Buckhannon — Martinsburg’s Gabriella Sayger, a senior at West Virginia Wesleyan and a recently published author, knew right away that Wesleyan was the college for her.

“I instantly felt connected to Wesleyan,” Sayger said, citing the support and care of the faculty as what drew her to the campus.

While she keeps busy with her two majors, English and gender studies, and her three minors in history, honors, and legal studies, she also finds the time to be heavily active in campus life, serving as former president of Alpha Gamma Delta Alpha, Omicron Chapter, the former campus correspondent for Her Campus, a mentor for our 1st Generation program, as well as a member of WVWC’s golf team. In addition, she currently holds the position of Volunteer Center coordinator for the City of Buckhannon. 

On how these countless activities influenced her time at Wesleyan, Sayger said, “these experiences taught me to be confident in myself. Leadership is hard and full of hard decisions and unwanted outcomes, but that’s a part of life. It has made my time at Wesleyan even more of a learning experience, and I believe it was necessary for my personal growth. Serving as president has shown me what matters in life and that happiness is not just one set path.”

As the Editor in Chief of the Vandalia, WVWC’s creative arts magazine that is having its twentieth anniversary this year, Sayger commented on how the position impacted her greatly when preparing for life outside of undergraduate school.

“I have much of the final say on the Vandalia. I usually begin by selecting my staff and working with them to create something unique,” she shared. “This opportunity has taught me how to plan efficiently and that every detail matters. I think these skills will be very beneficial for my future.”

She is currently applying for admission to law schools such as Duke, American University, WVU, University of Michigan, and Ohio State (Moritz Law).

Sayger also commented on the publication of her poetry collection, “Pretty Ugly Honey,” which was released on Amazon over the summer in 2019.

“It’s a compilation of works that I had been writing for over six years, most of them are from my writing classes at Wesleyan. The talented Brantley Hyre created my unique cover page, and the title had been in my head for a long time. I wanted to create something complex and completely me.” 

“Life is beautiful and full of disaster,” states the summary of “Pretty Ugly Honey.”

“It is not perfect and it never will be. It is okay to be sad, scared, to feel hopeless, but it is important to love yourself, to pick yourself up, to keep moving forward. Acknowledge the pain, but don’t let it define you.”

When asked about her ultimate goals, she stated, “I want to give back to the state of West Virginia, and to help others.” 

Story written by Ali Householder, sophomore intern at West Virginia Wesleyan College.