PSC Students: Celebrating Success
Articles
- A Dream Deferred
- Catamounts Climb Higher Awards
- January: Baylee Jarrett
- February: Laney Rodeheaver
- March: Courtney Barrackman
- April: Jennifer Metz
- May: Nasir Cheatham
- PSC Outstanding Student of the Year
A Dream Deferred: After 65 years, Carl Smith graduates
Carl Smith is a man who believes in starting what he finishes, but when he watched his children, grandchildren, and even his wife go off to institutions of higher learning and earn degrees that propelled their lives forward, he felt pangs of regret.
He never finished college. It’s the one project he never completed. And it didn’t sit well with the now 83-year-old. After 65 years, all that will change as he earns his degree and attends the 2026 Commencement ceremony at WVU Potomac State College.
Catamounts Climb Higher Awards
The Climb Higher Award is presented monthly to a student who exemplifies resiliency, outstanding work ethic, and kindness and positivity.
January 2026: Baylee Jarrett
WVU Potomac State College is proud to announce that Baylee Jarrett of Calvin, West Virginia, has been named the January recipient of the Catamounts Climb Higher Award.
Baylee is a sophomore nursing student at PSC, where she competes on the cross-country and track and field teams. She was nominated by Athletics Director Mandi Larkin, who admires Baylee’s tenacity through adversity.
February 2026: Laney Rodeheaver
WVU Potomac State College is proud to announce that Laney Rodeheaver of Huntington, West Virginia, has been named the February recipient of the Catamounts Climb Higher Award.
Laney is a sophomore majoring in General Studies with a 3.49 cumulative GPA. She hopes to eventually study health sciences. She was nominated by Farren Smith, academic affairs instructor. Smith stated she admires Laney’s resiliency and courage when faced with obstacles and challenges.
March 2026: Courtney Barrackman
WVU Potomac State College is proud to announce that Courtney Barrackman has been named the March 2026 recipient of the Catamounts Climb Higher Award.
Courtney plans to graduate with her degree in Business Administration in May 2026. With a 3.73 GPA, she has an incredible work ethic and determination that have led her to excel in her classes.
She was nominated by Caitlin Hudgins and Bonnie Lawson.
April 2026: Jennifer Metz
WVU Potomac State College is proud to announce that Jennifer Metz has been named the April 2026 recipient of the Catamounts Climb Higher Award.
Metz, a nontraditional student majoring in Agribusiness Management, is a member of the PSC Homesteading Club and a member of the student Agricultural and Forestry Club.
She was nominated as a Climb Higher winner by instructor Farren Smith. Smith is also the faculty advisor to the Homesteading Club.
May 2026: Nasir Cheatham Metz
WVU Potomac State College is proud to announce that Nasir Cheatham has been named the May 2026 recipient of the Catamounts Climb Higher Award. A member of the Catamounts men’s basketball and track and field teams, Cheatham was nominated by one of his coaches, Chris Biser.
“Nasir decided to try out for the newly formed track team to assist us with numbers and scoring,” Biser said. The coach noted that during spring break this year, Cheatham had a death in his family and yet remained an inspiration to his teammates.
“Nasir arrived back on campus and practices shortly after making me aware of his situation and how sorry he was to have to miss practice,” Biser said. “He is one of those guys who, in my short time of getting to know him, puts everyone else first.”
PSC Outstanding Student of the Year
( Note: This article was written prior to Commencement held on Saturday, May 9, which has since passed. However, the content focuses on the Commencement speaker’s lifetime achievements and wisdom learned along the way. It is definitely a worthwhile read. )
WVU Potomac State College named Levi Ferster as the 2026 Outstanding Student. He will represent the Class of 2026 with an address during Commencement activities on Saturday, May 9, at the Church McKee Art Center. He will also present the keynote speaker, Admiral Joe Lopez.
As a young boy growing up on his family’s sheep farm, Levi Ferster did not think college was in his future. Even though his mother was and is the local agricultural teacher at his local technical school in central Pennsylvania, Levi couldn’t picture himself sequestered in large lecture halls or cramming for an exam at the library. He had an idea of what he thought college life was like, and he was sure that life was not one for him.
He was an outdoorsy kid who wanted to be in the dirt and mud. He wanted his feet in the grass and his backside in tractors. He loved being around animals and was fascinated with how crops grow. He wanted to study agriculture and farming. The problem with that goal was that no college in the Keystone State offered two-year ag programs.
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