WVU Davis College student overcomes challenges with support from Student Success Center

Despite having big plans and a clear vision, college hasn't always been easy for Faith Marino, a senior in the West Virginia UniversityDavis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Upon graduation in the spring, she has her sights set on law school and pursuing a career in intellectual property law.

However, this goal didn't always seem to be in reach for Marino. Even after starting her first year of college early by moving to Morgantown and taking classes in the summer term to get accustomed ahead of the fall semester, she still had a rocky beginning.

During her first year at WVU, she was put on academic probation. Between skipping classes, dealing with illness and not completing homework, Marino struggled to adjust to college.

"I had a really hard time taking the news. I sat down and spent the whole winter break thinking, 'Should I change my major? Should I retake all my classes?' I was preparing to fail out of college, which is a horrible thing to face," Marino said. "It's tough and very eye-opening, but the opportunities that were given to me to fix it were exponentially better than I could have ever imagined."

After deciding that she didn't want to give up, Marino doubled down and reached out for help. The Davis College's Student Success Center offers resources for students in need of academic assistance, including tutoring sessions, being paired with an academic success coach, and taking a class that focuses on building resiliency and creating a positive growth mindset to help overcome academic obstacles.

Marino took full advantage of these resources, attending tutoring often and meeting with her academic success coach weekly to keep herself accountable. Marino learned that building relationships and good habits is key to academic success, and she was committed to that mission.

She also built a great relationship with Amber McLaughlin, senior director of academic administration at the Davis College, who was in Marino's corner from day one.

"I first met Faith when she was a freshman and had experienced some academic setbacks. She wasn't happy with her path and didn't view asking for help as a weakness. Instead, she saw it as a strength," McLaughlin said. "I would encourage all students to change their perception of academic setbacks and failure. They're not stopping points; they're opportunities to shift gears and continue growing as students and individuals."

Marino has adopted this mindset wholeheartedly. Not only has she taken everything she learned and incorporated it into her lifestyle, she also came up with her own methods to stay on track.

For example, she explains, she attends all of her classes and sits in the front row of each one, with no exceptions. She finds there are fewer distractions this way. She also takes the initiative to meet each of her professors, explaining her situation and creating a working relationship with each of them.

"I just kept going, and I got better. I joined student organizations, and later, executive boards for organizations. I started to speak at first-year seminar classes so I could tell them about all the resources that were given to me," said Marino. "I don't think you need to go on academic probation to be told about those resources. I would rather share my experience and save other students that experience. They shouldn't have to find out the hard way like I did."

Marino will graduate in May of 2025 with a bachelor's degree in Agribusiness Management, which is now known as Agribusiness Management and Applied Economics. She has grown in many ways since the beginning of her college journey.

She is now the president of the WVU 168 Society, vice president of programming for the WVU National Panhellenic Conference and is even an academic success coach herself. She explains that being put on academic probation forced her to learn how to be a better student, and she now gets a sense of validation from her efforts and academic success.

"Being a Mountaineer is about going on a journey and finding yourself, discovering new things along the way. The journey isn't always easy; sometimes you'll stumble or fall. But a true Mountaineer gets up, brushes themselves off and keeps climbing. That's exactly what Marino has done, and that's what a true Mountaineer does," said McLaughlin.

And if Marino could give any students who are struggling academically some advice, she'd say, "It doesn't matter what it's for, reach out for help. It's better to try and fail than to not try at all."

The Davis College Student Success Center is a one-stop shop to assist students with any and all issues that arise in their daily lives. The Center offers advising, tutoring, success coaching and career development in addition to continuously connecting students to needed resources within WVU and the Morgantown community. Reach out to your advisor or email Davis_Advising@mail.wvu.edu with any questions.

"The academic professionals in the Center truly care about the whole student and work hard to help them find success, both academically and personally," McLaughlin said. "We love students and want them to have the best college experience possible. By providing a safe and inviting environment in the Success Center, the hope is that students will come see us not only when they need help but also to share and celebrate their successes."

The Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources envisions a world sustainably fed, clothed and sheltered. To learn more about the Davis College, visit davis.wvu.edu. Keep up with the latest updates and news on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube by following @WVUDavis.

-WVU-

slk/11/20/24

MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Keener

Communications Specialist

WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement

304-293-8986; Sydney.Keener@mail.wvu.edu