WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., April 29, 2016 — West Liberty University graduating senior Rachel Wurster received the Robert W. Sledge Fellowship from the national honor society, Alpha Chi recently and was honored for her accomplishment at the April 28 Honors Convocation.

“We are very proud of Rachel and pleased to have another West Liberty University student’s work recognized on a national scale. It proves the fact that when our students enter national competitions, they excel. We have had many presentation prize winners at the Alpha Chi Convention as well as regional winners and alternates,” said Dr. Linda Cowan, faculty sponsor of the honor society.

Rachel Wurster is shown just after the Spring Honors Convocation.

Wurster is the second WLU student in three years to win the selective national award and one of only two students nationwide to receive the fellowship this year.

“I was very excited to get the news,” said Wurster, who also is a member of the WLU Honors College for qualifying high achieving students. “It feels great to be recognized for my hard work and research.”

Wurster is majoring in English education. For the national fellowship competition she submitted a research paper “Her World, Her Way? An Exploration of Racial Depictions and Stereotypes in Seventeen magazine,” which looked at stereotypes presented
 in the teen magazine from 2012-2015.

Also a member of the Student Government Association, Wurster previously received a regional scholarship at the Alpha Chi convention in 2015. She will graduate on May 7.

“It’s bittersweet feeling to leave WLU. I’ve really enjoyed my time here, but I am also ready to move on to other things,” said Wurster.

She plans to pursue a master’s in English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Her professional plans include teaching advanced placement classes at a Magnet or Charter school in the Washington, D.C. area.

An award of $3,500 for the first year of graduate study, the Robert W. Sledge fellowship can be used toward a master, doctoral or professional degree at any institution recognized by Alpha Chi. Established in 1922, Alpha Chi admits students from all academic disciplines but membership is limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s juniors, seniors and graduate students.

Faculty co-sponsors include Dr. Melinda Kreisberg and Dr. Susan Herrick. For more information about WLU’s Alpha Chi chapter, contact Dr. Cowan at lcowan@westliberty.edu.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Media Relations Intern Natasha Muhametzyanova contributed to this press release.

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