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WLU graduates hear a message of perseverance

SPECIAL CEREMONY AT WLU — Graduates from West Liberty University were honored by faculty and parents at commencement Saturday. - Alan Olson

WEST LIBERTY — Perseverance in the face of adversity was the message delivered to West Liberty University’s fall graduating class during commencement ceremonies Saturday.

Alumna Christina Greer spoke to the graduates, conveying her own story of adversity. After dropping out of high school after becoming pregnant, Greer endured the death of her child in infancy before deciding that she would not see positive change in her life without taking initiative to continue her education, which she did at West Liberty.

“I was working midnight shift at a gas station, and one night after my grief had given way to numbness, I realized I had a choice: I could either stay at this job that was neither paying the bills nor making me happy, or I could get an education,” Greer said. “In the fall of 1993, I found myself walking onto West Liberty’s campus, ready to start over. … Before my first semester even ended, I knew I had found my place in the world. I made wonderful friendships that continue to enrich my life.”

Greer said her second year at WLU inspired her to pursue higher education like her professors, to inspire others who identified with her struggles and become a professor herself, pursuing graduate studies and becoming an accomplished writer before returning home.

“I wondered, is it truly possible to go home again? I’m happy to say that the Ohio Valley I ran away from so long ago is now my home. When I came back on my terms, as a woman dedicated to helping others, I now live together with my son, and the beautiful life we’ve created. … I tell you this because if I listened to common sense and public opinion, I’d still be living in poverty, without my education, my job that I love and my son.

“Walk out knowing that the road ahead is a bumpy one. College students today graduate with more debt and less job opportunities than any generation before them,” Greer continued. “You might have to leave the valley. You might have to take jobs that have nothing to do with your degree. But don’t let short-term struggles dictate your long-term goals.”

WLU President Stephen Greiner presented Greer with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree just prior to her address, recognizing her as a person of strong moral character and as a leader in the Wheeling community.

A total of 138 students graduated at the conclusion of the fall semester.

Local graduates included:

¯ Chase Addison Butler, Robert Connors and Kathleen Nail of Weirton; and Paul Harbert Jr. of Steubenville, master’s degrees.

Undergraduate degrees: Shelby Pell, Beech Bottom; Rosalie Haizlett, Bethany; Brittany Crouch, Michael Camilletti, Kelsie Felton, Mara Jackson, Lindsay Kurcina, Christopher Nemeth and Emily Sloat, Follansbee; Tiffany Gailey, Johnny Jackson and Kerri Kowalski, New Cumberland; Camille Bernabei, Corliss Brown, Hannah Carnes, Cole Coates, Taelor Costello, Angelica Lancaster, Chelsie Palmeri, Grace Woods, Lucas Dankovchik and Patrick McDonald, Weirton; Hunter Craft, Hannah Everhart, Rosalie Haizlett, David Holden, Nina Sparks, Douglas Conner, Wellsburg; Justin Davis, Mingo Junction; Jessica Zeigler, Rayland; Kaitlyn Nese and Rebekah Smith, Steubenville; Shannon Gardner, Jordon Meyer and Albert Murry, Toronto; Amber Nest, Wintersville; and Rachel Adams and Ashley Kopko, Avella.

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