Scholarships for Women: Profile of the 2020-2021 Awardees

by Collegiate Alumnae Scholarship Committee Chair, Judy Liston

A few college-educated women organized Collegiate Alumnae of Wheeling in 1908 to help provide encouragement and scholarship assistance for women who want to pursue a college education. Currently the group provides one scholarship per academic year at West Liberty University and one at West Virginia Northern Community College, with the financial aid offices of the schools selecting recipients according to guidelines established by CAW.

This spring CAW was pleased to have the 2020-2021 scholarship recipients attend a ZOOM meeting of the group to share their stories and their vocational plans. CAW applauds their hard work and wishes them well as they continue their education.

Ms. Michelle Campbell is a native of Weirton and graduate of Weir High School. She is currently a nursing major at WVNCC and has earned previous associate degrees from the same school in the areas of elementary education, social science and psychology. She also holds a certificate in massage therapy from Pittsburgh Technical College and is employed at UPMC, Pittsburgh. Ms. Campbell hopes to become an RN and would like to go into holistic medicine.

Ms. Aleah Baker is from Middlebourne and is a graduate of Tyler Consolidated High School. She is an elementary education major at West Liberty, with a minor in early intervention. During her high school years she earned the Charting Pin in 4-H and the American Degree in FFA. At West Liberty she has been inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education. Her plan is to complete her BA and eventually earn a master’s degree in school administration.

In addition to providing college scholarships for women, Collegiate Alumnae provides and hosts a reception each fall for new citizens and their families after their induction ceremony at the Federal Courthouse in Wheeling. It is a small way to help some special neighbors celebrate a very big occasion in their lives.

Every year a variety of local civic, business, government, education, service, entertainment, and other leaders from the greater Wheeling area present informative programs to the organization during its five regularly scheduled meetings, so that members can be informed and involved in community life. Members are active in or retired from a wide range of professions and have received support and encouragement from many people along the way, so they share an interest in “paying it forward” by helping other women fulfil their potential. Any woman who has completed a two or four-year college degree can inquire about the possibility of joining CAW by emailing Collegiatealumnaeofwheeling@gmail.com.