Virginia Wesleyan University said goodbye to one of their favorite faculty members this 2017-2018 school year. Ms. Diane Hotaling, the face of Community Service at Virginia Wesleyan retired after 32 years dedicated to teaching students the value there is in helping the local community.
Ms. Diane started working at Virginia Wesleyan College when she was 24 years old and consistently showed dedication and put her heart into every aspect of working with the students and community. There is no doubt that Ms. Diane will be one of the most missed faculty members of Virginia Wesleyan campus, “She is the most selfless person I have ever met. She has the kindest heart and always puts others before herself, “says Amanda Gerni a rising Junior who worked with Ms. Diane on multiple occasions community service programs.
Ms. Diane’s last day at Virginia Wesleyan was on August 15, 2017 and was a hard one for not only the students but faculty as well. The faculty who worked closely with Ms. Diane were extremely upset that she was retiring but they were ready to carry on what she had implemented during her 32 years at Wesleyan. “Ms. Diane is an amazing person with an amazing heart. Words cannot describe how she will be missed,” said the office manager for Community Service Gwendolynn Malone about Ms. Diane’s retirement.
Not only did Hotaling have an impact on the staff she was around every day, but she impacted the lives of a large number of students she came into contact with as well. “The best part about working with Ms. Diane was the energy she would bring to the office every day. It was to the point where you had no choice but to smile when you were around her” recent graduate Andre Banks said.
The 2017-2018 school year has begun with many changes for the Virginia Wesleyan student body; from changing from a college to a university, or the new buildings which are undergoing or near completion, with the numerous positive changes, there also some not so positive. The sad news about Ms. Diane’s retirement will be one that every faculty member and student of Virginia Wesleyan University will be impacted by, but in her honor, we will continue to passionately work and help the community selflessly as she taught.
Positive energy, passion, a loyalty and dedication to Virginia Wesleyan are just a few of Ms. Diane’s amazing traits that will be missed. “I am going to miss everything about Ms. Diane. She wasn’t just a faculty member to me but she was somebody I could go talk to about anything. She brought me so many wonderful things to the campus community and she will truly be missed,” Amanda Gerni said.
Brianna Kidwell
bnclarkson@vwu.edu
