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As a park guide at Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland, Kinley Cook’s passion for the outdoors radiates to her visitors. She gets them excited about where they’re at, whether it be by way of the park’s history or showing them a salamander that’s sitting under a random rock along its trail.

Future students majoring in English studies and participating in student media organizations at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ will be eligible for financial assistance made possible by a planned gift of $100,000 from a Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵalumna who has enjoyed a lengthy career in the education profession.

As an Entourage tour guide, Cora Haste is the face of Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ to a group of strangers for about a couple of hours.

H. Kevin Fulk, associate professor of computer information systems at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ, has been appointed to the position of Kneedler Distinguished Professor of Computer Information Systems at WCU.

In the days after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, first responders and volunteers rushed to help their neighbors. Checking in on loved ones, restoring electricity to homes and businesses, and conducting search and rescue missions already looked like a daunting uphill battle.

Mekeila Santiago remembers her mom hounding her to get involved before she even stepped foot inside a classroom at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ.

Jackson County isn’t an urban hotbed like the Charlotte’s and Greensboro’s of the state are. It doesn’t have big museums, aquariums or any other spot that might get kids interested in STEM.

Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in.

This year's James Cooper Memorial Lecture in Cherokee Studies will take place on Monday, Feb. 3, 5:30 p.m., in Apodaca Building room 201. This year's speaker will be Christopher Teuton, who will deliver a talk titled "Wolf Wears Shoes: Standing in the Middle with Cherokee Storytelling."

The Cherokee Preservation Foundation has been a pivotal supporter of Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Cherokee Language program.