Five men and five women are vying for the titles of Mr. and Ms. Mountaineer during 58th annual Mountaineer Week activities Oct. 30-Nov. 6 at West Virginia University.
A tradition since 1962, the contest recognizes students who excel in academics, community service and campus leadership.
The winners will be named at halftime of the Nov. 2 WVU -Connecticut football game at Milan Puskar Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
Along with the announcement of Mr. and Ms. Mountaineer is the naming of the Most Loyal Alumni Mountaineer, Most Loyal West Virginian, and Most Loyal Faculty and Staff Mountaineers.
MS. MOUNTAINEER CANDIDATES :
Shannon E. Logan of Beaver, Pa., is pursuing a masters degree in journalism. She received her bachelors degree in public relations from WVU last year. Sponsored by the Student Government Association, Logan serves as the vice president and chairs the student board of governors. Besides student government, she is active in the Mountain Honorary, Zeta Delta Phi sorority and School of Journalism Mentoring Program. Her honors include being named to the Presidents and Deans lists.
Cathryn E. Piccirillo hails from Madison, W.Va. She is a news-editorial major and a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority. Through Alpha Xi, her sponsor, Piccirillo has taken on leadership roles as the vice president of public relations and vice president of alumni affairs. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Piccirillo has volunteered for Kaleidoscope, an after-school and summer childcare program, and the child cancer ward at Ruby Memorial Hospital. She previously served as the editor of the WVU Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism Magazine and as a press intern for Sen. John D.JayRockefeller.
Kelly Nicole Smith of Washington, Pa., is a dual biometric systems and computer engineering major. The founding president of the Student Society for the Advancement of Biometrics, she is also the president of the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering student advisory councils. Smith organized Adopt-A-Family, participated in Engineering Recruitment Day and served as a judge for the St. Francis science fair. Her accolades include the Central Intelligence Agency Graduate Fellowship. She was a speaker at the 2004 Biometrics Consortium Conference and a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. Smith is sponsored by the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
Stephanie D. Taylor , a law student from Clarksburg, received her bachelors degree in journalism from WVU in 2003. She is one of two siblings from the same family in this years Ms. Mountaineer competition. During her senior year, she was named to the Universitys prestigious Order of Augusta and given the Kenneth D. Gray Student Leadership and Golden Key International
Scholar awards. As an undergraduate, Taylor founded the School of Journalism Mentoring Program. This past year, she chaired the Mountaineer mascot selection committee. She is an executive editor for the West Virginia Law Review, her sponsor, and the vice president of the Lugar Trial Association.
Tiffany R. Taylor , the other half of the sister act from Clarksburg, is an elementary education major. Sponsored by the Education Governance Association, she has been active in that student organization plus the Mountain and Mortar Board honoraries. Taylor is currently student teaching at
Wilsonburg Elementary School in her hometown. In preparation for her thesis, she is conducting research on studentsreading skills. Taylor received the Kenneth D. Gray Student Leadership Award, recognizing student leaders who show commitment to community service.
MR. MOUNTAINEER CANDIDATES :
C. Scott Applegate , a law student from Lewisburg, is sponsored by the Federalist Society and Republican Law Caucus. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the president of the societys WVU chapter. His other activities have included the Mountain Honorary, Appalachian Center for Law and Public Service, Monongalia County Magistrate Court Mediation Program and Moot Court Board (national team). Additionally, he has performed numerous community service hours through the Ronald McDonald, Rosenbaum and Scotts Run Settlement houses and other organizations. This past summer, Applegate was a law clerk for Pullin, Fowler and Flanagan. He currently serves as the detachment commander and platoon leader of the 157 th Military Police Company in Salem, W.Va.
Chemistry major Dan Carrier calls Morgantown home. His leadership positions have ranged from serving as a member of the student board of governors to president of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Carrier has participated in various activities at St. Lukes Catholic parish, the Bartlett House and Ruby Memorial Hospital. His list of honors includes the American Chemical Society Analytical Chemist Award and the Neil S. Bucklew Scholarship. He was also named to the Presidents List three times. Outside of the classroom, Carrier enjoys teaching Kaplan classes and tutoring at the residence hall learning centers. His sponsor is the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Paul Kreitzer of Wheeling is working on his masters degree in aerospace engineering. Sponsored by the Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering Honor Society, he graduated cum laude with undergraduate degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 2003. That same year, he received the WVU Aerospace Engineering Undergraduate Honor Award and was named a West Virginia Undergraduate Researcher of the Year semifinalist. In his free time, Kreitzer has volunteered at Ruby Memorial Hospital and Bartlett House. He also assists with WVU s annual Pumpkin Drop and works as a graduate research assistant. For the past two summers, Kreitzer has interned at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. From 2001 to 2003, he was a member of the WVU Microgravity Research Team.
Christopher Willis , a double major in history and political science, is from Morgantown and has served as a member of the Universitys Advisory Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs and WVU Men Issues committees. In addition, he is president of the Pre-Law Society and Web master for both the Office of Service Learning Programs and West Virginia Campus Compact. Willis has also held leadership roles in the Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouts of America and Team S.U.V. (Students Uniting to Vote) and completed internships with Merrill Lynch and Micro Dynamics. He is sponsored by the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity, Pre-Law Society and Office of Service Learning Programs.
Marc Alan Yester is a medical student from Morgantown. He is the president of the School of Medicine Class of 2006 and a member of the WVU American Chemical Society. He also served as the head coordinator of the Health Sciences Center talent show that benefits the WVU Childrens Hospital. Recently, Yester helped displaced Hurricane Katrina victims at the pediatric clinic at Camp Dawson in Preston County. Additionally, he has volunteered for the Global AIDS Week of Action and Monongalia Emergency Medical Services. A member of Mountain Honorary, his other honors include the Health Sciences Center 100 th Anniversary and John A. Moore Chemistry scholarships. He interned with the American Medical Association and Sen. Rockefellers Washington, D.C. office. Yester is sponsored by the School of Medicine.