Madison Santmyer
Madison Santmyer, a member of the Honors College from Purcellville, Virginia, will graduate with degrees in political science and international studies and minors in Spanish and geography with a focus in globalization.
She is a member of the Project 168 Society and Campus Carry Sub-Group who has played an active role in first-generation retention initiatives. Santmyer also served as the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and director of community engagement for Alpha Phi and a Spanish tutor at Literacy Volunteers of Monongalia and Preston Counties.
An aspiring attorney, her purpose is to help others while bridging her interests in international relations and public policy.
Elected the 2023-24 Student Government Association president, she has maintained a 4.0 grade point average while fulfilling her academic requirements in multiple disciplines, traveling abroad, and serving as a leader and liaison focused on elevating the student experience at WVU and across the state.
She called it the “honor of a lifetime” to advocate for students as the 110th student body president. With a focus on recruitment and retention initiatives, she also worked to bridge the communication gap between students and administrators while guiding the assembly of students through Academic Transformation.
A champion for student success, she also worked to address food insecurity on college campuses and create a survey to uncover the reasons why graduates leave the state as the chair of the Advisory Council of Students for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy in Charleston.
She also founded WVU Women in Politics to offer women interested in politics and government a community to network and engage in professional development activities.
Santmyer also had an opportunity to participate in a Spanish immersion program at the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in Santander, Spain; and for her international studies senior capstone project, she attended the United Nations Conference in Erfurt, Germany, where she worked with other delegates to create a resolution on science technology and innovation for sustainable development.
A two-time Eberly Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa who completed the Honors Foundation Program, she was selected as a semifinalist for the Fulbright Scholarship.
After graduation, she will attend law school, and ultimately, she plans to bridge her interests in international relations and public policy as a U.S. attorney.