Skip to main content

WCU Stories

Gabriela Garcia

Learning leadership skills through the military and veteran community

The active military and veteran community is familiar to Gabriela Iglesias Garcia, a Western Carolina University sophomore from Jacksonville, majoring in English. Garcia’s father is a service member, along with many others in her family.  

Locklairs

Two Generations of Fundraisers

A family of Catamounts, and a family of fundraisers. Tim Locklair, is a 1995 graduate of Western Carolina University, and his daughter, Hailee Locklair, is a junior at WCU majoring in communication, with a broadcasting concentration and a minor in philosophy.  

Huchsions

All footsteps lead to WCU for Hutchison family

The Hutchisons are WCU’s February Alumni Spotlight and part of a featured group of alumni during the “I Love WCU” month of February. They are polite, to the point in conversation and drop enough “yes, ma’ams” to make Miss Manners swoon.   

Moller's

Alumni keep pieces of WCU close to their hearts and in their backyard

Ask former Catamounts, Daniel and Jordan Moeller, why they love Western Carolina University and it all comes down to the most important building blocks of life.  

Chris Moore

Fire Marshal Chris Moore '01: An I Love WCU Story

“We may not be out in the light, but you’ll definitely know when the light bulb’s out.” Western Carolina University’s own Fire Marshal, safety professional and alumnus Chris Moore, succinctly noted this when discussing the Facilities Management team’s impact.  

Martin Schemdt on a construction site

From Graduate Student to Project Engineer

Martin Schmedt MCM ’18, project engineer for WCU’s Apodaca Science Building, spent hours drawing plans for dream houses as a child. “After drawing so many, I began to envision building them for my friends and family,” Schmedt said.  

Frankie Bauer

Alumni explores historical, cultural, political and personal connections that cross tribal designations

Frankie Bauer came to Western Carolina University in 2016 to pursue a master’s degree in history. A member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Bauer concentrated on Cherokee Studies, defending his thesis and earning his degree in fall 2018.  

Dawn Brown at a conference table

Master of Project Management puts IT employee on a path of upward trajectory

A few years back, Western Carolina University’s Division of Information Technology added a project management office. Because IT employee Dawn Brown worked closely with the project office, she thought it might be beneficial to learn more about project management. She enrolled in WCU’s Master of Project Management (MPM) Program. Not only has it proven to be helpful in her IT role, but Brown said she now has a complete understanding of the entire project management process.  

Faculty and Staff at an I Love WCU celebration

‘I Love WCU’ to celebrate alumni, students and new giving societies

It’s February and that means big love for Western Carolina University during the “I Love WCU” celebration.  

Office of Web Services