Skip to main content
  • Home
  • News
  • Former PSC graduate named to WVU’s Order of Augusta

Former PSC graduate named to WVU’s Order of Augusta

Kristin Ruddle

Kristin Ruddle, a former Potomac State College graduate from Brandywine, W.Va., has been named to WVU’s Order of Augusta for 2020. 

Kristin Ruddle, from Brandywine, W.Va., is one of eight students recently recognized by WVU Morgantown with the Order of Augusta, WVU’s highest student honor. 

Ruddle, who graduates from WVU this spring with degrees in biology and psychology, is a transfer student from WVU Potomac State College in Keyser, where she earned her associate degree in biology, graduating with Presidential Honors.  She is also a former trumpet player with the Potomac State College Band, a member of the Equine Club and of the Life Sciences Club.

It’s interesting to note that Ruddle’s connection to Potomac State began long before she became a student there.  The first time she visited the College was in 2013 when she competed in the Catamount Horse Series, which she did for several years.  “I have so many memories of the equine arena,” Ruddle said.  The next time she visited the campus was in 2015 when she competed in the Regional Science Fair. 

When it was college-decision time, Ruddle says the main reason she chose to attend Potomac State is because it was relatively close to home and she could commute, which made the transition to college so much easier.  “I honestly think if I had entered college on the Morgantown campus right away, I would’ve been so overwhelmed, and my experiences would've been different.  I'm also thankful to have attended Potomac State first since the student-to-faculty ratio really promoted relationship-building which has been so beneficial in both learning and applying to professional school.”

 Ruddle has served as an ambassador for the WVU Tobacco- and Smoke-Free Campus, as a mentor for first-generation students and as a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

She served as an emergency medical technician for Jan-Care Ambulance Service, a member of and competitor with the Blue Ridge Horse Force, as a summer counselor at Sunny Stables Horse Camp, and enjoys devoting her time to horse rescue efforts.

Her most notable academic experiences at WVU include participation in the Research Apprenticeship Program, Pre-Med Track Program and the Rural Undergraduate Shadowing in Healthcare, each providing her with opportunities to shadow physicians, conduct research and network.

Ruddle joined the Division of Surgical Oncology last year to research how preventing blood clots in pancreatic and acute pancreatitis patients can lead to better prognoses and presented her findings at the 2019 Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium. 

She also volunteered her time to shadow physicians in the oncology operating room and clinical setting as well as pediatric specialists, and served as a volunteer with Ruby Memorial Emergency Department and WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital.

Last semester, Ruddle served as a preschool classroom aide at North Elementary School for her psychology capstone course.  For her biology capstone, she studied the effects of predicted climate change patterns on Brassica rapa, which includes plants like common field mustard, turnips and cabbages.

Ruddle will attend WVU School of Medicine in the fall.