Education

What are you most looking forward to about being a Bonner? – I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to serve my new community. I love getting involved with those around me and always desire to help out when I can. I love that as a Bonner I will be placed in situations that will allow me to help and serve and make new connections. I am also excited for being a part of the Bonner family. It really seems like everyone involved in Bonner is very close to one another and there is a feeling of mutual trust, respect, and caring.

What past service experience has impacted you the most? – The service experience that has impacted me the most would probably be the service I have done at my dance studio and church and homeschool co-op. Working at my dance studio as an assistant teacher of 4 and 5-year-olds has really fostered my love for and understanding of kids. My service at my church and homeschool co-op has also helped foster this love and has helped me to have a general desire to love and help those around me. All three have taught me that in any situation there is almost always something you can help with if you’re willing to step up and occasionally step out of your comfort zone.

What are your hobbies and/or interests outside of academics and Bonner? – I am a very artistic person and really love anything relating to the arts. I love to dance, listen to music, act, sing, sketch, paint, etc. I love to read, my favorite genre is nonfiction/fantasy, and dabble a bit with writing stories and poetry. I also love watching movies and shows, some of my favorites being Gilmore Girls and The Owl House. I love hanging out with friends, exploring new places, and staying active and busy. I love being outdoors and enjoy archery, going on walks and runs, biking, and spending time in the woods. One of my favorite hobbies is hunting for glass in the woods by my house. There is an area that from what I can guess used to be an old trash dump and there is a ton of broken glass there. I like to collect it, clean it, and use it for artistic endeavors. I love helping out the environment and others whenever I can. I also love working and have really enjoyed my job working at Cox Farms during the fall and working at my dance studio. I love hanging out with little kids. 🙂

List your favorite book, movie, musician/band, food, and/or quote. – Book: The Call of the Wild by Jack London or The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Heely (I am a huge bibliophile and have many other favorites); Movie: How to Train Your Dragon series; Musician/band: Thomas Rhett (again I am a major audiophile and have many many other favorites); Food: Asian food (specifically potstickers and dumplings); Quote: “I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” – The Invention of Hugo Cabret

If you were a comfort food, what would you be? – Chicken and Dumplings, one of my favorite comfort foods 🙂

Share a little-known fact about yourself. – I do a FANTASTIC Lucas the Spider impression, and love messing around with trying new impressions and accents, even if I’m not always successful. 🙂