Each year, the University recognizes its top seniors with the WVU Foundation Outstanding Senior Award. This year, the SOJ can count among them three of our own.
Paige Lavender, of Charleston, W.Va., made the most of her WVU experience while supporting her peers.The news-editorial journalism major with a 3.84 GPA was a founding member of the WVU chapter of Ed on Campus, a group that supports students wanting careers in the magazine industry.
She worked as a freelance writer or intern for The Huffington Post, The Dominion Post, WSAZ News Channel 3, the WVU Extension Service, the Charleston Daily Mail, “West Virginia Living Magazine” and HerCampus.com. She also worked for the British travel company BritBound while in London and took a leadership role in the WVU journalism project West Virginia Uncovered.
Maryanne Reed, dean of the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, called Lavender one of the SOJ’s best students because of her skill, involvement and personality.
“She is a top student in the School of Journalism, not just because of her good grades, but because she has forged her own identity as a multi-skilled, multimedia journalist who is poised to be a leader in her profession,” Reed said.
Lavender has received the Promise Scholarship, WVU Presidential Scholarship and Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund Valedictorian Scholarship, among others.
She is the daughter of Paul and Patty Lavender.
Evan Moore, of Morgantown, W.Va., is definitely proud of his grades, but he is most proud of the hands-on experiences he has been part of at WVU.The journalism major will graduate with a 3.96 GPA.
“By taking part in programs and opportunities such as West Virginia Uncovered and the Kimball African-American World War I Memorial, I have discovered a sense of pride that can come from honest, hard work that truly impacts members of the community,” he wrote in his application.
Moore has been active in the WVU marching band, as well as Helvetica and Chimes honoraries and Sigma Theta Epsilon fraternity.
He also volunteered his time as an assistant coach for the Morgantown High School Boys Lacrosse Team.
Moore is the son of Tom and Rebecca Moore.
Candace Nelson, a first-generation college student from the small town of Wellsburg, W.Va., could have been overwhelmed by the college experience but instead, has flourished.Nelson rose through the ranks at WVU’s student newspaper, The Daily Athenaeum, while achieving a 4.0 GPA in her dual major of journalism and English. The DA’s editor-in-chief, Nelson started at the paper as an unpaid junior staffer.
Along the way, she has helped the paper win national awards, served as a tutor in the WVU Writing Center, and studied in Italy and France. She was selected for the P.I. Reed School of Journalism’s Kerns Fellowship that allowed her to travel to Paris to cover and present at an international UNESCO conference on European media. In addition, her academic success and work experience helped land her an internship as an editor with USA Today.
“Coming from a blue-collar, working family, I’ve had to support my education with income from my jobs and scholarships,” Nelson wrote in her application. “This has made me appreciate the amazing opportunities I’ve been afforded at West Virginia University. Without the help of faculty, staff, advisors and mentors, I would not have been able to accomplish what I have.”
She is the daughter of Frank and Cathy Nelson.
The Outstanding Seniors award recognizes students for their contributions and achievements in scholarship, leadership and service. Forty-two seniors were selected for the honor. They will be recognized during WVU’s 2011 Commencement weekend at the Friday evening Honors Convocation.
Read the official press release on WVU Today.