Graduate Profiles 2025
Gabrielle Tobias
Bachelor’s Degree, Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Hazleton, Pennsylvania
What is your best advice for incoming students and what will you miss most about WVU?
“My biggest piece of advice to incoming students would be to get involved early. Find an organization in your major that will benefit your experience here, and join something for fun that you can use to get away from the stressful times of college. These organizations will help you find your community here at WVU while still building important skills that you will use all the time. They create the best friendships and push you to grow the most. Don’t be afraid to try new things or say yes to things that seem a bit challenging, they could lead to the best experience. I have spent countless hours in the formula shop problem-solving side by side with teammates, celebrating wins and creating lifelong friendships. It is rare to find a group of people so dedicated and supportive, working towards the same goal. WVU gave me the opportunity to not only grow as a student, but be a part of something that shaped the career I am about to start.”
Darius Redman
Bachelor’s Degree, Physical Education and Kinesiology
Hometown: Keyser
What’s the best thing about being a Mountaineer?
“The best thing about being a Mountaineer is the pride we all carry. We don’t just represent the school, we carry the whole state. It’s amazing to be from a place as beautiful as West Virginia. I was a 2020 high school graduate and didn’t get a high school graduation. When I graduated from WVU Potomac State College, only a few family members could attend. So getting to walk the Commencement stage now means more than anything. Being a first-generation college graduate makes it even more personal. My grandmother isn’t here to see me graduate, so this degree is for her too.”
Ella Wix
Bachelor’s Degree, Mental Health and Addiction Studies
Hometown: Vienna
What’s the best thing about being a Mountaineer?
“I have been a Mountaineer since birth. My dad went here and is a huge fan of WVU sports, thus so am I. The best thing about being a Mountaineer is the community that we have and share. I love the togetherness I feel at a WVU football game, whether I am spending it with family or my friends. Mountaineers across the entire state of West Virginia have a familial way of treating others. No matter where I end up in life, I’ll always be a Mountaineer.”
Katelyn Short
Bachelor’s Degree, Advertising and Public Relations
Hometown: Cowen
As a soon-to-be graduate, what is your best advice for incoming students?
“Your well-being is a priority. There are going to be a lot of things going on all at once and it can be really easy to get caught up in all of it. Make an effort to set aside time to do things that you love, seek new experiences and to take care of yourself. What I will miss most about WVU is the whole student experience. To have an era of my life dedicated to learning what I’ve chosen to pursue is so rewarding. Being a member of a lively campus like this is special. Everyone’s got a common goal. I’ll also miss the pre-class treats from the campus farmer’s market pretty bad.”
Michele Champeau
JD Law, 3+3 from Energy Land Management in Davis College
Hometown: Reston, Virginia
Which person at WVU has had the biggest impact on your college experience? How has that person helped you?
“The commitment of Stefanie P. Hines, teaching associate professor of energy land management, to equity and interdisciplinary scholarship inspired me to pursue law school, and her support has helped me secure internships, connect with professionals in my field and access opportunities that have been instrumental in my development. From the beginning, WVU was the right choice for me because I always wanted to study in a field related to natural resources, and it was the only public university on the East Coast with an accredited Energy Land Management program.”
Daveon Lilly
JD Law, Concentration in Public Interest
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
What is your favorite memory from your time at WVU?
“My favorite memory from my time at WVU is my time with my classmates, faculty and staff outside of class. Working on events for the Black Law Students Association and Public Interest Advocates, as well as cases with the West Virginia Innocence Project has brought me closer to amazing individuals I cannot wait to work with in the legal field.”
Maddie Swecker
Master’s Degree, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
What will you miss most about WVU?
“My favorite thing about West Virginia University is that the people here are some of the most friendly and welcoming people you'll ever meet, and those people carry into the Adventure West Virginia program. I originally came to WVU mainly because I knew I wanted somewhere with mountains. I saw the campus and I was, like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. This is so different from what I'm used to.’ I learned about Adventure WV, and I became really excited for my First-Year Trip experience, and then it really did change my life and set me up exactly where I needed to be. After going to work with Adventure WV, I realized my passion is in outdoor recreation. I didn’t know that was a career path, and now I feel like I’ve really found my purpose and what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Elizabeth Conley
Bachelor’s Degree, Animal and Nutritional Sciences
Hometown: New Martinsville
What is your advice for current students?
“The Collegiate Horsemen’s Association is my favorite student organization, and I’ve gotten so many great opportunities from being a part of it. I love the events we get to host, like Halloween with the Horses and events with OLLI, which is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. I helped with both of those during my freshman year in CHA, and they were the first two events that I got to work with the horses hands on a little bit more. My favorite memory was being able to plan those events this year as the president of CHA. It’s been a really cool full-circle moment! I jumped into all the student organizations that I could, and then I kind of chose my favorite ones to really invest in. I will miss the level of involvement that I’ve been able to have here. Of course I will miss my friends too, but I'll definitely miss the situation that I’m able to have working at the barn and being involved on campus.”
Leah Thomas
Master’s Degree, Forensic Science
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
What will you miss most about WVU?
“I think being surrounded by lots of other students who are passionate about forensic science is something that I’m going to miss the most. We’ve all grown and learned together and we’ve all helped each other grow in these courses as researchers and scientists and I will miss the camaraderie we have in those hardships and also in the laughter and in the joyous times. I have loved forensic science the entire time I’ve been here. With every course I’ve taken, I’ve enjoyed it so much more and my passion for forensic science has only gotten deeper. I will say that there have been challenging moments, especially in graduate school, but, luckily, we have an amazing support system when it comes to faculty, other graduate students and undergraduate research assistants who all help throughout this journey.”
Bailey South
Bachelor’s Degree, Anthropology, History
Hometown: Jamestown, New York
What is your favorite memory from your time at WVU and what will you miss most?
“My favorite memory from my time at WVU has been the time I have spent working on the education team at the Art Museum of WVU. Applying the skills I have learned in my coursework across disciplines to a museum context has been invaluable. I have discovered an interest in education and enjoy sharing all that the Art Museum has to offer with the community. I have had so much fun working with my amazing coworkers and have further cemented my interest in pursuing a career in the museum field. I will miss the supportive atmosphere of WVU. I have been able to explore and experience classes on a variety of topics and have been able to learn for the sake of learning, something which I deeply enjoy. Every professor that I have had, especially those in Eberly, have been wonderful to learn from and have been supportive of my academic goals. While I will miss WVU once I graduate, I will be joining my mother and uncle as proud Mountaineer alumni, and will remember to keep singing ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads.’”
Hayley Bockius
Bachelor’s Degree, Biochemistry
Hometown: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Which person at WVU has had the biggest impact on your college experience and what will you miss most?
“Professor Visvanathan Ramamurthy has had the largest impact on my college experience. He has served as my research mentor for the past three years and has helped me find experiences that solidified what I wanted for my career. He supported me wholeheartedly, evidenced by multiple letters of recommendation that helped me to get accepted into roles I’ve dreamed of. He’s shown me how to be confident in my knowledge and abilities and how to best communicate across broad audiences. I am forever grateful for his mentorship. As an incoming medical student at WVU, I will not be leaving quite yet. The pride West Virginians feel for one another is tangible and extends to all students at WVU regardless of where you come from or what your background is. Everyone belongs here.”
Clara Lowe
Bachelor’s Degree, Forensic Examiner
Hometown: Morgantown
What is your favorite memory from your time at WVU?
“There are so many, but I think I will sum it up by saying the community leadership opportunities I have had here. From working for the University’s Adventure program and zip line to being an Honors College mentor, to being a teaching assistant in my major courses, even to leading campus informational tours and tabling at events, I have met and learned from so many wonderful people. I have laughed and bonded and gained self-confidence — whether I was leading hikes for incoming freshmen, helping calm people’s fears on the zip line or their fears about college, I have so many memories about the people I’ve met here and will truly miss them all.”
John Evans
Bachelor’s Degree, Criminology
Hometown: Morgantown
As a soon-to-be graduate, what is your best advice for incoming students?
“WVU is what you make it. You can go through the next four years just checking boxes and leave with a degree, wondering where the time went. Or you can take advantage of the opportunities around you — get involved, connect with others and challenge yourself — and walk away with some of the most impactful years of your life. The choice is yours, but I urge you to choose the latter. I will miss the challenge. Not just academically, but personally. There are few places where you’re constantly surrounded by such a wide range of perspectives, beliefs and lived experiences. It pushed me to grow, to listen and to reconsider my own assumptions. I’ll miss the people who helped me to see the world in new ways.”
Isaac McCarthy
Bachelor’s Degree, Music
Hometown: Gerrardstown
What is your favorite memory from your time at WVU and what will you miss the most?
“My favorite memory was the final concert I performed with the WVU Bluegrass Band. I had done so much work to help the performance come to life, and was delighted to see many of my family and friends in the audience. Travis Stimeling, my mentor and advisor, changed my life path and made me believe in myself. Their support was critical in my college career, and I miss them every day. I will also miss my friends in Morgantown, and the storied and diverse traditional music community that calls these mountains home. ”
Vanessa Meuller
Bachelor’s Degree, Biochemistry
Hometown: Clarksburg, Maryland
What is your favorite memory from your time at WVU?
“Throughout my time at WVU, I have been a member of the WVU Global Medical and Dental Brigades where I traveled during spring break to Panama in 2023 and 2025 and to Honduras in 2024. As a way to say goodbye to the communities we serve, we sing ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ as a group. In 2023, we sang for an indigenous community after a long day of digging trenches for water pipes to provide the community access to clean water for preventing water borne illnesses. The moment was truly unforgettable. It was special to sing as a group to express our thanks to the community for welcoming us and sharing their culture. I will always remember that moment with great fondness. Professor Daniel Brewster has made the biggest impact on my college experience. Not only have they been a dedicated advisor to the WVU Global Medical and Dental Brigades, but they have always provided me with support and encouragement when I needed it the most. Professor Brewster has helped me to grow as a leader and become a better person. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for Professor Brewster.”
Rylee Norman
Bachelor’s Degree, Management Information Systems
Hometown: Lewisburg
What is your favorite memory from your time at WVU?
“I really love basketball. I like to go to all the basketball games so anytime we sing ‘Country Roads’ after a big win is definitely a favorite memory. But the big one for me was going through my management information systems classes and realizing, ‘Oh, so this is where I belong,’ and having the professors really show me the potential that I could have if I kept working hard. They taught me I am qualified to do the things I have been afraid to do. Overall, what I like best about WVU is that it just feels like home. Everyone is so kind and welcoming, and I’ve always felt like I have a place here. It’s comforting to come this far from home but still feel at home.”
Gillian Pierrard
Bachelor’s Degree, Dental Hygiene
Hometown: Newtown, Pennsylvania
Why did you choose WVU and the School of Dentistry?
“Compared to the other dental hygiene schools I looked into, WVU had the most amount of clinical experience. This was something I valued because I did not want to rush through my education. At WVU, we begin our clinical rotations in the summer of our sophomore year and continue to see patients up until the time we graduate. Through these clinical experiences, I have been able to hone in on not only my instrumentation skills, but also how to work with my patients and provide them with the best possible care.”
Madalena Daugherty
Bachelor’s Degree, Biochemistry
Hometown: Weirton
Which person at WVU has had the biggest impact on your college experience? How has that person helped you?
“My undergraduate research mentor here at WVU has had the largest impact on my overall college experience. Although I am profoundly impressed with her intelligence, I have learned just as much from her compassion, empathy, selflessness and respect for others. Further, as a fellow woman in STEM, she has demonstrated how to remain considerate and professional, but also assertive and confident in navigating the academic world. The qualities she has exemplified during our time working together serve as an instrumental component of the foundation on which I build my professional life.”
Zakiah Bailey
Bachelor’s Degree, Nursing
Hometown: Fairmont
Why did you choose WVU and the School of Nursing?
“WVU was the most cost-effective option since the University and the School of Nursing offer many scholarships. I chose the Morgantown Campus because it wasn’t my hometown, but it wasn’t too far away. All the factors like location, price and program lined up perfectly. It was so easy to find information about the WVU Nursing program. When we were researching colleges, we found we could see the whole course catalog and what you take every semester. It was super organized and easy to figure out and this was huge in helping plan. That was an advantage of going to WVU.”
Brenna McCloud
Bachelor’s Degree, Nursing
Hometown: Keyser
What is your favorite memory from your time at WVU?
“A special memory from my time at the WVU School of Nursing would probably be when I met my best friend. We met before we even got into the program during an anatomy class. She sat down next to me and introduced herself and the rest is history. We started nursing school together and it was a wild time. Every failed test, last-minute assignment, study tips, family business, we were there for each other and still are.”
Tyler Traytor
Doctor of Pharmacy
Hometown: Smithton, Pennsylvania
Why did you choose WVU and the School of Pharmacy?
“When I was exploring pharmacy schools, I considered a few schools in the region. When visiting other schools, it felt like I was just another number, with the message being, ‘We’re so great, you should come here.’ But when I visited WVU, it was completely different. They focused on how they could help me succeed and offered clear reasons why their program was the right choice. It felt more personal, almost like a small town community — where I truly felt at home.”
Connor Stricklen
Bachelor’s Degree, Public Health
Hometown: Charleston
What are your future plans?
“After completing my bachelor’s degree in public health, I plan to pursue a master’s degree in population health. My ultimate goal is to establish a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthy food access in West Virginia. Having lived here my entire life, I’ve witnessed firsthand the urgent need for greater access to nutritious food, and that’s why this is the focus of my work.”