Five graduate students have been awarded the 2025 Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship, which provides $20,000 annually for up to three years. The scholarship is administered by the West Virginia University Office of Graduate Education and Life in partnership with the WVU Foundation.
Recipients Samantha Moon, Zachary Ellis, Leah Peck, Birkely Richards, and Leah Rogers are using their personal experiences to guide their studies and public service work in West Virginia. Each recipient has a background that aligns with the scholarship’s requirements of academic achievement, commitment to addressing state needs, and leadership in public service.
Samantha Moon graduated from Hampshire High School and earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from WVU. She has experience as a youth camp counselor and academic tutor. “Ultimately, I envision a future where behavior analysis plays a pivotal role in creating a more equitable and just society by shifting the focus from punishment to prevention and rehabilitation,” Moon said. As a graduate student at WVU, she will work in the crime and delinquency lab to research behavioral markers linked to high imprisonment rates among youth.
Zachary Ellis is a Greenbrier East High School graduate who will pursue an MBA after earning his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at WVU. He has served as a student leader, volunteer, and STEM mentor. “For me, public service isn’t just a responsibility, it is a calling,” Ellis said. “At the core of my experiences is a commitment to service that elevates and strengthens West Virginia. Our state needs leaders who can rise to the moment and help create a better tomorrow for all of West Virginia. I hope, with an MBA, I can become one of those leaders who can help our state reach its full potential.” Ellis aims to advance economic growth by focusing on energy, biotechnology, and manufacturing industries within the state.
Leah Peck works with communities on trauma awareness among children through training and mentorship programs. She graduated from Fayetteville High School and completed her social work undergraduate degree at WVU before beginning her master’s program there. Peck also founded Nurture WV to strengthen families through trauma-informed community initiatives. “While I have always had a social worker’s heart, my journey as a foster parent navigating complex systems on behalf of children helped me recognize my ability to lead and effect change,” Peck said.
Birkely Richards was born in Ethiopia before being adopted at age 7 into the United States; she graduated from Robert C. Byrd High School before studying psychology at Muskingum University in Ohio. She will study clinical mental health counseling at Shippensburg University while focusing on developing mental health initiatives for communities facing trauma or identity struggles.“The challenges of learning a new language, adapting to an unfamiliar culture, and catching up academically required perseverance and determination,” Richards said.“However these experiences also shaped my passion for service advocacy,and forming community.”
Leah Rogers plans research focused on child nutrition in schools while pursuing her master’s degree in nutritional sciences at WVU after completing her undergraduate studies there.Rogers moved from Ohio like McQuain,the scholarship’s namesake.“Learning how nutrition affects communities especially those in underserved areas where childhood obesity rates soar has inspired the direction of my research,”Rogers said.“Along with my volunteer experiences in the clinical nutrition department at J.W.Ruby Memorial Hospital,I’ve been inspired to pursue a career in pediatric clinical nutrition where I can help children & families by providing them with education & support.”Her current research examines how registered dietitians educate stakeholders about school nutrition policy.
Hazel Ruby McQuain contributed significantly toward Morgantown’s development through donations that established university programs,recreational facilities,and medical infrastructure including an $8 million gift supporting construction of J.W.Ruby Memorial Hospital.In recent years,she made another large donation—a $50 million gift—to support construction of a new cancer hospital at the WVU Cancer Institute. McQuain died in 2002 at age 93.
