Samuel Cyphert

I chose WVU because it was the only place I found where I truly could do anything. At other schools, I would not have been able to get into a research laboratory in my freshman year, let alone first semester. I would not have been provided the opportunity to learn from 30,000 peers across the campus from so many far-reaching places. WVU was the only institution on my list where I could garner the experiences I wanted in my life.

• What is the BEST reason to attend WVU? 

The best reason to attend WVU is the faculty. I have not met one professor who was not wholeheartedly devoted to seeing their students succeed. The accessibility of faculty spanning every department outside of the classroom is astonishing. Almost every hour of the day you can find a professor, graduate assistant, teaching assistant, or tutor to offer you help with concepts or classes your struggling to grasp. WVU is an institution focused on academic excellence and success of its students.

• What is your favorite Mountaineer memory?

My favorite mountaineer memory is from my freshman engineering 101 class. I was teamed up with three other people to build a car that could go a distance of five meters using only one half-liter of water stored at sixty centimeters. I learned from that project how to work as a team, how to be a leader when needed, and how to look toward a different leader when needed. Many long nights went into designing constructing that project and it all culminated into a successful testing day. In my first semester of engineering to already be getting hands-on engineering experience has to be my favorite memory as a mountaineer.

• Why did you want to become a Presidential Student Ambassador? 

I wanted to become a PSA because it was another door of opportunity opened to me by the university. I would be able to become a leader on my campus and continue to develop my public speaking skills giving presentations to peers and prospective students. This opportunity would help bring about new ways to challenge myself and new ways to learn from other students, professors, and guest speakers.

• What did you learn from the PSA experience?  

I learned how to lead from leaders currently on campus. It is amazing to see how much I have grown as both a leader on campus and as a person in just one semester from one class. But, without the PSA program, I would not be able to further my amazing ideas as I have currently. I would not have been as well equipped to take on tough challenges as I see them as I do now. They are bite sized pieces and it is completely possible to accomplish what I want to accomplish. Absolutely, the PSA program has been a life-altering experience.

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