Meet Honors Hall Resident Assistant Holly Cogar. Holly is a 22 year old Speech Pathology major from Dixie, West Virginia. She inspires her residents every day with her upbeat attitude and beautiful smile.
Q: What made you choose West Virginia University?
A: Up until my senior year of high school, I actually said I would never come to WVU. I grew up in rural central West Virginia, and I always thought WVU was nothing more than a party school. After attending GHA the summer of my junior year, I got a glimpse of WVU in it’s entirety beyond that party school image. I was introduced to the Honors College and Honors Hall which ended up being my home here the last four years.
When it came to choosing a major, I was undecided between education and medicine. I ended up finding the perfect median in speech pathology and audiology which is only offered here and Marshall (in state). I changed my major on orientation day, and I haven’t regretted my decision one bit!
Q: You used to be in pageants. Would you say those experiences helped you be more active in college extracurriculars?
A: I would have to say yes and no! In all honesty, I would say that pageantry fell under my already active presence in school and my community. I didn’t really start doing pageants until my freshman year of college when I competed in a festival pageant for a scholarship. After holding two festival titles, a dear friend I had met through pageantry recommended that I compete in a small state and national system where I ended up winning at both pageants. As a national titleholder for the Miss All-Star United States system, I was required to not only stay extremely active in extracurricular activities in Morgantown, but I traveled to different events in different states on the East Coast! While I met so many sweet people and had many great experiences, I personally chose to stop competing as my outlook on pageantry began to shift (not as a result of any one experience I had).
All that being said, pageantry wasn’t a big factor when it comes to the extracurricular activities that I’m involved in to this day. I attend the Baptist Campus Ministry every week and serve on the leadership team as well. While I think of it as more of a family/community than a club, I was drawn to BCM by the love each college student there had for each other and for the Lord!
I’m also the service chair for the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association which is the professional club for my major. I especially am thankful for the role this club has played in my undergraduate experience because I’ve been able to learn and live life alongside so many great ladies who will be entering my same professional field someday. I would say that I am most involved in those two clubs, but I’ve had so many experiences outside the classroom at WVU that it would take the whole interview to talk about those!
Q: What would you say has been the most rewarding part of being an RA?
A: This is an easy one. Whether a resident talks to me frequently or just says hi in the hallway, my main goal as an RA is to make sure that every person on my floor feels safe and loved. At the end of the year, sometimes residents will leave notes under my door before they leave or come speak to me just to say thank you. That’s the best part. Not the programs or the documentations, but the fact that I was a small hand in helping them make that transition from high school to college. I definitely don’t do this job nearly as well as I should, but if I can help just one resident make Morgantown feel like their temporary home, I would say that I did something right.
Q: I know you are getting married following graduation. What else is on tap for you after May?
A: Ah! The best year! Typically, students studying speech pathology go straight to graduate school following graduation, but I’ve decided to take a year off, and devote that time to my marriage and doing ministry with Resurrection Church on the West Side of Charleston. Oh, and being a dog mom to our labradoodle and hopefully new goldendoodle puppy. I don’t know everything that this next year will entail, but the plan as of now is for graduate school to be up next the following fall.
Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?
A: There are many “lasts” your senior year. Last first day of school. Last football game. Last round of finals. (ya know, of undergrad anyway) I would say definitely don’t let school take over your life. Yes, focus on school, learn a lot, get your degree, and do good for your neighbors, but there is so much more to experience in Morgantown and in this state than what you will learn in classes. Cherish the time you have left here, love the people around you, look forward to what lies ahead, and know that country roads will always take you home.