Energy, Land, Law: Liberty Alum Bella Herrod Maps Her Plan at West Virginia University
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on April 04, 2026
Growing up in Shinnston, West Virginia, Bella Herrod didn’t need a classroom to spark her interest in the world of energy.
It started on car rides with her mom, passing a sprawling natural gas processing facility that glows against the night sky. She didn’t know anything about the science or economics behind it. But it captured her imagination.
“Once I learned what that was, I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” she said.
That early fascination eventually turned into a clear path. Now, Bella is preparing to graduate a year early from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Energy Resources Management. She will then continue her education at the WVU College of Law, where she plans to pursue Energy Law and Sustainable Development.
Bella’s interest in nature and natural resources grew out of her upbringing. Her father was an agriculture teacher, and she spent much of her childhood immersed in the outdoors.
By the time she arrived at Liberty High School, those interests sharpened. Through her involvement in FFA and coursework in environmental science, she began learning about energy production, conservation and policy, and how those fields could lead to potential careers.
“Once I had that in my mind, I researched majors and jobs that I could pursue,” she said.
Her achievements during that time — including being named West Virginia's only U.S. Presidential Scholar for career and technical education in her graduating class — reflected both her academic drive and her commitment to hands-on learning.
When it came time to choose a college, WVU stood out.
“Both my parents graduated from WVU, so it was kind of a familiar setting,” she said.
But familiarity wasn’t the only factor. Bella also wanted to stay in the region and build connections close to home.
Combined with affordable tuition and opportunities across Appalachia’s energy landscape, the decision felt clear. She saw the University as a place where she could build both knowledge and a professional network.
“It seemed like a no-brainer to me,” she said.
At WVU, Bella found the Environmental, Energy, and Land Management Program, housed in the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Her studies exposed her to a wide range of topics, including some she hadn’t encountered before.
One of those was geographic information systems, or GIS. For Bella, it has become a particularly valuable skill, allowing her to analyze real-world data through mapping and spatial analysis.
“It’s taking actual data — like property boundaries or elevation — and putting it into a map so you can understand what’s happening on the ground,” she explained. “I didn’t know that was a thing coming in. And I use it every day, almost, in my job that I do now.”
That job — as a title abstractor for Penn-York Land Services Corporation — came through a faculty recommendation, something she said reflects one of the program’s biggest strengths.
“The networking is top tier,” she said. “You get to meet with companies all throughout college who are looking for graduates or really wanting to help you out.”
In her role as title abstractor, Bella researches property records, tracing ownership histories and identifying leases, rights-of-way and other details tied to land and energy development. It has given her a firsthand look at the complexities of land ownership in the region.
“You are given a piece of property, and then you run it back throughout its history,” she said. “So, you track it back through time, and all the owners.”
The work is detailed and often requires digging through records — sometimes online, sometimes in courthouses — to build a complete picture.
“There are also land books that usually aren’t available online at these courthouses,” she said. “So that’s a good reference to kind of see how land passed through, what’s going on with it.”
Bella credits much of her experience to the faculty and staff who supported her along the way.
Beyond the classroom, that support extended to career preparation, from reviewing resumes to offering guidance on professional decisions.
“It’s not just learning in class and asking questions,” she said. “It’s ‘How does this work in the real world? How does my resume look? Can I have a letter of recommendation?’”
She also found value in learning from adjunct instructors actively working in the field.
“You have a question about the real world, and they have a real-world answer,” she said.
After graduation, Bella will begin law school with her sights set on an energy and sustainable development law concentration.
While she is still exploring exactly where she wants to land professionally, she has a clear sense of direction.
“I think either working as an in-house attorney, or working at a law firm that specializes in energy law,” she said.
Looking back at her time as an undergraduate, Bella said WVU gave her both the knowledge and the opportunities to move forward with confidence.
“There are so many things you can do after graduation, and there are good-paying jobs,” she said.
Faculty members said it’s not uncommon for graduates of the Environmental, Energy, and Land Management Program to find jobs that pay six figures.
Just as important, Bella said, are the opportunities presented at WVU to discover new interests along the education journey.
“You might go in thinking you want to do one thing, and then you get to take all of these classes, and you really get to learn what you’re interested in,” she said.
For Bella, she’s banking on that pathway to lead to a career at the intersection of energy, land and law.
Editor's Note: Photos by Matt Sunday and Bella Herrod.
