Fundraising campaign inspired by the Belcher Years crowns the end of the semester

Friday, March 2 was the start of the 2012 Southern Conference Championship game – Western Carolina University Catamounts versus Davidson College Wildcats. Supporters of both teams seated in their respected areas inside U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville. The drive for WCU students was roughly an hour, leading to the arena colored with purple and gold. […]

Hiking for a cause

This article was originally published in the Mountaineer, April 16, 2019.     On May 18, Kyra Mehaffey Waitt and her mother-in law, Jolene Waitt, will participate in the Trailblaze Challenge, a 28.3-mile single-day hike for charity. Each hiker must raise $2,500 by July 3. That’s why Kyra and her mother-in-law, Jolene Waitt, are participating […]

WCU students help clean up the Tuck

Co-written/produced with Mary McCay The 35th annual Tuck River Cleanup kicked off at WCU on Saturday, April 13. Hundreds of students and people from around Jackson County joined together to clean up the Tuckasegee River in one of the largest single-day river cleanups in the nation. About 600 participants were bused over to Lena Davis Landing […]

Francisco Ramos brings comedy to SL-SLC and WCU

Comedian Francisco Ramos brought a hilarious stand-up routine to WCU as a part of the Southeastern Latinx Student Leadership Conference. A crowd of around 150 people gathered in front of the stage at A.K. Hinds University Center to hear Ramos Ramos regaled the crowd with jokes and comedic stories from his own life, talking about […]

WCU celebrates international communities on campus

Story co-written/produced with Natalie Ballard In the heart of Western Carolina’s campus, a beautiful whirlwind of colors circled the fountain as students and faculty carrying the flags of 42 countries from around the world celebrated Western’s 40th annual International Festival. Hosted by WCU’s Office of International Programs and Services, this year’s International Festival provided students with […]

Mission, passion continue for Sims and Cat Museum

The story was originally published in The Sylva Herald on April 3, 2019. Have you ever loved something so much that you dedicate a museum to it? That’s exactly what Harold Sims did, spreading his love of cats to Jackson County and beyond. The American Museum of the Housecat is a collection of all things […]