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West Virginia University students have gone on to work for some of the biggest companies today. John Walker (class of ’86) is the President of the Houston Dynamo FC, a football team competing in Major League Soccer; Rick Loughery (class of ’94) is the Vice President of Global Product Communications for GoPro; Jeff Hertrick (class of ’91) is the Director of Digital Video Operations at National Geographic. The list goes on.
Recent graduate Stephen Jacobs is the latest to be included in the list for working at SpaceX as a flight controller. “At SpaceX, I am excited to push the boundaries of human spaceflight on the Starship programme,” he says. “I am thrilled that with my hard work, I am not only getting humanity closer to the day when there are footsteps on Mars, but I am also supporting the creation of the largest-ever satellite constellation to provide internet to millions of people around the world, who otherwise wouldn’t be connected.”
Jacobs has the Benjamin M Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources to thank for his current position at the American space technology company. Here, he pursued not one but two bachelor’s degrees – mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering – both of which gave him the needed skills and resources to stand out from a demanding market.
At the Statler College, you will have opportunities to solve real-world problems and achieve goals together as a team. Source: West Virginia University
“The Statler College provided me with both the technical knowledge and the practical experience that helped me stand out at my job,” he says. “There are countless opportunities at WVU to get involved and be a leader, and by taking those opportunities, you get so much more out of college and stand out that much more to employers.”
It was during this time that he had the experience of representing the university in Utah as the team leader of the 2023 University Rover Challenge. Under his leadership, the team won first place that year, along with top scoring in several categories: a perfect score in the Science Mission, first in the Extreme Retrieval and Delivery Mission, and second-highest in the System Acceptance Review and Equipment Servicing Mission. These victories caught the attention of SpaceX and the company wasted no time offering Jacobs a job on his way home from the competition.
The competition teams at the Statler College provide opportunities and prepare you to become a professional in the industry. Jacobs proudly holding the World Champion trophy from the URC competition. Source: West Virginia University
Finding your people and purpose at West Virginia University
There are various student organisations and groups other than the University Rover Challenge team. With over 450 of them at West Virginia University, you are sure to find several that align with your interests and values. Biomedical engineering undergraduate student Sonia-Frida Ndifon found hers when she first stepped foot on campus as a freshman. Ndifon wasted no time getting involved, participating in more than five student organisations – the African Students Association being one of them.
From secretary to becoming the president of the organisation, Ndifon has organised many events under her leadership, including the annual start-of-year cookout, the annual African Night, and a trip to Washington DC in collaboration with other organisations. As a Biomedical Engineering Society member, she presented her project on osseointegration, a surgical procedure that could reduce skin irritation and pain for amputees to the Honors EXCEL conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Ndifon admits that being active both in and out of the classroom helped her develop the necessary soft skills like leadership, communication, teamwork, and organisation, all important for pursuing her Doctor of Medicine at the university’s School of Medicine. But most importantly, joining these clubs, organisations and serving as a Statler College ambassador has given her a memory she will never forget.
“Some of my most memorable moments at the Statler College are from interacting with prospective and incoming students,” she says. “We recently had a High School Visitation Day where we had high school students come to campus. I served on the student panel, answering questions from students and their parents about my experience at WVU. It was beautiful to be able to encourage students to come to WVU for school while also pursuing my goal of becoming a physician.”
You will experience the university’s sense of community and belonging in the classroom — and beyond it too. Source: West Virginia University
The tight-knit community, not only in the classroom but beyond it, is what makes the university feel like a home away from home. With your professors and peers ready to guide you through your academic journey, you will experience a sense community and belonging at West Virginia University that is second to none.
“The overwhelming feeling I got was that the people at WVU really wanted to share the beauty of West Virginia and the values of WVU with as many people as possible,” Jacobs says. “The hospitality of West Virginia is also a slightly different than what I was used to in Tennessee, but I think anyone from my hometown would recognise it as the same kindness nonetheless.”
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