WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., April 30, 2018 — Once again the Great Gala attracted a sell-out crowd of enthusiastic friends supporting West Liberty University as they gathered to dine and dance at Glessner Auditorium this past Saturday, April 28.
From left, Dr. Jeremy Larance and wife Paula Makris, join Nancy and President Stephen Greiner, WLU staff member Mary Ann Edwards and guest Sarah Koegler in a 1960s fashion moment at the Great Gala.
“We are so grateful to everyone who supported our Great Gala. I especially want to thank WesBanco CEO Todd Clossin for being our title sponsor yet again. This makes five years in a row that WesBanco has joined us in this important effort at raising funds for higher education,” said Dr. Stephen Greiner, WLU president.
Thirty-two corporate and individual sponsors supported the annual party with a purpose this year, according to Jason Koegler, vice president of Institutional Advancement. Designed around a festive theme, the Great Gala’s motif this year was the 1964 British Invasion and guests turned-out in 1960s fashion adding to the fun.
All proceeds this year go toward the continued update of the university’s technological needs and the next phase of the campus technology plan which began last summer as WLU completed nearly $1 million in technology infrastructure increasing the strength of wireless and network security.
From left, Natasha Muhametzyanova, Dan Monteroso, Michelle Yadrick and Amanda Leonard pose near the Union Jack just after their honor.
Also honored during the Great Gala were four examples of high achieving students, Amanda Leonard, Dan Monteroso, Natasha Muhametsyanova and Michelle Yadrick, who were called to the stage by President Greiner before the main act, Beatlemania Magic, performed.
Leonard is a junior accounting major from Milford, Mich., who expects to graduate in May 2019 and become a CPA. An Elbin Scholar, member of Alpha Chi National Honor Society and Delta Mu Delta Honor Society, she also has been a member of the Lady Hilltopper Volleyball team since 2015. Leonard made the 2015 MEC All-Freshmen Team and 2016 MEC Second Team All-Conference team and was on the fall All-MEC Academic team for 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Monteroso is a second-year transfer who graduated from Purdue in three years while playing wide receiver for the Boilermaker football team. Monteroso blew past the 1,000-point mark in his two seasons on the Hilltopper hardwood and is one of 25 finalists for the Bevo Francis Award honoring the nation’s top small-college player. Monteroso is now a two-time All-MEC, All-MEC Tournament, All-Region, All-District, NCAA Division II Academic All-America and NCAA Division All-America honoree. He is from St. Clairsville, Ohio and will graduate with his master’s in education this spring. He plans to continue his basketball career as a professional player in Europe.
Beatlemania Magic performs.
A senior public relations major, Muhametzyanova maintains a 4.0 GPA. Originally from Turkmenistan, she expects to graduate next fall, attend graduate school and eventually become an English professor. Most recently, she presented research at the Eastern Communication Association’s Convention in Pittsburgh. She also presented a different paper at the national Alpha Chi convention in Portland this semester and in early March was awarded 2nd Place at the West Virginia English Symposium for a third paper. In late March she represented WLU at the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention where she presented a fourth paper.
Austin Powers made several appearances at the Great Gala, this one courtesy of Dr. Gerard NeCastro and his wife Vicki.
Yadrick is a senior psychology major and a native of Weirton. She is the Student Ambassador to the West Virginia Women’s Commission, the president of the WLU Psychology Club and a member of Psi Chi, the national honors society in psychology. Yadrick also has been inducted into Alpha Chi and the Liber Society of WLU. She holds a GPA of 3.94 and has made the Dean’s List every semester during her undergraduate career. She will graduate summa cum laude in May, find employment in her field and go on to graduate school, with the hope to become a clinical psychologist in the future.
The Great Gala was first held in 2011 and each spring it has raised money for scholarships, capital improvements and other university initiatives.
Next year’s date is already set and will be Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Oglebay Resort. To learn more about the Great Gala please call 304-336-8888.
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