🌱 Patch AM: How a Herndon native’s leap of faith led to Oxford

Good morning Herndon! We're back in your inbox this morning to keep you in the loop with what's happening in and around town. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☕️️

Before we get to what's happening, a big thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Herndon PatchAM possible. Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

• The Fairfax Christian School — (703) 759-5100
  Give Your Child a Competitive Advantage
• Dogtopia of Herndon — (475) 338-3501
  Dogtopia – Dog Daycare, Boarding, Spa & Wellness
• beem Light Sauna — (703) 665-1375
  Join us as a Founding Member with 25% off for a Lifetime
• Craftsman Auto Care - Reston — (703) 775-6222
  Now Open! Stop By for Grand Opening Specials!
• Bruno's Bounce House — (703) 594-1587
  🌞 **Beat the Heat with Bruno's Bounce House Rentals!** 🌊
• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
• Calvert Rejuvenations Acupuncture and Spa — 5713231088
  Best of NoVA, award winning day spa and acupuncture clinic
• Stanley Martin Homes — (703) 964-5000
  Discover New Homes throughout Northern Virginia
• Russian School of Mathematics MathSchool.com — (571) 306-2355
  FREE Online Math Evaluation for Your Child!
• Sweathouz Reston — (703) 263-8150
  Black Friday 3-for-$99 1hr private sauna/cold plunge session

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

In today's newsletter:

• How a Herndon native’s leap of faith led to Oxford
• What your congressman says about Trump’s Maduro capture and war powers

Also on today's calendar: Boxing and MMA-Style Striking Seminar with Sam Yousefi and 1 more event.

Today's riddle: What did the hair spray say to the hair when it got back from vacation? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high of 52 and low of 41 degrees.
• Wednesday: Breezy with partial sunshine, temps: high: 59, low: 30.
• Thursday: Sun followed by some clouds, with a high of 56 and low of 44 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• How I found my research: Shruti Shrivastava's interest in evolutionary biology takes her to Oxford (vcu.edu) — A Herndon native, Shruti Shrivastava has parlayed her VCU biology studies into a research career that’s now taking her to Oxford University. She explains how she shifted from pre-med to evolutionary biology, her work on climate-threatened trees, and how overcoming imposter syndrome and trusting her instincts opened unexpected academic doors.
   

• Rep. James Walkinshaw: Trump administration needs to explain legal rational for Maduro capture (fox6now.com) — Herndon residents are directly represented in Congress by Rep. James Walkinshaw, who is sharply questioning the Trump administration’s legal justification for using military force to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. In a detailed interview, he warns about constitutional limits on war powers, potential expansion of U.S. military actions in Latin America, and the risks for deployed American service members.
   

📸 Around Herndon

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Herndon

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Saturday January 10

• Boxing and MMA-Style Striking Seminar with Sam Yousefi
  OSMA, 510 Spring St, Herndon
  1:00 pm

Saturday January 17

• Book Signing & Free Raffles With Award-Winning Author
  Meanwhile Coffee, 2309 Woodland Crossing Dr, Herndon
  11:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday January 8

• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) Training in Herndon, VA
  Courtyard by Marriott Dulles Airport Herndon/Reston , 533 Herndon Pkwy , Herndon
  9:00 am

Saturday January 10

• January 10th, Saturday GreenFare 21 Day Kickstart
  GreenFare Organic Cafe , 408 Elden St , Herndon
  9:00 am

📣 Herndon Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Tuesday January 6

• January Board Meeting
  Loudoun County, VA Calendar , 750 Miller Dr SE Suite 150 , Leesburg
  1:00 pm
• Indoor Track
  Dominiòn High School , 21326 Augusta Dr , Sterling
  3:00 pm
• Board of Supervisors Business Meeting
  Loudoun County, VA Calendar , 1 Harrison St., SE , Leesburg
  4:00 pm
• One-on-one Technology Help at Reston Library
  Reston Regional Library , 11925 Bowman Towne Dr , Reston
  4:00 pm
• Teen Art Tuesdays
  Central Rappahannock Regional Library Cooper Branch , 20 Washington Ave , Colonial Beach
  5:00 pm

Wednesday January 7

• Zoning Ordinance Committee
  Loudoun County, VA Calendar , 1 Harrison St., SE , Leesburg
  9:00 am
• Baby Storytime
  Sterling Library , 22330 S Sterling Blvd a117 , Sterling
  10:00 am
• Senior Nutrition Lectures: Goal Setting
  Loudoun County, VA Calendar , 20880 Marblehead Drive , Ashburn
  10:00 am
• A Loosely Knit Group
  Central Rappahannock Regional Library Cooper Branch , 20 Washington Ave , Colonial Beach
  1:00 pm
• ESOL: Makerspace for English Learners
  Sterling Library , 22330 S Sterling Blvd a117 , Sterling
  4:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Styles And Smiles —Jerilyn Woelfel Read on Patch

• Come meet the Sense & Sensibility Lovelies at PetSmart in Sterling TODAY 12-3pm!
  Elinor, Marianne, Margaret and Edward are super sweet kitties from rural WV who had a rough time before coming to HART but are as sweet as can be and… (Nextdoor Four Seasons)
• A crash has been cleared on US-29 northbound, 1.4 miles north of I-66 in Fairfax County.
  5:37PM on Jan 4: All northbound travel lanes on US-29 at 1.4 miles north of I-66 in Fairfax County are closed. (Nextdoor )

• Accenture posted a job opening for SAP Transportation Management Manager - Consumer Goods in Herndon. Apply here.
• Wend American Group, LLC posted a job opening for Crew Member in Herndon. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Herndon here.

🗞 Nearby News

Reston

• Reston Parkway lane temporarily closes for ongoing bridge repairs (ffxnow.com)

Great Falls

• Morning Notes for January 5, 2026 (ffxnow.com)

Ashburn

Ok Herndon! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I mist you!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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