GRADUATE STUDENT, ACCOUNTING

How do you represent WVU in the fullest way possible? You become the Mountaineer mascot, as this graduate student in accounting has.

Trevor Kiess, a native of Elkins, West Virginia, did his undergraduate work in accounting at WVU and was always involved in many organizations. He served as the Student Government Association chief of staff, was a member of the Mountaineer Maniacs Executive Board, acted as Alternate Mountaineer and worked to become the Mountaineer Mascot, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics in May 2018. 

Trevor is accomplished within the business school, too. From membership in the Beta Gamma Sigma Honorary to being one of only two B&E students selected as a 2018 WVU Outstanding Senior, he was also the only business student selected as a 2018 recipient of the Order of Augusta.

Upon graduating from WVU’s MBA program, he plans to enter the workforce for a year and then to return to school to obtain a law degree. For now, though, as the Mountaineer and a graduate student, Trevor says that juggling coursework, the mascot position, and an experiential learning project where his team is working on bringing a research and enthusiast auto-racing facility in Fairmont, he often feels as though he’s working two full-time jobs. But he loves it.

“As the Mountaineer, I have a very unique opportunity to represent not only my college and university but also the entire state of West Virginia,” Trevor said. “The part I love the most about my time as the Mountaineer is the ability to spread the joy, hope and pride that WVU offers across the state of West Virginia and the entire country. Serving as the Mountaineer is something I have dreamed of since I was very young, and having the chance to live out my dream on a daily basis is such a blessing.”