From future engineers and educators to researchers, artists and health care leaders, the newest graduates of West Virginia University are ready to carry the Mountaineer spirit into communities across the state and beyond. Meet members of the Class of 2026 whose stories reflect the determination, resilience and purpose that define the WVU experience.
Corinne Hazel, a soon-to-be environmental microbiology graduate from the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, reflects on her time at WVU as she gears up for a big move across the pond to start her doctoral degree in plant sciences at the University of Cambridge in England.
A team of students from the West Virginia University Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources earned first place at the first Project MFG Additive Manufacturing National Championship held in Texas.
For West Virginia University Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources graduating senior Zach Taylor, his decision to pursue a dual major in computer and electrical engineering was a risky choice considering his red-green color deficiency diagnosis. He excelled anyway.
To expand opportunities for West Virginia University students and advance innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and national security, WVU Cyber is launching a strategic partnership with TWENTY, a leading offensive cyber company.
For Fairmont native Shannon McAtee, helping shape some of the most meaningful moments at West Virginia University is all in a day’s work. As senior coordinator in the WVU University Events office, McAtee helps plan and execute many of the University’s most visible gatherings — from presidential events and donor dinners to the carefully choreographed celebrations of Commencement.
West Virginia University Institute of Technology graduate Alexis Sexton is ready to take on the engineering world, a graduate program and an assistantship at Virginia Tech thanks to connections she’s built during her time in Beckley.
From the Utah Valley to the mountains of West Virginia, Hayley Trotter is a non-traditional undergraduate student at West Virginia University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies in the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She's also a mom working to be a living example for her children that education is an important part of life, no matter what stage you decide to pursue it.
The four West Virginia University students — Daniel Campa, of Morgantown; Colin Krisulevicz, of Salisbury, Maryland; Rebecca Ozbolt, of Akron, Ohio; and Samuel Stalnaker, of Atwater, California and Cowen — have joined the ranks of the nation’s top emerging researchers after earning National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.
West Virginia University Foundation Scholar Laya Chennuru will graduate May 17 with dual bachelor’s degrees in neuroscience and psychology, leaving campus as a “Mountaineer for life.” She said her time in Morgantown was rich with opportunities to learn, to serve others, to lead and to make countless memories.