Five top West Virginia high school seniors and future Mountaineers are ready to change the world – and Monday on the campus of West Virginia University, they were awarded with the University’s most prestigious scholarship to help them realize their dreams.
Those range from making advancements in health care and improving the quality of life for those who suffer to influencing public policy. The newest class of Foundation Scholars has demonstrated that they are capable of achieving these goals and beyond through accomplishments in scholarship, civic engagement and leadership in their schools and communities.
“Each of our five Foundation Scholars has a passionate interest in the world around them,” said President Gordon Gee. “They are all thoughtful people who want to use their talents to help others. I am impressed with Abby, Kaitlyn, Cristin, Noah and Lindsey and welcome them to West Virginia University.”
The 2015 Foundation Scholars are:
- Kaitlyn Akers, Mount Carbon, Valley High School
- Cristin Dolan, Wheeling, Wheeling Park High School
- Abigale Gellner, St. Marys, St. Marys High School
- Lindsey Keplinger, Gassaway, Braxton County High School
- Noah LeGrand, Huntington, Huntington High School
Gee, Vice President of Student Life William Schafer and WVU Foundation Vice President of Development BJ Davisson Sr. extended the scholars a warm welcome to the Mountaineer family during Monday’s event at Blaney House.
WVU Foundation President Cindi Roth sent her congratulatory remarks on behalf of the Foundation.
“I join my colleagues at the WVU Foundation in saluting these exceptional students and their families. Each scholar has excelled in academics, leadership and community service, and we are excited that they will be attending WVU,” Roth said. “The Foundation stands committed to providing scholarship opportunities for students through the generosity and support of our donors.”
Established in 1987, the Foundation Scholarship, when coupled with the state’s PROMISE Scholarship, will provide these five incoming freshmen in excess of $80,000 to cover college costs for four years of undergraduate studies, including tuition and fees, room and board and a book stipend. They will also receive a $4,500 stipend to be used to broaden their horizons through study abroad or academic enhancement opportunities such as internships.
Akers, Dolan, Gellner, Keplinger and LeGrand were selected from an impressive pool of 20 West Virginia high school seniors who were awarded the Neil. S. Bucklew Scholarship, valued at $32,000 over four years of undergraduate studies. The 20 Bucklew Scholars visited campus over two days in early April and interviewed with the selection committee for consideration for the Foundation Scholarship.
Students must meet a rigorous set of criteria to qualify, including holding West Virginia residency, possessing a minimum GPA of 3.8 and achieving a minimum composite score of 30 on the ACT or 1,340 on the SAT college entrance exams.
Meet the 2015 class of Foundation Scholars:
Kaitlyn Akers is proud of what she’s accomplished during her four years at Valley High School.
She’s influenced her peers with her leadership skills as president of Student Government and as the Hi-Y/Youth Leadership Association vice president with more than 200 service hours. She helps to organize the annual autism walk in her community each year. She was a Department of Justice State Ambassador during her junior and senior years.
But there is nothing that means more to Akers than the opportunity to be a Foundation Scholar at WVU.
“It means everything to me,” Akers said. “I love that I’m sending the message that hard work pays off.”
The result from all of her hard work gave Akers her pick of colleges. But she said there was never a choice to be made – it was always WVU.
“I feel at home at WVU,” she said. “There is so much pride and a statewide sense of community here; there are so many opportunities to capitalize upon.”
Akers plans to major in psychology and hopes to eventually attend medical school to become a psychiatrist.
Akers, the daughter of Anthony and Elisabeth, is the second Foundation Scholar from Valley High School.
For Wheeling Park High School senior Cristin Dolan, becoming a Mountaineer was about more than opportunities – it was about family pride.
“WVU is a family affair for me,” Dolan said. “I’m a third generation Mountaineer; my four older sisters, father and grandfather attended WVU.”
Dolan is proud to continue that legacy when she arrives in Morgantown in the fall to pursue a career path in biomedical engineering.
Dolan is also proud of her involvement with special needs athletes through the Miracle League of the Ohio Valley, where she has the opportunity to couple her compassion and accomplishments as a high school volleyball, track and swim athlete and make a positive imprint on the lives of special needs youth in the Ohio Valley.
Dolan dreams of making strides in prosthetic development when she finishes her degree—but first, she wants to enjoy her time as a student.
“I plan to join the Mountaineer Marching Band and play the piccolo,” Dolan said. “I can’t wait to run onto Mountaineer Field and play ‘Simple Gifts’ during football games.”
She also looks forward to the study abroad opportunities she can utilize with the stipend afforded by the Foundation Scholarship.
“Winning the Foundation Scholarship is beyond incredible,” she said. “The study abroad opportunities are amazing; I look forward to studying in a different country during my time as a student.”
Dolan is the daughter of Stephen and Mary. She is the fourth student from Wheeling Park High School to receive the Foundation Scholarship.
Abigale Gellner is the first recipient of the Foundation Scholarship from St. Marys High School.
It’s a fitting distinction for someone accustomed to being a leader.
Gellner serves as student body president, the front-page editor of the school newspaper, the captain of the varsity tennis team and still manages to find time to take an active role in her church and community.
Her church work has influenced her in many ways; in fact, she hopes to use the study abroad stipend to deepen her understanding of religion by visiting Jerusalem.
Gellner, a biochemistry major with a secondary interest in religious studies, dreams of becoming a pediatric neurologist to research a disorder that has affected a loved one.
“I want to research autism spectrum disorder,” Gellner said. “I hope I can create options that give those who have autism an outlet to thrive.”
Gellner is excited to arrive on campus in the fall and capitalize on the opportunities WVU affords its students.
“I am most looking forward to having the freedom to meet new people, break out of my comfort zone and explore the world,” she said.
She is the daughter of Delina and Robert Liller and William and Roberta Gellner.
Lindsey Keplinger from Braxton County High School will arrive on campus in the fall with healthy eating habits and a commitment to maintaining that lifestyle through her college years.
And she knows how to influence those near and far to do the same.
“I developed an interest in how food affects overall health in 2013,” Keplinger said. “I read books, watched documentaries and started using Instagram as a platform to document my meals and glean from the experiences of others on a similar journey to live a healthier lifestyle.”
Approximately 14,000 followers, a blog and a few endorsement deals later, and Keplinger’s mission had far exceeded her expectations.
“It was fun and it helped me learn,” said Keplinger, who suspended her social media efforts ahead of her senior year because of the time commitment. “I never set out to get such a large following; I just enjoyed sharing my experiences and learning from others – but I have healthy eating habits that will last me a lifetime as a result.”
Keplinger is active in her community through her church and enjoys working with local youth church camps. She is also a tutor, volunteered at her local senior center and is a member of the Quill & Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists. She is the business editor of her school newspaper.
She will major in biology when she arrives on campus in the fall and hopes to ultimately attend medical school. In the meantime, representing WVU and her home state as a Foundation Scholar is an honor she doesn’t take lightly.
“I have a wonderful opportunity to represent WVU as a Foundation Scholar,” Keplinger said. “I hope I can find ways to give back someday. West Virginia has always been home to me—and I hope it always is.”
Keplinger is the fourth student from Braxton County High School to receive the Foundation Scholarship. She is the daughter of Dale and Melissa Keplinger.
Noah LeGrand was a state champion debater at Huntington High School.
But there wasn’t much of a debate for LeGrand when it came to choosing a college.
“I chose WVU because it’s a school that cares about their students and the state,” LeGrand said. “I like that there is such a sense of community and pride here; it’s important to me to give back to the state and help West Virginia someday.”
LeGrand – who is also active in service projects through his local Boy Scout troop – says the Foundation Scholarship is a tremendous honor that rewards his hard work.
“Winning the Foundation Scholarship really makes me feel valued as a student and thinker,” he said.
LeGrand, who is majoring in political science in the fall, hopes to use his gift of debate in the political arena someday and ultimately influence public policy.
“I’m very excited about the new John D. Rockefeller IV School of Policy and Politics,” said LeGrand. “It will be very helpful in my chosen discipline.”
LeGrand hopes he can utilize the academic enhancement stipend to pursue internship opportunities in Washington, D.C., with a think tank.
LeGrand is the son of Jeffrey and Cynthia; he is the second student from Huntington High School to win the Foundation Scholarship.
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