Alumni News – November 2025

Stephanie Kennedy-La Rosa ’14 is the executive director of Steppingstone Farm Museum in Harford County, Maryland. An art history graduate from Roanoke College, she currently works to share Harford County’s rural heritage with the community, keeping stories alive for generations to come. It’s what excites her most about her role. She said she loves “the opportunity to honor the communities that came before us and serve as the connective glue between their stories and the people who carry them forward. Every day, I get to help others see why local history matters.” 

When she recounts how Roanoke prepared her for her career, she said, “Through studying art history, I learned how to interpret not just objects, but the human experiences and cultural/social values behind them. That perspective translates directly to my work in museums and nonprofit leadership, which is understanding the ‘why’ behind history and helping others connect to it.”  

This idea of community is ever present in countless alumni stories, including Hunter Haskins ’21, who double majored in history and political science at Roanoke. He currently serves as assistant director of the Salem Museum & Historical Society. 

Before landing in his current role, Haskins taught history and epistemology and worked at a seasonal farm museum on the weekends as a docent, interpreter and blacksmith. He began full-time work in museums based on a connection from his time at Roanoke. On community, he said, “Looking for a sense of community has always been something that’s driven me. It’s what brought me to Roanoke College, enabled me to teach school for a number of years, and has brought me back to the area that has already given me so much.” 

Haskins experienced firsthand the commitment professors make to help their students succeed far beyond graduation, especially by exposing them to various potential career paths. “Through Roanoke, I had opportunities some students at other schools could only dream of!” said Haskins. “My professors invited public historians, archaeologists, community activists, and so many more industry representatives into the classroom to teach and demonstrate their professions in action.”  

Like Haskins, Lynsey Allie ’08 credits Roanoke professors for preparing her for her career. She said, “They were always willing to help, especially when it came to writing and research, and I learned so much from their support and encouragement. The challenge prepared me so well that grad school felt easy by comparison.” 

In her current role as executive director of the Botetourt County Historical Society, she participates in a wide variety of work. She said, “One day I might be meeting with a community partner to plan a collaboration, the next I’m examining a church ledger from 1794, hosting a local history lecture or installing a new exhibit.” This reinforces the versatility of a liberal arts degree from Roanoke College—and the impact professors have on the lives of students.  

For Lauren Kraut ’05, hands-on experiences during her time in college made all the difference. “I worked in the archives under Mama Linda Miller and then interned at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History before my senior year at Roanoke. Working with the First Ladies’ dresses [exhibition] what was really made me decide that museum work was what I really wanted to do,” said Kraut. 

She landed at Roanoke College based on the experience of fellow alumna and history major Sara (Murphy) Williams ’00, whom she also worked with during her Smithsonian internship. Kraut is senior collections manager and registrar at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) in Middleburg, Virginia. She also teaches art history at Northern Virginia Community College.  

We look forward to following these Maroons’ careers in the years to come.