Celebrating the Class of 2026

During my college application process, I knew I wanted to study sport psychology, and I knew I wanted to go somewhere that had a club gymnastics team. In my search, I found two universities that had a sport psychology-focused undergraduate program, but only one also had club gymnastics. I toured WVU the summer before my junior year of high school and absolutely loved it. After that tour, I was sure that WVU was going to be the right choice for me. The surrounding area is gorgeous and honestly strongly reminded me of home. I applied during the fall of my senior year, got in a few weeks later, and immediately accepted the admissions offer.

When I toured, one of my tour leaders happened to be a Sport and Exercise Psychology student, and he had nothing but great things to say about the program. He talked about how supportive all of the faculty are, the numerous opportunities available to students, and the advantages of getting an undergraduate degree in SEPP. I ended up choosing the SEPP program because I knew I wanted to set myself up well for graduate school, and WVU checked all those boxes.

Growing up, WVU was always a big part of my life and my family’s. My father has worked for WVU Medicine in the panhandle since before I was born. From some of my earliest memories, I can remember the gold and blue letters being in our house, as well as being given WVU shirts and other trinkets all the time. When I was asked about where I wanted to go to school, WVU was just naturally the first school to come to mind. It just felt right.

When I first came to WVU, I was enrolled in Exercise Physiology. I did not know quite what I wanted to do. During my first semester, I quickly realized that it wasn’t the right fit for me because I enjoyed more of the physical aspect of training rather than the science and recovery. I switched into physical education to focus on emulating my high school P.E. teacher. He was the strength and conditioning teacher and taught students how to lift weights, condition for sports, and prepare for life after high school, whether recreationally or collegiately. As I got further into the major itself, I found myself falling more and more in love with teaching students physical education rather than the lifting aspect I had originally set my mind to.

I chose WVU because of how kind everyone was each time I visited, and the connection it gave me with my mom, who is an alumna. The people really do make the place, and the support at WVU is something I feel incredibly lucky to have in common with my mom.

This program has given me a strong foundation of knowledge in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. In grad school, many of my “intro” courses will include concepts and information that I learned in undergrad, which means I can spend more time learning how to directly apply those concepts to real-world situations. The hands-on experiences that I got to participate in through my program, such as peer advising and shadowing, have prepared me for the applied work I will do in grad school.

The program itself has prepared me extremely well for the next chapter of my life. The amount of hands-on experience alone has allowed me to develop not only my portfolio but also as a person. The program allows you to explore different opportunities within the realm of physical education such as teaching in an aquatic environment, college classes, preschoolers, elementary, middle, high school and also even adapted physical education. The opportunities built into the program allowed me vastly different teaching experiences that helped me find the area that best fit me as a teacher. They also provided well-rounded experience that has helped me with interviewing for different teaching positions and other jobs.

My program and professors have been pivotal in preparing me for my next chapter. The education, support, and opportunities I received at WVU prepared me for graduate level work.

I think what separates this program is the wide availability of out-of-class opportunities. There are many opportunities to pursue applied and hands-on experiences, including peer advising, research, and shadowing. With these opportunities available, I was able to connect the concepts I was learning in class to my experiences outside of class. I was also able to use those outside experiences to become a better participant in class.

This program also has a strong network, and not just in undergrad. Because WVU also has a PhD program for SEPP, I’ve been able to connect and interact with people who have recently gone through the things that I’m going through. When I was first researching and applying to grad schools, talking to several of the SEPP PhD students really helped ease my mind and made me feel more comfortable going into the whole thing.

This program is a very tight-knit community and creates close bonds. The faculty within the program actively make time for you and want to get to know you as a person. They don’t see you as just another body going through their program, but as an equal. I have a great relationship with the faculty here, and it goes further than simply knowing your favorite sport or team, but also your interests, your goals, your character, or personality. They know when you’re having an off day. The faculty make the program what it is, and you feel every day like you matter and are getting the most out of it.

Additionally, this program gives you more opportunities than any other program I have heard of, with over 1,000 hours of experience in classrooms and other settings actively teaching and observing other teachers. Compared to just sitting in a classroom, actually getting hands-on experiences and being able to put lessons into practice, or being able to teach different levels to get more comfortable, is one of my biggest reasons why this program separates from others.

I believe that the faculty and staff separate this program from others. It is evident in everything that they do that they deeply care about not only the material, but you as a student.

The experience that shaped my time at WVU the most was peer advising. I was an SEPP peer advisor for three semesters, and it was one of those experiences that would’ve been the last thing freshman me chose to do. Over those three semesters, I could truly see the growth in my confidence, especially through the “lecture” that I would have to present for each semester.

Last summer, I got to participate in a shadowing experience with WVU Athletics youth sports camps. I shadowed several SEPP PhD students as they planned, delivered, and debriefed mental performance enhancement sessions for youth athletes participating in summer camps for a number of sports, including soccer, baseball, and rifle. This allowed me to experience what it’s like to plan and execute a session for a group of athletes, regardless of age. I saw the importance of flexibility and thinking on your feet, and developed some strong connections during the program.

From my sophomore year to now, I have spent time in real hands-on experiences that have allowed me to cultivate my teaching style from a beginner to one that I am very proud of and passionate about. This past year, I have been student teaching full-time, which has been one of the biggest blessings I have had in my life. I have learned things I never would have learned in a classroom setting, but I have also become someone that I respect and am proud to be.

My hands-on learning experience at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital gave me a first-hand experience in the world of child life, and helped me to affirm my future career and post-undergraduate plans.

“Slow down and enjoy what’s around you.”

I spent a lot of time in high school and my first year of undergrad trying to do as much as possible, all the time. As a result, I was also stressed and overwhelmed all the time. In my second year, I met some really great people who reminded me to slow down and give myself a break. To this day, these are the people I go to when I’m feeling stressed and in over my head. Without fail, they’re able to help me see the positives that exist around me every time.

A piece of advice I would give to my younger self is to always be yourself, no matter what. Don’t be afraid to pursue your goals and dreams even if they do not align with what others want or think for you.

One piece of advice I would give to my younger self is to be more present. It is very easy to get caught up in the hard times and wish it away, but four years never truly feels like enough.

Following graduation, I will be continuing my education this fall at the University of Illinois-Chicago, pursuing a master’s degree in kinesiology with a concentration in Performance, Sport, and Exercise Psychology. While at UIC, I will be completing coursework and supervised consulting hours in pursuit of my certification as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC).

My post-graduation plans are to move back home to Winchester, where I am currently applying to different jobs. This summer, I am finishing up my master’s degree in physical education teacher education, which I will complete in August. My long-term goal is to be an elementary physical education teacher.

I will be attending the University of Georgia to work towards my Master’s in Child Life.

The best thing about being a Mountaineer is the lifelong, widespread community. I was visiting my best friend back home in Washington a couple of summers ago, and I met someone who had gone to WVU. We were just at a random grocery store, and I happened to be wearing a WVU shirt. We talked for a little bit about our experiences at WVU, and I remember turning to my friend afterwards and saying, “Who would’ve thought I’d meet someone from WVU all the way out here?” Since then, I’ve run into several former, current, and future Mountaineers in various places outside of West Virginia.

The best part about being a Mountaineer is the camaraderie amongst the Mountaineer family. No matter where I go, there’s always another Mountaineer, which allows us to share experiences and bond, which can only be found at WVU.

The best thing about being a Mountaineer is the community I have become a part of. I know that I will always have a place to go, someone to lean on, and support when it is needed, because of the time I have spent at WVU. Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer!