Beckley nursing student named one of WVU Tech’s 2023 Presidential Leadership Award winners
BECKLEY, W.Va. – West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) has announced the 2023 Presidential Leadership Award winners, including Carley Knuckles, a WVU School of Nursing Beckley Campus senior.
The Presidential Leadership Award winners are selected for demonstrating extensive involvement in campus and community activities, representing the college and university in local, regional and national forums and achieving academic excellence.
Knuckles, of Beaver, West Virginia, will be graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. She is the Founder and President of Active Minds, a mental health and suicide prevention organization on campus. With Active Minds, she volunteered 120 hours. She also helped found the WVU Tech Prevention and Recovery student organization.
She served as the Collegiate Strategic Prevention Framework Partnership for Success (C-SPF-PFS) Student Leader for WVU Tech, focusing on substance use prevention among college students. This project is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. With C-SPF-FPS, Knuckles advocated for policy change and prevention interventions in Appalachia.
She led numerous talks at festivals and community and legislative events about substance abuse prevention, Narcan training and Narcan administration. She completed approximately 1,000 clinical hours in facilities in Southern West Virginia and 250 hours of community service hours, including time at the student health clinic and COVID-testing. Knuckles was also a member of the Student Nurses’ Association.
Her past awards include the WVU Tech Outstanding Student Leader award in 2020-21 and Outstanding Student Organization for Active Minds at WVU Tech in 2020-21. She was also involved in the creation of House Bill 3218, the Active Minds ID Mission Campaign, to require all public institutions providing primary and secondary education to provide students with mental health resources on identification cards.
“I am so honored to accept this award on behalf of the School of Nursing Beckley Campus. This school has empowered me to be the best version of myself. I was given the tools to make a change, and I did just that,” Knuckles said “I have begun to realize that I made a profound impact on the lives of others, and the feeling is remarkable. I worked with many of my classmates on what I should say during my speech, and the speech itself was an extension of the nursing program at WVU Tech.”
Knuckles has accepted a position at UVA Cancer Center as a hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplant nurse.
“I have such a deep love for this patient population after the loss of my grandfather, the care provided to my brother, and taking care of cancer patients during my externship. My heart is always in Appalachia, but I am going to fly my wings for a few years, so I can provide the best care to my community later on in my career.”
In addition to Knuckles, this year’s winners include Valentina Abondano Perdomo from the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering and Sciences and Mackenzie Siersma from the College of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Valentina Abondano Perdomo of Bogota, Columbia will be graduating with degrees in chemistry and psychology. She played volleyball for the Golden Bears while at Tech and started the chemistry club in the fall of 2020. She was highly involved on campus, participating in many volunteer and community service projects. She volunteered at the Beckley Dream Center, the Humane Society of Raleigh County and the Beckley Raleigh County Convention Center. She helped at the YMCA with coaching, mentoring and refereeing volleyball games. She was an orientation leader and supported new international students in acclimating to campus and tutoring students in math, chemistry, biology and psychology.
Mackenzie Siersma of Zeeland, Michigan will be graduating with a degree in criminal justice with minors in forensic science and psychology. She served as President and Vice President of the Criminal Justice Association and a member of the Forensic Investigation Club. Siersma also played softball for the Golden Bears. In 2022, she completed her internship with the Zeeland Police Department to develop a better understanding of law enforcement. She also assisted with many community service projects on campus, softball camps and a food pantry at North Holland Reformed Church. She also received River States Conference All-Team Second Team honors in spring 2022, River States Conference Scholar-Athlete in 2021 and 2022, and was a member of the River States Scholar-Athlete Softball Team from 2019 to 2022.
Perdomo, Siersma and Knuckles spoke at WVU Tech’s commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 6 at 4 p.m. at the Beckley Raleigh County Convention Center.
-WVU-
CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu