Eberly Scholars

2022-2023

Major: Psychology
Hometown: Morgantown 

Growing up, health class was always my favorite class, especially when the topic of mental health was discussed. I was in middle school when the importance of mental health was being discussed not only in school, but in the media as well. These discussions drew my interest in psychology and mental health. I started reading more about psychology and exploring more about the subject. I was fascinated with the information I learned about psychology. I knew that I wanted to study psychology before entering high school. I was also extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful AP Psychology teacher in high school. I learned so much from her and her class encouraged me to continue with my decision to pursue psychology as a major in college. 

Majors: Biology (B.A.) and Animal & Nutritional Sciences (B.S.)
Hometown: Moorefield, WV

I chose Biology as my primary major because I wanted to delve further into the wonders of the life sciences. Thanks to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, I had many options as to what I wanted to focus my studies on within this broad major. I chose to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Biology because it afforded me the flexibility I desire to explore both science and the arts, both of which I am extremely passionate about. Because it is both comprehensive and flexible, the program allowed me to take on a second major, Animal & Nutritional Sciences, to diversify my education experience even further.

Major: Communication Studies
Hometown: Buckhannon, WV

I have always had an interest in social sciences such as psychology, sociology, communications, etc. So, I always was considering majoring in one of those fields, but it was really attending my sister’s award banquet for the communication department here at WVU that made me want to major in Communication Studies. I attended her award banquet one year and I saw what she and everyone else had done and were going on to do through majoring in Communication Studies and that really inspired me, and I decided to pursue a major in Communication Studies after that.

Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Belcamp, Maryland

While math was my favorite subject throughout my years in elementary and middle school, I chose my mathematics major because of the magnet program I was in in high school, the Science and Mathematics Academy. It was then that a discovered my passion for mathematics, and realized that it was a field that I wanted to learn more about and potentially pursue a career in. As a high school senior applying to colleges, I found it very interesting that WVU has several areas of emphasis that mathematics majors can choose from, which was another huge reason for choosing my major here in college.

Major: Political Science and International Studies
Hometown: Morgantown, WV

When I first came to WVU, I was a history major. But I quickly realized after the first political science class that I took, Introduction to International Relations, that, while I adored learning about history, I wanted to make a career out of understanding, researching, and explaining political behavior and our political system.

Major: Biochemistry
Hometown: Charles Town, Jefferson County WV

I could not pick between chemistry and biology, so I picked biochemistry on a whim. As reckless as it sounds, now I cannot imagine being any other major!

Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Fairmont, WV 

I chose to major in mathematics because of how my parents grew my love for mathematics from a young age. We would conduct fun experiments and dive deep into some math topics that were relatable and that could explain the things around us. Also, I couldn’t imagine putting a stop to learning math after high school (that was where things started to get interesting), so I decided to rise up for the challenge and see where the curriculum would take me. It’s been extremely fun and enlightening so far, but not without a struggle.

Major: Anthropology and History
Hometown: Princeton, West Virginia

I always wanted to travel when I was younger and I love archaeology. I saw that WVU had an anthropology program and I thought it was the best choice.

Major: Anthropology, Women’s and Gender Studies, Geography
Minor: Native American Studies
Hometown: Morgantown, WV

I was admitted as a history major and took HIST 179 through high school access my senior year of high school. I enjoyed the class, but often lamented to my partner at the time about how I wish I could focus on studying the current human condition. I hadn’t ever heard of anthropology, but he had been taking SOCA 105 that semester and he gave me his notes, commenting on how eerily similar my ideas were to the concepts he was discussing in his class. The next semester, I was taking SOCA 105, and I changed my major three days before NSO.

Major: Biology
Hometown: Morgantown, WV

When deciding on a major, I had not decided on a specific career. Instead, I wanted to focus on what specific problems I wanted to address, and how I would help enact change. As a first-generation African American and an Appalachian, I was acutely aware that healthcare discrimination is a prevalent issue in our society, in which minorities and socially-disadvantaged individuals often receive less-than-optimal healthcare. I was also aware of how important meaningful relationships and communication with our healthcare providers are in achieving the best health outcomes. Following my passion, I realized that my career path would be in the field of healthcare. Therefore, I chose to major in Biology with a minor in Medical Humanities and Health Studies. This way, I could learn the science behind medicine as well as how to communicate this science effectively to my patients.

Major: Biology
Minor: Child Development and Family Studies
Hometown: Wheeling, WV 

I chose to major in biology for a multitude of reasons. First, I enjoyed each of my science classes throughout primary school as I found science to be most interesting. I was afforded the opportunity to conduct many cool projects within my science classes. In middle school, I completed a research project examining the presence of photopigments in evergreens. I presented this research at science fairs and received first place at every level of competition. I also had amazing science and mathematics teachers during high school that made me enjoy the subject more. Second, my mom fostered in me a love of science because she, herself, was a biology major who went on to become an anatomy and physiology professor. As a young child, I was immersed in the college experience. I was around large textbooks on subjects that I could not even pronounce at the time, exposed to her anatomy dissection lab, and social with other scientists and researchers in her university. My mother surrounded me with anatomists, botanists, chemists, biochemists, and biologists. My mother’s passion for her job and love of science aided in my interest in science. Finally, I want to go into the healthcare field and help others, specifically, children. As a biology major, I can pair my love of science with my passion for healthcare in meeting the pre-requisite courses for medical school.

Major: Biology
Minor: English and Medical Humanities and Health Studies
Home town: Morgantown, WV

I chose biology because I didn’t want to limit myself. I have an interest in going into medical school after college, and possibly getting an MPH as well, and I knew biology was going to be a great foundation and springboard for my future goals. While I’m interested specifically in cellular and molecular biology, I didn’t want to stop there. I wanted to be able to then apply this knowledge to the larger scope of our world. How do these things play roles in ecology and biotechnology? How has this knowledge affected everyday life? Biology is a great springboard if you’re interested in science because of the vast opportunities it offers from its broad range of subspecialties. It will give me the tools I need for medical school, while also providing me a lens with how to view such things in a larger sense and scope of the world.

In association with the ongoing generosity of the Eberly family, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board established the Eberly Scholars program in 1988. Each year, up to 25 students majoring in the arts and sciences are designated as Eberly Scholars. They are provided with scholarship support in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement. This award is the Eberly College’s most prestigious scholarship honor for undergraduate students.  Meet all of this year's Eberly Scholars.