MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WVDN) — The 2024 Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship recipients are connected by a desire to improve the well-being and quality of life for residents in West Virginia.
The scholarship honors the legacy and service of the late Hazel Ruby McQuain, a businesswoman and benefactor dedicated to development in Morgantown and countless communities across the state.
Scholarships are administered by the West Virginia University Office of Graduate Education and Life in partnership with the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.
The four honorees, Taylor Brown, Riley Klug, Hannah Lamb and Clara Monson, will receive up to three years of financial support — $20,000 annually — as they examine and study some of the state’s most pressing concerns and challenges.
Taylor Brown
Discouraged by the devastation she saw substance use disorders causing in her hometown, Concord University psychology graduate Taylor Brown has made it her mission to fight West Virginia’s drug abuse problem through research, education and her drive to make a difference.
“My decision to attend WVU embodies my dedication to the state of West Virginia and its residents. As a lifelong Wyoming County resident, I have the lived experience of witnessing the effects of the opioid epidemic in my community,” Brown said. “This instilled a desire to dedicate myself to teach, conduct research and engage firsthand in prevention efforts in the state of West Virginia.”
Brown is studying for a doctoral degree in lifespan developmental psychology at the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. Through training in the personality, health and development lab, the first-generation college student aspires to conduct high-quality research on how early life adversity and substance abuse impacts lifespan development. She will conduct research on adverse childhood experiences, poverty and substance abuse. Brown said she hopes to use what she learns to promote resiliency in those impacted by trauma.
Riley Klug
New Martinsville native and WVU graduate Riley Klug majored in anthropology while also completing programs in art history, Native American Studies and political science. They are attending the University of California, San Diego, to complete a Master of Arts degree in Latin American studies with a focus on the anthropology of violence and contentious politics.
“My main goal regarding my graduate work at UCSD is to study gendered perspectives of Latin American contention and conflict. This understanding of gender-based violence surrounding abortion, women and transgender rights can also be applied to the state of West Virginia,” Klug said. “In giving a global perspective on these issues, I aim to improve the state’s stance on abortion and gender equity, improving the living conditions of women and queer people in the state.”
Klug was a WVU Presidential Student Ambassador, chosen for exemplifying Mountaineer Values while having a passion to make a positive impact on and for West Virginia. They served as a WVU Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ambassador as well as a College of Creative Arts Ambassador. Klug’s volunteerism includes addressing food insecurity among students by helping run The Rack, a food pantry on campus.
Hannah Lamb
Service, a core Mountaineer Value, is ingrained in Hannah Lamb, a Marietta College psychology graduate from Nitro. Lamb has experience volunteering to combat food insecurity, eradicate peer-led violence and foster inclusion within ministry.
“My long-term professional goal is to serve those who have been marginalized by religious institutions in West Virginia. Spirituality plays a key role in community ties throughout Appalachia,” Lamb said. “Being labeled as ‘other’ by your community is damaging to young people’s development, particularly LGBTQ+ youth who are already at risk for negative social outcomes, such as homelessness and substance use.”
As a teaching assistant, camp counselor and peer educator, Lamb volunteered more than 184 hours while in undergraduate school. Lamb is a graduate student in the WVU Master of Social Work program.
Clara Monson
A fondness for academia is leading Martinsburg native Clara Monson on a journey to becoming an English professor. While she will pursue a Master of Arts degree in English at WVU, Monson said she has a desire to inspire all students to be lifelong learners.
“My goal is to work with first-generation students largely in the summer and through my teaching of a first-year required course,” Monson said. “I hope to inspire a love of education and writing in students in my classes, whether they be first-generation or not, and then narrow my focus post-teaching. Next year it is my hope to apply for a position at the TRIO program here at WVU to continue my work.”
TRIO Upward Bound mentors and tutors help underprivileged students generate the skills and motivation necessary for success in education beyond high school. Monson worked for the program at Berkeley County’s four high schools throughout her undergraduate career.
Applicants for the Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship must:
- Exemplify the legacy of Hazel Ruby McQuain’s commitment to serving the people of West Virginia,
- Have a record of public service and demonstrate leadership qualities,
- Be a West Virginia resident, have significant ties to the state and/or be dedicated to bettering the lives of West Virginians,
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
McQuain’s donations to Morgantown and WVU have established programs, recreational facilities, University chairs and more. Her generosity includes an $8 million gift to support the construction of J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, which is named in memory of her husband. She died in 2002 at the age of 93.
