West Virginia University professor Yu Gu, with the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, has been appointed to the Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering Academy Distinguished Alumni Professorship created to elevate research and academic excellence.
After starting with a $35 scholarship donation to the Mountaineer Athletic Club in 1979, Dr. Philip High — an oral surgeon serving the Wheeling area — has steadily increased his gifts to West Virginia University over the years, branching out to other areas that include the School of Dentistry and Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Zabrya Robson, a behavior health counselor at Community Care of West Virginia, came to West Virginia University knowing she wanted to help others. She earned her undergraduate degree at WVU, and then when looking for a master’s program to pursue counseling, she once again chose the University largely because of the flexibility of the clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling program.
West Virginia University Institute of Technology alumna Alexis Zilinski’s childhood was spent participating in 4-H programs that instilled in her a passion for learning, civic engagement and community service. A business management graduate, she continues to serve her community as a Raleigh County 4-H program assistant.
As a student in the West Virginia University John Chambers College of Business and Economics, Emma LaBombard, from Harper’s Ferry, said she felt supported by faculty from day one. From mentorships to job opportunities, those in the Department of Accounting work diligently to prepare students like LaBombard for their unique career paths.
Luis Arroyo and Tatiana Trejos, both researchers in the WVU Department of Forensic and Investigative Science, first met in Costa Rica and arrived on the Morgantown Campus with a little help from destiny.
Much like the game of connect the dots, Megan McDougal’s academic and professional career share points that have come together to form one big picture. An associate professor in health informatics and information management in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, McDougal has recently added research to her itinerary. She never thought either would be part of her future.
When Paola Perez-Vega completed her bachelor’s degree in 2023, she had the option of choosing between an industry job or graduate school. She went the graduate school path. The luring power of her undergraduate research in water separation was one of the key factors that made her flow with the tides into the chemical engineering graduate program at West Virginia University.
Kip Holderness is an associate professor at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics. He likes knowing what makes people tick and why they do things they shouldn’t. His research explores employee deviance and “psychological entitlement,” which he described as “an inflated sense of deservingness unjustified by merit or performance.”
When Easton Cahill arrived at West Virginia University, he was the first in his family to attend college. As a high school student in Bridgeport, he was drawn to science through the influence of his biology teacher. Once he discovered his affinity for research, his path became clear — WVU was his choice.