A “winding road” led Molly Aderholt, who was born and raised in Billings, Montana, and moved to the Washington, D.C. area as a teenager, to her husband’s native state of West Virginia in 2000 to attend the West Virginia University College of Law.
Aderholt, an attorney with Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC in Wheeling and a member of the Ohio County Board of Education, said her fondness for the Mountain State and University began to grow soon after meeting her classmates and law instructors nearly 25 years ago.
She credits her fellow students, hailing from various regions and in different stages of their lives, as the first to enlighten her about West Virginia’s rich history and culture.
“My classmates would refer to their hometown by the county it was in, or the interstate exit number, instead of a nearby city. And while this was new to me, it allowed me to learn more about the different parts of the state and its people,” she said.
To Aderholt, their Mountaineer pride was “evident and very endearing.”
“I place great value in loving the people in one’s community and cherishing the place where you live –– and giving back to both. I have found West Virginians to be good, down to earth people who love their small towns and want to give back,” Aderholt added.
She was also struck by the natural beauty and rolling hills of the Appalachian Mountains, and being from Montana, she shared a love of the outdoors with her fellow students, including the variety of outdoor recreation available year-round.
