WCU Stories - All Posts

As I reflect on my time at Western Carolina University, I’m reminded of how much this campus has shaped me—both in and out of the classroom. WCU has given me the space to grow, to lead, to stumble, and to stand back up again. It’s a place where I’ve found my purpose, my people and my voice.

This issue of the WCU magazine celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of our alumni community, the progress of our students and faculty and the bold vision shaping our future.

Bailey Trumm ’24 was overjoyed when she received her first acceptance letter to medical school. As a Division I basketball player and a top scholar of Western Carolina University’s biology program, she elevated her team and earned the praise of professors with a ferocious work ethic.

The road to “The Show” is a steep climb.

Kyle Pifer was ready for growth and new challenges when he arrived at Western Carolina University in late 2020.

Julie Spiro Donaldson ’99 believes there’s no amount of effort too small to give, and it’s with that belief in mind that she’s changed Jackson County.

On any given day, you’re as likely to find Western Carolina University students on campus as you are up a granite cliff face or on the rapids of a raging river. In the engineering lab as often as on the trail.

As an undergraduate student at North Carolina State University finishing her psychology degree, Malinda Pennington, assistant professor in the Special Education and Inclusive Learning program at Western Carolina University, needed an internship to fulfill the requirement for an abnormal psychology course.

The energy inside the then-Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte was electric.

The brain is one of the world’s greatest marvels. It’s full of neurons, and every day it sets in motion an orchestrated wonder called the human body. Thanks to a new minor, Catamounts will be able to use their own noggins to learn more about it.