{"id":1354,"date":"2025-10-29T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T09:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/?p=1354"},"modified":"2025-10-27T20:16:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T20:16:51","slug":"choosing-purpose-finding-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/2025\/10\/29\/choosing-purpose-finding-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing Marshall"},"content":{"rendered":"
When Erik Cochrane began his college search, he imagined his path leading far beyond his hometown of Man, West Virginia. With acceptance letters from Harvard, Yale, and the University of Virginia in hand, the world seemed wide open.<\/p>\n

Yet when decision time came, his heart\u2014and his future\u2014pointed home.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite what people have had to say, if I could go back, I would choose Marshall a hundred times over,\u201d Erik said. \u201cFrom the moment I stepped on campus, I knew this was where I was meant to be. The Yeager Program offered not just an education, but a community that values curiosity, character and service. Marshall has allowed me to grow as a scholar and as a person, while staying rooted in the state that raised me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Erik<\/p>\n

Now, a psychology major and Yeager Scholar set to graduate in May 2026, Erik has built a college experience defined by curiosity, connection and care.<\/p>\n

Raised in a small, close-knit town, Erik worried that college would be impersonal, a place where he\u2019d be \u201cjust a number.\u201d That changed during his first visit to Marshall for Yeager Finalist Weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople greeted me by name, asked about my goals, and treated us not as competitors but as future classmates,\u201d he said. \u201cThat balance of challenge and warmth stood out most to me; it showed that Marshall\u2019s excellence is built on genuine care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The feeling of family he experienced that weekend has carried through every part of his Marshall journey.<\/p>\n

\"Erik<\/p>\n

\u201cMarshall was not really on my radar at first, but after that visit, it was the only place that made sense. I chose Marshall because it chose to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the Yeager Scholars program, Erik has studied abroad at Oxford University and in Greece; life-changing experiences for someone who had never been outside the country before.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose programs stretched me in the best ways\u2014academically, culturally and personally,\u201d he said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t just change what I know; they changed how I see the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t They didn\u2019t just change what I know; they changed how I see the world.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Erik Cochrane<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

On campus, Erik found new ways to serve and lead. His involvement in Student Government Association (SGA) began during his sophomore year and quickly became one of the most formative parts of his Marshall experience. He has held several leadership roles, including at-large senator, treasurer, finance chair, interim marketing chair, and now chief of staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeeting students from every corner of campus, partnering with organizations, and turning student ideas into action\u2014that\u2019s what makes SGA so meaningful to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Erik<\/p>\n

This year, Erik took on one of his biggest challenges yet: planning Marshall\u2019s Homecoming Parade.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been one of the most challenging, and rewarding, experiences I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d he said. \u201cCoordinating something of this scale has strengthened my leadership skills and reaffirmed my passion for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erik\u2019s time at Marshall has also been marked by resilience. During his junior year, he experienced the heartbreaking loss of his father. The outpouring of love from the Marshall community, he said, carried him through the hardest season of his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that moment, Marshall didn\u2019t just feel like a university\u2014it felt like family,\u201d he said. \u201cMoments like those remind me every day that I made the right choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Erik, it\u2019s the people of Marshall, who stood out not only when choosing to attend but also throughout his time as a student.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve loved my classes, cheered through unforgettable athletic events, and had life-changing study-abroad terms in Oxford and Greece, but what I\u2019ll remember most is the Marshall family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI realized that I didn\u2019t have to leave West Virginia to find excellence; it was right here, waiting for me.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Erik Cochrane<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

When asked if there was anyone who had a unique impact on his student experience, he said there were far too many to name.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach (person) has played a distinct role in my story\u2014opening doors, offering honest feedback, and showing up in hard seasons. I couldn\u2019t be more grateful. I\u2019m deeply thankful for the way they\u2019ve invested in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduation, Erik plans to pursue a career in higher education, inspired by the mentors who have shaped his journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dream is to be a senior university administrator and to champion for the underdog, the first-generation college student, and anyone whom society has counted out,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve had the best college experience I could\u2019ve imagined, even through personal hardships. The chance to help create that experience for others is what motivates me.<\/p>\n

As a first-generation college student, Erik hopes his story encourages others to see Marshall as a place where dreams and opportunity meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarshall has given me world-class experiences, deep mentorship and a family I\u2019ll keep for life,\u201d he added.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Erik Cochrane began his college search, he imagined his path leading far beyond his hometown of Man, West Virginia. With acceptance letters from Harvard, Yale, and the University of Virginia in hand, the world seemed wide open. Yet when decision time came, his heart\u2014and his future\u2014pointed home. \u201cDespite what people have had to say, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moments"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1354"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1387,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354\/revisions\/1387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}