[3] The distinguished alumni of the VIA include Mary Winston Jackson, one of the three women featured in the book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and the film of the same title,[4] tennis champion Arthur Ashe,[5] and basketball’s Bobby Dandridge.
The coordinated efforts of Virginia State University staff, teachers, coaches, the Department of Education and parents can be attributed with the success of the VIA.
[12] In May 2023, Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss made a donation to Teaching for Change to digitize the archives at Virginia State University.
African American high school students participated in academic competitions in mathematics and science, specifically algebra, chemistry, physics, and biology.
VIA members participated and performed in choir, music, and drama competitions and festivals at Virginia State University.
Collis P. Huntington High School, for example, won sixteen Virginia Interscholastic Association eastern District titles and seven VIA state championships under coach Thad Madden from 1943 through 1971.