Beaver College of Health Sciences

06/05/2026

Congrats, Austin!

Meet Austin Wray of Lenoir, North Carolina and a transfer student from Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Austin pursued his degree through the App State Online: Flight Path program.

It is one of six Flight Path programs offered by App State, designed to meet the needs of working adults. Adults like Austin who needed a flexible course schedule and the ability to stay close to home in order to care for a family member.
Austin’s interest in healthcare management was sparked after working as an operations manager at his family’s urgent care practice in Boone. Here, he gained firsthand insight into patients’ challenges navigating the healthcare system, from affordability to access.

His interest in healthcare management was coupled with the ability to see examples of businesses that were addressing industry challenges and connecting what he was learning in class and applying it to real-world solutions.

Congratulations, Austin! We can’t wait to see where the future takes you.

05/29/2026

Congrats to Dr. Thompson and Dr. McBride on being recognized for the impactful health research work they’re doing!

App State faculty members Dr. Martie Thompson and Dr. Jeffrey McBride have been honored with 2026 Chancellor’s and Provost’s Awards for their focus on community-and student-involved research that aims to strengthen health and resilience in Western North Carolina. Thompson received the Chancellor...

05/26/2026

MPH student Beth Sibley
Sibley said that she was able to share how App State's Growing Well Clinic could expand its reach with additional financial support to help more families access developmental assessments sooner.

Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies, Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness

05/15/2026

Online students completing one of the degree programs in the Department of Nutrition and Health Care Management were invited to a special event at Levine Hall before commencement.
Twelve students representing three online degree programs (BS Health Sciences, BS Health Care Management Flight Path and BS in Nutrition and Wellness) attended the event with family and friends. The department plans to make the event an annual tradition to welcome online students to campus before commencement.

05/15/2026

Sophie Pierzala says while completing her undergraduate degree in Nutrition she learned to snowboard after taking PE her sophomore year and the value of forging community partnerships through her work at the Hunger and Health Coalition, at local elementary schools and with the Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.
She also says she learned that understanding the course material was even more important than grades and plans to take a celebratory graduation trip with her brother (who is finishing high school this spring). In the fall, Sophie will return to App State to begin the Master’s program in nutrition to work toward her goal of becoming a Registered Dietitian.

05/13/2026

The 27 students who graduated with their Master of Speech-Language Pathology degrees recently are now equipped to help children and adults with speech and language disorders. While many of the students were North Carolina natives, other graduates came from Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia and even Alaska!
During their clinical rotation, the students worked 12,371 hours.
Graduates were honored during a special hooding ceremony in Levine Hall on Friday afternoon before the Beaver College commencement ceremony.

05/13/2026

Chloe Carter hopes to become a high school basketball coach after graduating with her degree in Health, Physical Education and Coaching from App State. Chloe says she got to experience working with students in adapted PE, homeschool students, and elementary, middle and high school students–which has given her the confidence to teach students at many different levels.
She is also the recipient of the college’s Health, Physical Education & Coaching Academic Award.

05/12/2026

After graduation, Alyssa Eckard is planning to create little adventures with her sassy 4-year-old daughter and into-everything 2-year-old son. Alyssa graduated with her MSN from App State and received the Nursing Graduate Student Award. She said that working with other nursing students in the simulation lab was some of her favorite moments and solidified her passion for critical care nursing and working as a trauma intensive care nurse.

05/11/2026

During spring commencement, 56 individuals earned their Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from App State. The MSW students participated in practicum in 46 of North Carolina’s 100 counties and in states including California, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, South Dakota, Minnesota and Louisiana.
The Social Work department held a special hooding ceremony on Thursday evening at the Schaefer Center to celebrate the milestone with graduates and their family and friends.



Appalachian State University Department of Social Work

05/08/2026

Katie Rhoades says she remembers walking to class in Levine Hall in the winter months when the “wind was so cold all you can do is laugh about it.” Katie, who is graduating with her BSN with Honors, received the program’s student academic award for her excellence. She, along with fellow student Trent Glenn, completed a research project that analyzed the policy using umbilical catheters in NICU infants at UNC Health Appalachian.
After graduation, Katie will start working with infants and children as a pediatric ICU nurse at UNC Children’s Hospital after spending time poolside with her pup, Sydney.