Honoring the first Health and Well-being cohort

As the Mountaineer community eagerly prepares to recognize the achievements of West Virginia University December and August 2021 graduates, the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences will honor the first cohort of Health and Well-being students to earn their degrees.

“Working with Health and Well-being students is such a great experience. The students have a wide range of career interests within Health and Well-being professions. We have had the privilege to work with each student to help them reach their individual goals,” Colton Metzger, student success coordinator, said.

“It is bittersweet to watch the first group of students graduate from the program. However, I am excited to see the great things they will do in the future. I have no doubt the graduates are prepared for their career fields. I sincerely wish them the best of luck in their upcoming endeavors.”

Hanah Burgess, Camille Flamm, Justin Hardwick and Gavin McDonald will walk across the Coliseum stage on Dec. 18 while family, friends, faculty and staff watch from the stands. Meet the four graduates and learn about their experiences as students and their career goals.

Portraits of recent health and well being grads

Highlighted graduates

Hanah Burgess

Bachelor of Science in Health and Well-being

Hometown: Ripley, W.Va.

Camille Flamm

Bachelor of Science in Health and Well-being

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Justin Hardwick

Bachelor of Science in Health and Well-being

Hometown: Fairmont, W.Va.

Gavin McDonald

Bachelor of Arts in Health and Well-being

Hometown: Henrietta, N.Y.

Why did you choose WVU CPASS?

Hanah

I chose WVU CPASS because of my passion for healthcare and to learn ways to live a healthy lifestyle so that I can help people in my future career. WVU stood out to me because I wanted the chance to branch out of my hometown to make bigger connections and experience new things.

Camille

WVU stood out to me during my selection process because it offered me such an extensive amount of opportunities. As someone who entered college as a biochemistry major, switched to Animal and Nutritional Sciences and then finally landed in Health and Well-being, I can confidently say all my professors along the way provided me with a considerable amount of knowledge for my future career.

Justin

WVU was the only school I applied to. After changing majors from Nursing, HWB offered the best path to getting my degree and applying to graduate school.

Gavin

I chose WVU CPASS because it provided me with excellent education in the areas that I was interested in. The faculty was hands on and eager to help me along my journey. WVU stood out to me because my father went here. I always wanted to be a Mountaineer just like him.

How did CPASS faculty support your success?

Hanah

I have had Dr. Jordan for a variety of my classes. As my CPASS faculty mentor, I have had the best connection with her. She would always take the time to help me when I needed it; I feel as if I could talk to her about anything. She gives me the impression that she truly wants us all to succeed in whatever we do. That gives me the motivation to do so. Dr. Jordan is an overall great mentor to have.

Camille

I would consider Dr. Erin Jordan as my mentor. She has continuously made herself available to students which ensured successful completion of material we were covering at that time. Dr. Jordan’s ability to truly connect with students one on one and her passion for her career is something that always drew me toward her as a mentor.

Justin

Dr. Erin Jordan is my CPASS mentor. She has facilitated most of the classes I have taken and has structured the major so far.

Gavin

Dr. Erin Jordan was a huge mentor for me the past two years. She helped push me in the right direction to succeed. Dr. Jordan truly cares about her students and wants to see you succeed. Also, she opened my eyes to other professions that I was interested in.

How is the Health and Well-being program supporting your career pathway?

Hanah

The WVU Health and Well-being program is flexible with different graduate healthcare programs. I was able to work with advisors to tailor it to my specific graduate school plans. This major has given me the opportunity to get hands-on experience which helped me make the decision on what I wanted to do for a professional career.

Camille

As I plan to attend an ABSN program, I believe that the Health and Well-being program has given me a strong, foundational overview of the healthcare environment. From human nutrition, human anatomy and physiology, and even professional development, I feel fully prepared to step out into the healthcare field and begin furthering my career.

Justin

PASS 339 Professional Immersion, Health and Well-being, is the most important class in the curriculum. It has given me plenty of practice with interviewing, personal statement writing and resume development.

Gavin

The Health and Well-being program supported my pathway because of how broad it is. There are so many different professional fields you learn about. This really helped me to figure out what I was good at and passionate about.

Describe hands-on learning you experienced.

Hanah

The internships and experiential learning opportunities are flexible to fit students’ future career goals. The faculty are there to help make connections to the site and suggest which experiences would be best for the program that you want to go into post-graduation. However, it has been tough to go outside of campus to get experiential learning opportunities due to COVID-19. Many students shifted to virtual-type experiences.

Camille

During my first two years at WVU, I participated in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP). As a program offered by the college for undergraduate students aspiring research opportunities, I completed my experience with Amanda Acord-Vira, OTR/L, EdD and Diana Davis, MA, OTR/L, Ph.D. We looked at college-aged hockey players who had a concussion diagnosis and their return to learn rate, graduation rate and their ImPACT testing scores. I presented a poster at a research symposium held by WVU RAP. It confirmed my desire to pursue a career within the healthcare field.

Justin

PASS 339 Professional Immersion has a field experience component. I received a considerable amount of practice in my career field of choice and even got a job out of it.

Gavin

I completed my internship at Profile by Sanford. It was an amazing experience and am thankful for Dr. Jordan providing me with the opportunity. Internships are extremely helpful in deciding if you can see yourself in this field professionally.

What are your post-graduation plans?

Hanah

My ultimate plan after graduation is to attend a physician assistant graduate program and become a certified physician assistant.

Camille

After graduation, I am attending an ABSN program at The Christ College of Nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio. Within this 16-month program, I will receive my bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Looking forward into the future, I plan on either pursuing a master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist.

Justin

I plan to attend a Master of Science Orthotics and Prosthetics program at a ‘to be determined’ school.

Gavin

After graduation I plan to go back to my hometown. I was hired as a part-time personal trainer at JMB Fitness. Also, I was hired full time as a program coordinator for a company that aids in youth substance prevention in my local communities.

What is your advice for incoming Health and Well-being students?

Hanah

I would highly recommend the Health and Well-being major to anyone wanting to pursue a career in any form of healthcare. This major includes courses that are required for the application process of a wide variety of different graduate schools in healthcare. In addition, the faculty are nice and are truly there to help their students succeed.

Camille

Health and Well-being is an exceptional choice if you want to pursue any type of career within the healthcare sector. Not only do the required major classes provide a strong, foundational support, but the amount of flexibility is favorable. The latitude is perfect for someone wanting to pursue post undergraduate schooling that has many prerequisite courses.

Justin

Be prepared to take the initiative with your education. It's up to you to make the most of it and prepare yourself for whatever is next.

What is your favorite thing about WVU and Morgantown?

Hanah

My favorite thing about WVU is celebrating wins at Milan Puskar Stadium or the Coliseum by singing “Country Roads” at the end of football and basketball games.

Camille

My favorite thing I enjoy doing at WVU is singing Country Roads after a home football or basketball game win!

Justin

The Powerline Trail at Cooper's Rock is my favorite place to visit in the Morgantown area.

Gavin

My favorite thing about West Virginia was attending the football games. Also, I am thankful for all the relationships I’ve created while attending WVU.