Superpower: Being a peacemaker
President, WVU Parkersburg
As a first-generation college graduate, Torie Jackson knows firsthand the importance of education. She dabbled in accounting before ultimately majoring in journalism, and from there, education seemed like a natural pivot.
“I ended up in education from journalism because I had the opportunity to start hiring writers to work at a newspaper, and I wasn’t completely thrilled with the skillset that was being presented,” Jackson says. “And I thought, ‘Well, if you aren’t thrilled with what you’re seeing, what can you do to maybe improve the situation?’” She went back to get her master’s degree, began teaching, and ultimately climbed the ladder to the top. Now, she spends her days working on fundraising initiatives, pushing positive changes on campus, and meeting with community partners of WVU Parkersburg to learn what the school can do to move students into the workforce.
“What always keeps me interested is student success, and that can be a wide variety of definitions,” Jackson says, noting that the university welcomes students from all phases of life, even venturing into a project with justice-impacted students at the St. Mary’s Correctional Facility. “Knowing the difference we can make in the lives of those students is something that allows me to keep going every day,” she continues. “Every student who walks through the door is the same kind of student that I was when I walked through these doors decades ago, and all they want is an opportunity to learn and contribute back.”
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Learn more about our Wonder Women
Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.
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