Alumni Spotlight

Canyon Lohnas ’18 is a proud graduate of the College of Education and Health & Natural Sciences News at Frostburg State University. During his time at FSU, Canyon was a member of the Frostburg Student Education Association (FSEA), the Frostburg Association for the Education of Young Children (FAEYC), and the Children’s Literature Centre. He also studied education in Ireland as part of FSU’s longstanding partnership with Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. He believes these experiences were pivotal in his career as an educator.

Upon graduation, Canyon taught kindergarten and first grade at George’s Creek Elementary in Allegany County, Maryland. He left the classroom in 2020 to pursue his Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Practice at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. His research focuses on education policy and improving literacy in rural spaces. In addition, he serves as the Program Specialist for the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative (WVPEC), a non-partisan organization committed to advancing public schools in West Virginia through outreach and innovation.