This battlefield is not a jungle or desert. Rather, it’s a sophisticated office space — tucked inside Reynolds Hall, home of the Chambers College of Business and Economics — equipped with workstations, servers, computers and secure networks.
“We are creating prosperity for the people of this state so that we can keep our young people here. And we make certain that we are focusing clearly on enticing the best and brightest to come to WVU.” — WVU President Gordon Gee
Born and raised in a small village in Pakistan, Areej Jaffrey has lived a life that exemplifies nontraditional. So it’s no big surprise that Jaffrey began her journey as a West Virginia University commuter student in fall 2024.
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.
Throughout the last 29 years, the Mountaineer Parents Club has evolved to meet the needs of the modern family. While WVU still uses “parent” in the title, the MPC serves not only mom and dad but sometimes grandparents, godparents or even siblings.
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.
At the center of that wave, the Mountaineer Maniacs make their presence known through a multitude of well-known cheers and chants, from “Let’s Go, Mountaineers!” to the “First Down!” chant that vibrates inside Milan Puskar Stadium after a big play.
Established in 2016, Collegiate Recovery, which operates out of Serenity Place at Arnold House, is a campus-based, peer support program dedicated to helping students find community and balance a healthy lifestyle at West Virginia University.
As her 31 years at WVU come to a close, Reed is approaching the next chapter in her life with the same enthusiasm she had when she set up a classroom in Martin Hall.
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.
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.
In the decade since the tragic death of Nolan Burch, his parents and WVU have worked together to recreate fraternity and sorority life into a positive and healthy community of peers, not just on WVU's campus, but around the country.
