For Doina Jikich, the inspiration to support international students at West Virginia University began with a journey shaped by hardship, resilience and gratitude. Now retired and living in Daytona Beach, Florida, she is creating opportunities for a global community with a scholarship gift to benefit WVU international students.
One of the best athletic trainers in the nation works at West Virginia University Potomac State College. Carita Mills was honored by the National Junior College Athletic Association as the 2026 National Athletic Trainer of the Year during its national conference in Kansas City.
Miyah Swiger, a student at the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, traveled to Spain for the FFA International Leadership Seminar for State Officers. The two-week trip brought together state FFA officers from across the country to make connections and strengthen knowledge of global agriculture.
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.
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.
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.
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.