Townsend ’24: Building on a VMI Foundation

Like most children of alumni, Annie Townsend ’24 and her siblings grew up hearing stories of their father’s cadetship. But unlike most alumni offspring, all four of the Townsend children chose to matriculate at VMI—and today, Townsend is well on her path to professional success as she earns a master’s degree in architecture at the University of Virginia.

Townsend, a distinguished graduate of VMI who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from VMI with minors in both applied mathematics and modern languages and cultures (Spanish), recalls listening to her father, Mark Townsend ’96, M.D., talk about his VMI experience during long car rides.

She and her siblings listened with interest, but it wasn’t until her junior year of high school that she and her older sister, Virginia Townsend ’24, began to get serious about the Institute. At that point, she noted, their father said, “OK, we need to sit down and talk. Are you guys sure you want to go [to VMI]?” As a parent, she explained, her father wanted to make sure his daughters knew just how challenging the Institute would be. In the end, attracted by Mark’s stories of the brother rat bond, VMI was the only school the sisters applied to.

Assured that his daughters had thought through their choice, Mark and his wife, Alice Townsend, were strongly supportive throughout their older children’s cadetships—and remained so as their younger children, David Townsend ’27 and Margaret Townsend ’27, joined the Institute family in fall 2023.

“[My dad] likes to say, and I strongly agree, that he didn’t at all encourage us to come here, but it sort of just happened because of hearing about it from him,” Townsend explained.

Because Townsend graduated from high school a year early, she was able to join her sister, who is 18 months older, as a member of the Class of 2024. Thanks to their similar looks and same class year, the two were often mistaken for twins, which the closely bonded sisters cheerfully accepted as part of their shared identity. “We’re pretty much a package deal,” Townsend said of her bond with her older sister, and that unity has continued after graduation, as Virginia Townsend, valedictorian of the Class of 2024, is now attending the University of Virginia Law School, and the sisters share an apartment in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Coming into VMI, Townsend chose a civil engineering major because she’d grown up on a small farm where her family had always had a building project of some sort going on, and even as a high schooler, she’d developed an interest in architecture—an interest that deepened during her cadetship. “I’d say living in the castle-like environment at VMI helped, too,” she stated.

Townsend even took her cues from the VMI barracks in choosing a topic for her Institute Honors thesis last spring, “A Security Analysis of Barracks through the Lens of Infrastructure,” and her project was selected for post-wide recognition as she received the Institute Writing Program’s award for best thesis in the area of science and engineering. The recognition was accompanied by a cash prize supported by the Spilman Fund for Writing Excellence.

In addition to her honors thesis, Townsend also completed a Summer Undergraduate Research Institute study on the use of hydroponics, which is growing plants via nutrient-enriched water, for urban farming. At graduation, Townsend’s scholarship was recognized when she received the Civil Engineering Award and the Col. Herbert Nash Dillard ’34 Award.

VMI’s academic program, Townsend noted, is unique in that professors care so much for cadets and will do whatever’s needed to support them. “A lot of people who move on to grad school realize in retrospect how amazing VMI professors are,” she stated. “You can walk into their office anytime. … They’re always there for you; you can go ask them questions whenever, and even if you just need to chat, they’ll take time out of their busy day for you.”

Outside of academics, Townsend kept busy as a member of Band Company, where she played the clarinet and held rank over multiple years, culminating as company commander in her 1st Class year. She also served as a Class of 2024 representative to the Honor Court in her 2nd and 1st Class years, where she was an assistant prosecutor her 2nd Class year and vice president of investigations her 1st Class year.

Representing her class on the Honor Court gave her a new appreciation for the Institute’s single-sanction honor system. “In the real world, actions have very real consequences,” she said. “You’re not often going to get a second chance if you’re lying at work, cheating your way through your profession, or stealing in the real world. … I would say that the honor system is the thing I’m most proud of at VMI because it’s not only a very important value that we carry on as alums after graduating, it also creates an incredibly strong culture of trust within barracks.”

At UVA, Townsend has continued her pattern of taking advantage of unique opportunities to support her passions. Early this year, she completed an externship with the historic preservation studio at Glavé & Holmes Architecture in Richmond, Virginia—a firm that has done quite a bit of work on post. This summer, she’ll venture much farther afield when she travels to Montana for a summer internship with 100 Fold’s Summer Studio for a design/build project that encourages participants to combine their professional calling with their faith.

In her very limited free time, Townsend enjoys running, swimming, and hiking, oftentimes with her sister, and she also makes it a priority to support her younger siblings through their cadetships. Not surprisingly, she admits that when the four Townsend siblings are together, they tend to talk “a fair amount” about VMI and the experiences that create the strong bond between all alumni.

As the 1-year anniversary of her graduation approaches, Townsend finds herself reflecting on her 4-year journey through the Institute and how much VMI challenged her to grow. Confidence, she acknowledged, was a weak spot she wanted to work on coming into VMI, and while she’s found that confidence, it hasn’t come from the rugged individualism of popular culture.

“VMI really puts you in a position where you can’t do it by yourself,” she commented. “You need people to help you. You need your faith. You need the support of your family and friends and the people to the left and right of you. … Everyone’s going to fail at some point, and failing is how you grow—falling down and then getting back up again. You can’t get back up again by yourself.”

Looking back, Townsend can also see that she’s not the same person she would have been had she not gone to VMI. “Sometimes, you’re so busy with the day-to-day life of trying to get tasks done that you can’t always step back and see the full picture and appreciate how this experience is going to benefit you throughout your life,” she said. “I haven’t even been an alum for a whole year, but I look back on my cadetship—that was a really unique experience. I’m very thankful for it, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”