MOVING MOUNTAINS
Cultivating Achievement Among the Hills
By Cori Wamsley
My home among the hills prior to moving to the Pittsburgh , Pa . area may be different from what you picture of West Virginia .
For almost 30 years , I lived in the “ high-tech corridor ,” an area that stretches from Morgantown — home of West Virginia University , my alma mater — to Clarksburg and Bridgeport , where I grew up , an hour south . This corridor is home to NASA , the FBI ’ s Criminal Justice Information Systems facility , Lockheed Martin , Northrop Grumman , Mylan Labs , the U . S . Department of Energy ’ s National Energy Technology Laboratory , and many other research and development sites in the area , all with quick access to the primary north-west highway in the state , I-79 .
I grew up as the daughter of a pharmacist at a high school where at least three-quarters of my classmates went on to attend college immediately after graduation . Furthering my education wasn ’ t a question . Goals and achievement were drilled into us from a young age .
However , much of the state is as you may imagine : rolling hills dotted with stately forests , streams trickling into rivers and waterfalls … hiking , skiing , white water rafting . Most of West Virginia is rural , and with this peaceful scenery comes the health and educational issues common to many rural areas across the United States .
West Virginia ’ s population has one of the lowest percentages of college degrees and one of the highest percentages of obesity-related illnesses — like osteoarthritis or diabetes . Hence , it was in the state ’ s best interest to encourage the native rural population to achieve higher education within health care fields , with the hope that relationships built within the community during their education would encourage students to return to rural areas as professionals . Twenty years ago , a program with that ideal began radically changing how students in rural West Virginia communities are encouraged to pursue higher education .
This program , housed at West Virginia University , has reached out to rural communities from the high tech corridor — moving educational mountains to reach
Photo : West Virginia University Hospital
HSTA alumnus Tanise Montgomery is a medical laboratory scientist with Princeton Community Hospital in Princeton , W . Va .
isolated pockets of the population . It has successfully worked to combat both the low percentage of high school graduates matriculating to higher education and the higher instance of health issues found in rural areas .
The West Virginia University School of Medicine began the Health Sciences & Technology Academy ( HSTA ) in 1994 to help rural minority students interested in and capable of obtaining careers in health care fields achieve their goals . HSTA officials selected high school freshman based on interest , potential , and need for the opportunity to participate in the program . Those choosing to join the after-school club must maintain a B average , participate in HSTA summer camps and club activities , and adhere to policies designed to keep them on a path toward their chosen career . Research projects are among the most important aspects of the program , as well as meeting the academic rigor , which increases each year a student participates .
HSTA students focus on health sciences-based activities that relate to the considerable health issues faced by their rural communities in West Virginia . Participants are primarily young women from rural communities
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