Newly reelected Student Government Association leaders Rozaireo Jones and Colin Street have been named finalists for the prestigious Truman Scholarship, the nation’s premier graduate fellowship for students pursuing careers in public service.

The Truman Scholarship recognizes students with outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to public service and academic excellence.

Both students will participate in the interview process April 13 in Washington.

Jones, a Fairmont native who serves as the student body vice president, is majoring in journalism with minors in history and political science. His advocacy work focuses on news reporting that helps people better understand political institutions, policy and the forces shaping those systems.

“My passion is both elevating voices that are traditionally not heard, and investigating and helping people understand the world and why it works the way it does, specifically when it comes to media, policy, political institutions and elections,” Jones said.

“There is a lot of movement and interests that guide our political landscape, and enlightening people about why institutions are failing, succeeding or existing in the first place is incredibly important.”

His commitment to public interest journalism grew out of lessons learned from his family.

“Growing up, I was always close with my teachers and also did a lot of community service with my dad,” he said. “Both function as a service to local West Virginia communities in different ways, but they taught me the importance of being there for your neighbor. My mom’s inclination toward teaching especially inspired me to want to educate people in my own way as a journalist.”

As a student, Jones gained professional reporting experience as a freelance reporter for 100 Days in Appalachia, interviewing Gen Z voters across the state and sharing their perspectives during the 2024 presidential election. He also worked as a press intern for U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and as an intern with the Student Press Law Center.

On campus, he serves as student body vice president and leads efforts in supporting student opportunities and policy advocacy.

Jones credits WVU with helping him build the skills and connections needed to pursue not only the Truman Scholarship, but a career in journalism.

“WVU has helped me pursue this passion through opportunities to report on underserved communities for class and research, as well as connecting me with alumni who have succeeded in roles I also aspire to have,” he said.

Street, a Morgantown native and member of the Honors College who serves as the student body president, is pursuing degrees in political science, environmental and energy resources management, and multidisciplinary studies focused on rural community development, data science and history.

“My passion is to use public institutions to guarantee that everyone in West Virginia has the ability to live a fulfilling life in a healthy environment,” he said. “WVU has given me the intellectual foundation to explore theories and methods of change making, the community of mentors and peers to support me in undertaking bold initiatives, and the experiences that have challenged my worldview and pushed me to grow my understanding of the world.”

At WVU, Street has combined academic research with policy and community work focused on the state’s economic and environmental future.

As an undergraduate student researcher in the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, he studies the needs of small farmers across West Virginia to help identify policies that could help grow a sustainable, non-extractive sector of the state’s economy.

Street has also worked in a variety of policy and advocacy roles, including president of the student body, legislative intern for Sen. Manchin, Climate Justice Emerging Fellow at the Roosevelt Network, National Environmental Leadership Fellow with the Rachel Carson Council, and as an Appalachian Solar Finance Fund intern with Appalachian Voices.

Looking toward the future, he said he hopes to build a career advocating for West Virginians through public service.

“I believe every single person deserves a strong advocate working to make their life better,” he said. “I want to be that advocate in the form of a West Virginia state legislator and WVU Extension agent.”

Jones and Street are among 198 from 136 institutions selected to interview with the Truman Foundation’s Regional Review Panels. Three finalists are from West Virginia.

Support for this application was provided by the WVU ASPIRE Office, which helps students pursue nationally competitive scholarships.

The Truman Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as a living memorial to President Harry S. Truman. The Truman Scholarship aims to honor his legacy through supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders. 

Scholarships are awarded to college juniors who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a commitment to public service, whether in government, nonprofit work, education, advocacy or other public sectors.

Scholars receive up to $30,000 toward graduate studies, professional development opportunities and access to a national network of Truman Scholars.

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced that the West Virginia Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation has named Heath Miles its 2026 Wildlife Manager of the Year, according to a press release from the WVDNR.

Miles, who oversees more than 12,000 acres of wild turkey habitat at Chief Cornstalk and Bright McCausland Homestead Wildlife Management Areas in Mason County, was recognized for his work on behalf of West Virginia’s wild turkey population and turkey hunters.

“Miles has been an influential advocate, building habitat, enabling critical research and recruiting hunters for more than 15 years and we are proud to see his tireless efforts be recognized,” said WVDNR Director Brett McMillion.

Under Miles’ management, habitat conditions for wild turkey have improved at Chief Cornstalk and Bright McCausland Homestead WMAs, where he maintains more than 75 acres of annual and perennial food plots. Several of these plots were built through Miles’ proactive efforts to clear over 100 acres of fallow land, which suffered heavy encroachment from invasive autumn olive.

These land clearing projects created turkey brooding sites and other young forests, shrublands and grasslands that provide breeding, nesting and foraging areas for wildlife. Miles also coordinates wildlife-focused forest management activities, which have resulted in timber harvests on more than 400 acres, with additional work planned in 2026.

Miles was a key member of a project to capture and translocate wild turkey from West Virginia to Texas. Currently, he is the coordinator for turkey trapping efforts in Mason County as part of a statewide survival study. Under Miles’ leadership, the Mason County team has consistently met trapping objectives, including 24 hens trapped, banded and equipped with transmitters in 2024 and 14 hens in 2025.

Beyond his official duties with the WVDNR, Miles shares his passion for hunting and wild turkey conservation through mentorship. He has given himself a personal goal of introducing at least one person to turkey hunting every year. Over the years, Miles has helped 40 hunters, ages eight to 79, go on their first turkey hunt or harvest their first wild turkey.

Angela Wowczuk, a service assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy, has been awarded the Ethel and Gerry Heebink Award for Distinguished Extended State Service in recognition of her exceptional service to the University, students and community. 

The service award recognizes a faculty or staff member who has provided distinguished service to West Virginia for more than eight years.

Since 2019, she has served as the director and then administrative director for the Rational Drug Therapy Program. Her work integrates clinical pharmacy, public health and statewide health system collaboration, providing improved care for over 825,000 West Virginia residents covered by Medicaid, the Public Employees Insurance Agency and the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance program.

Wowczuk has contributed extensively to education and public health initiatives across the state. She teaches in the West Virginia Rural Health Association’s HIV Academic Mentoring Program, where she trains general practitioners to manage HIV care for patients who face barriers to access in underserved areas. She also contributed to the national sexual health curriculum as a section leader with the American Academy of HIV medicine and received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and the West Virginia Department of Health to develop statewide treatment guidelines for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 

Her work has resulted in over 1,800 encounters with physicians, social workers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and teachers on such topics as ADHD, pain treatment and stigma related to substance abuse.

Under Wowczuk’s leadership, the RDTP delivers critical clinical services statewide. The program conducts approximately 1,700 medication reviews on weekdays and 250 on weekends — evaluating drug safety, effectiveness and appropriate use. 

Wowczuk also leads the Safe and Effective Management of Pain Program, which implements CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Since the program began, SEMPP has halved the amount of opioids prescribed to West Virginia patients on PEIA and Medicaid — reducing adverse events, hospitalizations and unnecessary costs. The SEMPP program has proven effective in proactively preventing substance use disorder before it starts.

Woczuck is also an effective steward of resources, growing RDTP contracts funding by almost 50% since 2019. Her work exemplifies impactful, statewide service that has improved health care quality, access and outcomes for the state of West Virginia.

As the 2026 Heebink Extended Service Award recipient, Wowczuk will receive a $3,000 professional development honorarium.

“Dr. Wowczuk exemplifies the purpose of and meaning behind the Heebink Award,” Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul Kreider said. “She and her work are stellar examples of the distinguished service we value as West Virginia’s land-grant institution.”

Award recipients will be recognized during a faculty and staff awards reception at Blaney House in April.

Read more about this award and others.