“I love everything about Marshall,” said Huntington native Makaylah Wheeler. “The inclusion and the awareness of important topics that are affecting our world and everything in it, there is always something going on here. The freedom of speech and self-expression, the environmental awareness, the fact that you can get involved in any club or organization that you want and the celebration of all types of cultures, races, holidays, people and ideas.” Double-majoring in broadcast and print journalism, Makaylah said she hopes to start a community service and rehabilitation organization called Hometown Healers upon her 2021 graduation. “I hope to have begun to create true change in this town, and hopefully, many others, by bringing the members of the community back together in order to strengthen our infrastructure and create a bright future,” she said. Her goal with her journalism career is not only to break the mold and present ideas and research in a fresh perspective, but also to present herself to the public; not only through publications, but also with the way she looks, thinks and acts. Makaylah’s favorite part of the journalism program is her professors because they are full of life. “They are always excited to teach because they truly love what they do,” she said. “This puts so much more hope and drive into the students because we are hopeful, anxious to learn more and develop close bonds with our professors. They do so much for us outside of their job description to make sure that we succeed at everything we approach in our lives.” The Impact of Marshall Out of her professors, Makaylah named Dan Hollis as her favorite. “He made me feel like I had a place on campus and that I was capable of doing great things,” she said, adding that she is excited to learn daily for the benefit of others and the opportunity for a more enriched future and deeper connection with the world around her. Makaylah also wants to take advantage of opportunities she was not able to in her early school years by being involved. She said she hopes Marshall continues to grow in enrollment, acceptance and inclusion and becomes more accessible and connected while remaining encouraging and hopeful. “I chose to attend Marshall because this was my older brother’s dream university that he never got to go to. I chose Marshall because my family has roots here and still holds a deep pride for this campus and all that it stands for,” Makaylah said. “I chose Marshall because it’s where my mom went instead of going to New York for art school, because it’s why she stayed here and met my dad. I chose Marshall because I grew up taking a moment of silence every year at the same time as the Memorial Fountain was turned off. I chose Marshall because it had an impact on my entire life.” Depending on scholarships to obtain her education, Makaylah describes them as an opportunity that someone saw potential in her future before they even met her. “Alumni should give back not just to give someone else the opportunity they had, but to give the gift of an opportunity that a student otherwise may not have been able to have without them,” she said. “When alumni give back, they are enhancing the future and making each generations opportunities in life greater than the last generation; they’re giving the gift of hope.”