Western Carolina University

Tumors Hamper But Don’t Stop Student from Living Her Best College Life

At age 19, Victoria (Tori) Renfroe has about 30 years left to live, according to the hourglass she’s been handed by her doctors. That’s right, to age 49. Yes, she’s hopeful for a little more time, and with regular doctors’ visits, she might get it, she said. But in the meantime, she’s got college to finish, law school to attend, human rights to protect, a puppy to raise, a relationship to revel in and, well, you get the idea.

Graduate Profile: Christine McConnell

Christine McConnell began her college career as a first-generation student majoring in theatre in 2013 and continued her studies through her junior year. At the end of the spring semester in 2016, Christine decided to take a semester off to spend some time with her sister in Portland, Oregon—in her own words, “learning to be an adult.” She returned to North Carolina three months later, ready to resume her studies, but just a month after her return, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Her whole life was put on hold for treatment.

Graduate Profile: Matthew McDonough

Matthew McDonough could have followed his friends to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after he graduated from Asheville High School in 2015, but he didn’t. He chose to study at Western Carolina University instead, to better find out who he was — by himself.

Dreams of Hosting a Latinx Student Leadership Conference Come True

This time a year ago, Ricardo Nazario-Colón, Western Carolina University’s chief diversity officer, and his graduate assistant, Kevin Trudell, took 10 WCU students to the 28th annual National Latino Collegiate Conference at the University of Albany. As they were returning to Cullowhee, traveling on I-81 south in the middle of the night, someone blurted out, “We need to have our own conference.” The van erupted into cheers. For the rest of the ride, the students began brainstorming and dishing out assignments.

Triple Major Brennan Burke Goes Beyond the Numbers and Her Degrees

Following graduation in May and a summer internship in Charlotte, Western Carolina University senior Brennan Burke will have to decide what path to follow next. When it comes time to make that decision, Burke will have more options than most because of the fact that she is earning a triple major. Burke started as a mathematics major with a concentration in actuarial science, but along the way she added finance and accounting to the mix, giving her the trifecta. Not bad for someone who in high school thought she wanted to be a civil engineer.

Rachel and Caleb Sullivan and their family

Food and Faith Changed Lives of WCU Siblings

Rachel Sullivan believes in the power of good food on the body and of the Holy Spirit on the soul. Without one, she would not have found the other — or her life’s calling. Sullivan is a 20-year-old Western Carolina University junior and Honors College student majoring in nutrition and dietetics, an area of study she chose after witnessing the effects of starvation on her two half siblings whose parents were dealing with substance abuse issues. Sullivan and her half siblings, now age 9 and 13, have the same birth mother.

Success is Defining a Passion and Becoming a Leader

It took a while for Joanna Woodson to discover her true passion in life. But three universities and year and a half in the workplace later, Woodson has found her purpose, along with a home, at Western Carolina University. After a year at WCU, Woodson has not only settled on a major, she’s discovered a passion for politics that has led WCU to become a leader in voter participation across the University of North Carolina system.

Alumni and Veteran Finds Peace After 'Journey of a Million Steps'

Graduating veteran finds peace after 'journey of a million steps' | Graduated, enlisted, blown up, hospitalized, released, addicted, homeless, hopeless, rescued, enrolled, graduated, employed, enrolled, graduated, honored, redeemed. Read between those lines a minute, and listen...

Honors College Student Leaps Life’s Barriers on the Way to Fulfilling Her Goals

“I could just go to school and that was like my place,” said Bevers, now a junior at Western Carolina University. “For me, school was normal and I was normal at school. I didn’t have to think about what was going on at home. It gave me something to distract myself. It was something I was good at.”

1 2 3