Word of mouth
V.J. probably wouldn't be at Doane College if it weren't for the recommendation of a Doane student who graduated from his high school back in Liberty, N.Y.
Doane sent V.J. application materials, and he sent them in.
"I applied without really thinking," V.J. said.
The next thing he knew, he was accepted, and Doane was offering him the best financial package. So he came without even seeing the college first.
"I was kind of blown away by how beautiful the campus was," he recalled.
Because he didn't have any local ties, Doane became his home-away-from-home.
"He had to put in extra effort to find balance. to create his own support network," said education professor Dr. Marilyn Johnson-Farr.
Taking advantage of opportunities
V.J. hasn't overlooked any opportunities offered to him.
"He also has used himself as a tool to help others learn," Johnson-Farr said.
V.J.'s musical and directing talents were tapped almost the minute he arrived, when he was stopped in a hallway and asked how much he knew about music. He ended up directing Doane's "Exalted Adoration" choir as a first-year student.
The vocal music major now sings in the Doane Choir, the men's ensemble, "Doublewide," and directs two gospel choirs off campus - one at Quinn Chapel in Lincoln and one at Union College, also in Lincoln. This spring he will organize the second annual Gospel Festival on Doane's Crete campus.
Worth coming to Nebraska
V.J. said it was worth it to come to Doane from New York state.
"You can learn a lot from a small school in a small town in Nebraska," he said.
V.J. believes Doane has the best music program, hands-down, in Nebraska.
"The faculty and staff are more than willing to help me out," he said.
He especially noted the musicianship and mentoring of his advisor, Dr. Kurt Runestad, and the one-on-one help he received from Dr. Hannah Smith to stretch his bass/baritone range and strengthen his voice.
Other relationships he has developed over the past three years have been rewarding, too.
"I feel like I attained a new family," he said. "My friends are the best friends I could have."