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Holly Rogers navigated her fair share of challenges in her journey to West Virginia University. A lifelong athlete, she devoted over a decade to competitive softball, spending countless hours on fields and in training. A series of injuries ultimately lead her not to one, but four, reconstructive ankle surgeries.

Out of high school, Rogers headed to Montgomery College, a junior college located in her hometown of Rockville, Md. After writing a paper on the psychology of injury recovery, her professor urged her to look into the field of sports psychology and encouraged her to consider it as a potential career.

The College of Applied Human Sciences continues to enhance its online education capabilities with the addition of Lyndsay Burneisen as an instructional designer.

Burneisen will work closely with faculty and staff to create engaging, innovative, accessible, and effective instructional materials for online courses.

Makayla Brooks dropped out of high school convinced that school was not for her. Later, though, with the support of her family, she earned her GED and was still looking for more. While attending a community college in Pittsburgh she realized that she wanted to work with children and families. Her father-in-law was a WVU grad and her classes were transferrable, so she became a Mountaineer. She'll now graduate in December with her degree in Child Development and Family Studies with her sights set on becoming a social worker.

WV Healthy Schools in Action, a partnership between the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences and the CDC, is setting new standards for school wellness in West Virginia. Through this five-year initiative, West Virginia was selected as one of 20 states to receive CDC funding, with initial efforts focused on transforming wellness practices in Mercer County.

In the project’s first year, WVHSIA achieved 100 percent participation across Mercer County’s 24 schools, each of which created a wellness team led by a dedicated wellness leader. Teams assessed their wellness programs using the School Health Index (SHI), identifying both strengths and growth opportunities, and developed action plans tailored to the specific needs of their school communities.

Donna Staggs, a program manager in the College of Applied Human Sciences, has been named WVU’s 2024 Most Loyal Staff Mountaineer as part of Mountaineer Week. This honor recognizes her 36 years of dedication to the University and commitment to embodying WVU’s core values.

As Jess Phillips prepares to graduate from WVU in December with a degree in Mental Health and Addiction Studies and a minor in Child Development and Family Studies, she reflects on her journey of growth and resilience. Originally from Doylestown, Pa., Phillips discovered her passion for helping others after switching majors and receiving support from faculty, along with hands-on experiences that prepared her for a meaningful career. Overcoming personal challenges with the help of WVU’s supportive community, she now plans to work with children and adolescents before pursuing a master’s degree in early education or counseling. 

West Virginia University’s WELLWVU program offers comprehensive wellness education to students through workshops, outreach, and resources. Madison Ligan, a graduate student in counseling from the College of Applied Human Sciences, serves as a graduate assistant with WELLWVU, where she leads initiatives focused on resilience, coping skills, and connecting students to mental health resources.

Brooklyn Slade’s passion for dance brought her from Milton, Ontario, to West Virginia University, where she found the perfect balance between performing and pursuing her academic goals. As she prepares to graduate next May with a degree in elementary education, Brooklyn reflects on her time in WVU’s close-knit education program, where the support from classmates and professors has helped her thrive both in the classroom and on the dance team. Despite being from Canada, Brooklyn holds a deep pride in being a Mountaineer, a feeling she’ll carry with her long after graduation.

The West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences made a significant impact at this year’s ShapeWV Conference held over the weekend at Canaan Valley Resort State Park. CAHS was well represented through a combination of presentations, exhibits, and awards recognizing the college’s faculty, students, and alumni.

The ShapeWV Conference provided a platform for CAHS to showcase its leadership in health and education, underscoring the college’s commitment to advancing these fields through research, service, and education. 

In the spring of 2021, Shelby Crews found herself at a crossroads. Like many recent graduates, she was trying to navigate the uncertainty of life after college, compounded by the isolation and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mentally, she was struggling, but thanks to her parents’ insurance, she was able to access counseling services to begin her healing process. Not everyone was as fortunate.

“I had a friend that was struggling very similarly to me,” she recalls. “We were walking almost identical paths, but while I had access to counseling, she didn’t. Her parents had let her go, and she couldn’t afford to pay for therapy on her own. That didn’t sit right with me.