Successors

Successors

Russell Johnson: A coal country kid turned writer

When Johnson graduated from West Virginia University in 1999, the former Calliope staff member and writer for the DA debated on whether he should pursue a Master of Fine Arts or a law degree.

Successors

Lanay Montgomery: the Defender

WVU Women’s Basketball defensive standout Lanay Montgomery moved on to the WNBA, but a knee injury kept her from longterm success on the court. She’s still a defender, but now protects the U.S. Army’s computer systems.

Successors

Frank Vitale: Building the fortitude

Frank Vitale (BA ’96, MBA ’10) can check off another box on the long list of goals he set for himself as a West Virginia University student. Vitale is already an entrepreneur, a veteran and a business leader. Now he’s also a best-selling author.

Successors

Dr. Ryan McCarthy: Humanizing Health Care

It was at the Berkeley Medical Center, during the COVID-19 pandemic, that inspiration struck. Dr. Ryan McCarthy founded Healthcare is Human in 2020, working to document the experiences of health care workers on the frontlines.

Successors

Lab Work

Oriana Ovide (BS ’20, MS ’22) was always interested in science and math, a true STEM kid from her Columbia, Maryland, days to searching for the right school that would foster her interest in forensic science, particularly in forensic chemistry.

Successors

Banking on the future

Now an attorney with Sullivan and Cromwell, a law firm serving Wall Street clients like Goldman Sachs and American Express, Michael Escue (Business, ’92, Law, ’98) traces a path from his current success back to his days at West Virginia University.

Successors

Author Sarah Beth Childers

Sarah Beth Childers (MFA English, ’09) knew she’d write about her brother’s death soon after he died by suicide in 2012.

Successors

Fair game: Kelly Collins

It could be argued that Kelly Tuckwiller Collins (’09, ’11, Reed College of Media) grew up at the State Fair of West Virginia. She has been attending the annual August event since before her first memory.

Successors

WVU alum flies into storms for science

For six months of the year, the East Coast of the United States braces for “Hurricane Season.” While local officials and meteorologists signal caution to their viewers that may be in areas of danger, WVU graduate Nick Underwood flies directly into them.

Successors