NC West Virginia News

Some of West Virginia's top students are heading to West Virginia University (WVU) as the newest Bucklew Scholars. This scholarship is granted annually to 20 outstanding students from West Virginia who are accepted into the University, making them eligible for the school's highest academic award, the WVU Foundation Scholarship.

These students, known for their community contributions and extracurricular involvement, are set to begin their studies in diverse fields. Many have expressed a keen interest in biology, seeing it as a stepping stone to their future careers.

Paige Fox from Pikeview High School, a 4-H member and banjo player, intends to become a pharmacist. Emily Garrett from Braxton County High School, combines her science passion with her creativity as a facial reconstruction surgeon. Zoey Hoffman from Buffalo High School aims to work in immunology or scientific medicine research. Gabriel Watson from Morgantown High School plans to work as a dentist in rural West Virginia.

Sophia Frame from Charleston Catholic High School and Luke Tiu from Wheeling Central Catholic High School plan to use their biology degrees as paths to law school.

Ashton Fulton, a first-generation student from Lincoln High School, dreams of becoming a physician in private practice. Samantha Ogden from Jefferson High School is considering anesthesiology. Grace Robertson-Villamagna from Wheeling Park High School aspires to be a pediatric neurologist.

Engineering and computer science are also popular among these scholars. Noah Galvin from Martinsburg High School eyes a future in propulsion systems at NASA, while Madelynn Jackson plans to build rockets for the space agency. Ava Gorrell from Tyler Consolidated High School aims to manufacture sustainable prosthetics. David Hegele from Shady Spring High School will combine music and innovation as an electrical engineering major, while Hunter Tabler from Spring Mills High School wishes to expand education access through AI models.

Psychology majors include Jacqueline Melia from Morgantown High School who also intends to study neuroscience, aiming to be a pediatric neurologist, and Kaitlyn Speakman from Washington High School, aspiring to become a pediatric psychiatrist.

Other scholars pursue varied fields. Gracelyn Fellure from Ravenswood High School wants to be an agricultural teacher. Julianna Ferrell from Morgantown High School aims to become a civil servant. Farhan Shaik from George Washington High School is choosing between a career as a dentist or a physician in exercise physiology. Tyson Watson from Roane County High School wants to address the veterinarian shortage in rural areas.

The Neil S. Bucklew Scholarship honors a former WVU president and provides $60,000, or $15,000 per year over four years, to help cover educational expenses. All Bucklew Scholars qualify for the WVU Honors College, and the awards can supplement the state’s PROMISE Scholarship.