Having spent four years at James Madison University, Katelyn LaScola has developed a deep connection and appreciation for Harrisonburg and all the opportunities it brought her. After graduating in May of 2022 with a degree in writing, rhetoric and technical communications and a minor in entrepreneurship, she started working from home as a social media coordinator for USA Today. In addition, following her love for books, she is enrolled as a student at Old Dominion University.
“I go back to school next month to study library science and information at [ODU] to become a librarian. [I want to work] in a county library, so I can do author events and other cool stuff. [But] I would need to get my teaching license to work in a school, which I do not have but interested in getting,” LaScola said.
Drawing her into the world of journalism, LaScola says she enjoys freedom of expression and learning to express herself and communicate, and said she believes such expression can have many benefits across the board in all fields and in life in general.
While in college, she gained hands-on journalistic skills working as president of HerCampus chapter, interned with Promly and started her own blog under the name “She’s Moving Mountains.”
Having such a positive first-year experience, more like first month, she convinced her younger sister to apply.
“She was gonna go to [Christopher Newport University] and she cried about that,” LaScola said. “[But] nothing beats JMU.”
She eventually went on to sending an email to JMU President Jonathan R. Alger.
“And I got a response and [have since] written him a bunch of times.”
LaScola credits JMU for the reconnection of her and her now fiancé, Ty Hager, a JMU student who is set to graduate in the winter. Specifically, Hager and LaScola attribute their rekindling with Parents’ Weekend, which ended in them exchanging phone numbers.
“And the rest is history,” LaScola said.
The two are planning to move to Culpeper, Virginia, as she starts her master’s in library science and information, and he finishes his last semester at JMU. Katelyn and Ty share a dog, Cooper (pictured above) is a ten-month-old F1B goldendoodle, “[We got Cooper] because I work from home all day and I needed a buddy.” LaScola said.
Although JMU provides a welcoming and healthy environment, they didn’t offer her desired program, ultimately leading Katelyn to ODU where she could be closer to the beach.
