Graduate Profiles 2024
Ifenna Ekwenem
Major: Computer Engineering
Hometown: Newtown, Pennsylvania
What will you miss most about WVU?
“The people with Statler Student Services and the Fundamentals of Engineering Program were all helpful. They made it more like a community than another classroom interaction. Electrical engineering labs were always very memorable. For incoming students, my advice is to make good friends. Make friends that will really be there with you and for you. Always study with your good friends. Try to get outside, don’t be afraid to always get some sunlight.”
Lauren Starliper
Major: MA Higher Education Administration
Hometown: Morgantown
What is your advice for incoming students?
“Be active in creating and collecting opportunities that inspire you. WVU truly offers endless opportunities for its students, but they don’t always come find you. So, being active in your own education and the opportunities that follow is important. The thing I will miss most about being a student at WVU is the community created in the classroom that brings together students from different locations and backgrounds but who have a common interest and can all continue to grow together.”
Matt Frye
Major: MFA Acting
Hometown: Ferndale, Washington
What will you miss most about WVU?
“I just love being in a place where people are learning. It's fun to show up to work every day and everyone is trying to get better. I'll miss that unified mindset. For incoming students, my advice is to focus on school while you’re here. It’s important to find things outside of school to blow off steam, but always remember why you’re here. For me, it was making myself the best performer I could be so I could get jobs upon graduation.”
Clarence Moore
Major: JD Law
Hometown: Moreno Valley, California
What have you liked most about WVU Law?
“My favorite thing about WVU Law is probably my classmates. WVU Law recognizes the value of diversity in the legal profession, which is important to me. Also, WVU Law houses the West Virginia Innocence Project and I wanted to attend a law school with that option.”
Aly Fleenor
Major: JD Law
Hometown: Oceana
How has WVU Law prepared you for your future after graduation?
“By choosing WVU Law, I’ve established a solid career path and forged meaningful connections with individuals who will support my career. My time at WVU Law has given me insight into the priorities and values within the legal profession. I’m proud of my West Virginia roots and I am committed to giving back to my state. That’s why I chose to attend WVU Law and plan to remain in West Virginia after graduation.”
Jillian Blair
Major: Environmental and Energy Resources Management
Minors: Sustainable Design, Geology
Hometown: Wheeling
What was your most valuable experience at WVU?
“My most valuable experience would be the relationships I’ve been able to make within the Davis College. I certainly don’t know everyone, but at the same time, I feel as if there aren’t any strangers here. It was the kindred spirit of Davis that convinced me to go on a study abroad trip to Belize with 13 other Davis students, not knowing a single one of them. I came out of it with the most incredible memories and friendships.”
Riley Pierce
Major: Forest Resources Management
Hometown: Kent, Ohio
What is your advice for current students?
“I would say to current students that it’s very important to try. I think there’s a lot of pessimism that makes people not want to try. College is a place where, if you try and put in effort, you’ll benefit. Your effort isn’t going for nothing. I’ll definitely miss the Davis College and the family atmosphere. Every time I walk around the Agriculture Sciences Building or Percival Hall, I constantly run into people I know. I’ll miss the people and the atmosphere the most.”
Gabi Xie
Major: Interdisciplinary Studies (Biology, Psychology, Addiction
Studies) and French
Hometown: McLean, Virginia
What advice would you give your freshman self?
“The best piece of advice I could give to my freshman self is to not be afraid of taking chances and gaining new experiences. I am a member of the sorority Pi Beta Phi, and I've had the opportunity to serve as the director of public relations and marketing as well as the vice president of recruitment. As much as I value these leadership opportunities, I cannot forget the amazing women who helped support me through my years as an undergraduate and I will forever treasure the friendships that I have made.”
Riley “Red” Klug
Majors: Anthropology and Art History
Hometown: New Martinsville
What has your time at WVU been like?
“I spent a ton of my time outside the classroom traveling the world. I spent a month in Italy in 2022, summer 2023 in Belize for eight weeks, and in November 2023 I went to Chile. I have been able to study abroad three times with the help of WVU and it has been amazing! After graduation, I am going to attend the University of California, San Diego for a master’s degree in Latin American Studies.”
Savannah Strahle
Major: Forensic Examiner
Minor: Psychology
Hometown: Allentown, New Jersey
What is your best advice for incoming students?
“My advice for incoming students is to enjoy your years as much as you can. Time flies! Don’t think your entire college experience is going to be awful because you might not have had the best first few weeks or months. You have four years here and things can change so much if you start making a change. Reach out to people, join organizations and make the most of everything you can here.”
Jared Icenhower
Major: Management Information Systems
Minor: Business Cybersecurity
Hometown: Jackson, Ohio
What will you miss most about WVU?
“What I'll miss most about WVU is the unique environment that fosters connections with like-minded individuals. College provided an ideal setting to meet people with similar interests and values, facilitating the formation of deep and meaningful friendships. Whether it was seeing friends while walking to class or building a network of peers who shared my passions, the sense of camaraderie and community enriched my college experience in ways that I’ll always cherish.”
Tannor Enyart
Major: Broadcast Journalism
Minor: American History
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
What will you miss most about WVU?
“John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ is a song known around the world but means more to the people of Morgantown, the state of West Virginia, and WVU than anywhere else. The feeling you get when you hear the song is very unique. Whether you’re singing it with thousands at Milan Puskar Stadium or the WVU Coliseum, or you’re walking to class and hearing it. It’s something that makes us all feel connected and something that all Mountaineers are proud of. While I will no longer be at WVU, each time I hear that song the memories of my time at WVU will come back to me and I’ll feel like I’m right back at home here at WVU.”
Julie Thomm
Major: MS Integrated Marketing Communications
Hometown: Charleston
What is your favorite memory from your time at WVU?
“My favorite memory from my time at WVU was the excitement and support of my family and friends with my decision to return to school to obtain my master’s degree. When I got accepted, my husband and daughter came home with new WVU swag and a WVU Monopoly game, and it was such a special moment because I realized that going back to school as an adult with a full-time job and a family was going to be challenging, but that I had an incredible support system and I felt confident that I had made the right choice.”
Victoria McAdoo
Major: MS Integrated Marketing Communications
Hometown: Mount Vernon, New York, currently living in Belton, Texas
What is your best advice for incoming students?
“Accept the challenge. The decision to pursue higher education is not one that you took lightly. You owe it to yourself to fully invest in yourself. It is going to be fun at times and it most definitely is going to be challenging. Push yourself and make the experience worth it.”
Kristen MullIns
Major: Doctor of Dental Surgery
Hometown: Hurricane
Why did you choose to earn your degree at WVU?
“It was a no brainer to attend WVU. The School of Dentistry has an incredible track record for training and producing top-tier clinicians. I knew WVU would provide me with an exceptional educational experience that would prepare me to enter private practice immediately following graduation. WVU was exactly where I was meant to be and I couldn’t be happier with my decision! I am the first person in my family to pursue and earn a doctoral degree. I wouldn’t have made it through without the support of my family and friends. I’m so blessed that I got to do it here in my home state at WVU.”
Loryn Frame
Major: PhD Occupational Therapy, Inaugural Class
Hometown: Buckhannon
How has WVU prepared you for your next chapter?
“Ever since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to help people, and I knew I wanted to be a Mountaineer. During an undergraduate class, I learned that occupational therapists work on specific skills that a client needs. It was exactly the career I had been looking for. Since then, I’ve found my passion in occupational therapy. This career is extremely rewarding as you get to directly impact the lives of your patients by helping them do the things that make their lives meaningful.”
Matthew Hillyer
Major: Exercise Physiology
Hometown: Princeton
What will you miss most about WVU?
“I am going to miss the sense of community here at WVU. They say at New Student Orientation that it’s a city with a small-town feel and they are not lying when they say that. I feel like so many people are cheering you on and are there to support you when you need it.”
Aiden Slusser
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Fairmont
How has WVU prepared you for your next chapter?
“I feel that WVU has greatly prepared me for the many opportunities I have to look forward to as a nurse. I think I could start anywhere as a new graduate and succeed because of the tremendous job WVU has done to get me to that point. I wanted to be in a program and profession where I can positively affect people when they need it most and nursing is just that. We are there to help patients and families when they are in their deepest times of need. Even if the patient doesn’t remember my name, I want them to remember me as the nurse that treated them with kindness and the utmost respect.”
Yohanna Berhanu
Major: Pharmacy, Advanced Clinical Practice and Translational Pharmacy
Research
Hometown: Morgantown
What is your advice for incoming students?
“Always believe in yourself and never give up! There will be many obstacles along the way, but if you fall, get back up. With this mindset, you can achieve anything, regardless of how difficult or daunting it may seem. I will miss the amazing students and faculty/staff that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know during my time at WVU.”
Eva Cicci
Major: Public Health, Community and Population Health
Minor: Spanish
Hometown: Morgantown
What advice would you give to your freshman self? What are you looking forward to most after graduation?
“Grades and GPAs will change! You are not stuck with the letters and numbers that will ‘follow’ you from freshman year. Take a breath, relax and learn how you learn. Figuring out how you work academically will help you occupationally. After graduation, I am looking forward to only having to balance work and life instead of work, life and school. I am ready to live my life a little more authentically and get a taste for what it is like to work full-time. I am excited to feel so rewarded after a long day’s work and to come home to NO HOMEWORK.”