Malori Brown
“WVU is a supportive community that strives to make themselves and everyone around them better, and I am glad to be a part of that.”
Malori Brown is a senior studying exercise physiology and a member of the WVU Rifle team. Coming all the way from China Spring, Texas, Brown says when she visited campus for the first time, she had a “gut feeling” that this is where she was meant to be.
“I have always known that I wanted to go into the medical field, but when I came on my campus visits, exercise physiology demonstrated to me that the program was unique and structured to allow students to get into any type of graduate school from occupational therapy to athletic training to medical school,” said Brown. “At the time I didn’t know what my next steps were, but exercise physiology helped me keep my options open while preparing me for a career in healthcare.”
As a student-athlete, Brown has a busy schedule. She says that discipline and asking for help is the key to her success, “I think it’s important to know that you can ask for help. My professors have always been very helpful and accommodating.”
Brown says that she has gotten lots of hands-on experience in class. One of her favorite classes that she’s taken has been in the cadaver lab where she learns something new and exciting each day.
Adding to her busy schedule, Brown is involved in a research lab. “I’ve worked in Dr. Hileman’s lab looking at how certain neurons and proteins affect the onset of puberty,” said Brown. “This is not something I ever would have picked for myself, but I sort of fell into this research and I enjoy it a lot!”
While her time at WVU has been challenging at times, Brown says that the supportive community of her team and classmates has kept her going.
“There is just something about the atmosphere at WVU where people really care about you and push you to be the best you can be,” said Brown. “I’ve loved my time at WVU and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.”
Brown plans to get her graduate degree in health sciences while competing in her final year on the WVU Rifle team. After that, she plans to continue her education to become a patient-focused professional.