Hi, everyone. My name is Lily Wright. I’m
a double major in English and French with
a minor in political science. The thing that’s
impacted me the most is when I went abroad
to Spain last spring for spring break. It
was a faculty-led trip, and it was my first
time abroad. I’d never been abroad before.
I’d never even been on a long flight before.
And I learned so much. I know it’s super
cliché to say, “going abroad changed my
life,” but it really does. I realized that
there’s so much more out there than the
US has to offer, and I think it’s important
that everyone has the opportunity to explore
that. So, if you are an incoming freshman,
I highly recommend that you explore WVU’s
study abroad programs.
I think being a Mountaineer means going first,
which is kind of our motto, but also that
you aren’t afraid to overcome obstacles
in your life. It’s recognizing that your
ride isn’t necessarily going to be perfect,
but you are going to have the strength to
overcome those challenges and adversities.
I think that Mountaineers also have a strong
conviction for their identities and who they
are, and we’re full of pride. We’re a
very prideful campus and community, and I
think that really shows in everything that
we do.
It’s really just a true honor in ways that
I can’t even express. I self-finance my
own education, so receiving scholarships like
that enables me to do research and study abroad
and have opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise
have if I was working all the time to make
it through my education. So, I think that
funding like this is so salient, and I know
I can speak for every individual that gets
this prestigious award that if I could email
every single person who donated or contributed
to this fund in some way, I would tell them
that they have had a profound and lasting
impact on my education and the education of
my peers. So, thank you. It’s truly an honor
and I wouldn’t be here without you.
