CAMPUS NEWS
charlotte
OWNING A RESTAURANT AT AGE 19
Michaila Cowles-Cosmus sits in the renovated farmhouse in the
picturesque community of Lake Lure, N.C., and laughs as she
thinks back on some of her classes.
"Sitting through those tedious accounting classes … Now I'm
doing the books, filling out payroll. I guess all that stuff was
there for a reason!" she muses.
When Cowles-Cosmus turned 16, her parents handed her keys
to an empty building. She saw potential, but had to figure it
out from there. Three years later, the culinary arts student is
the owner of Huckleberry's Restaurant and Bakery. Her days
can be 11 hours long, but she has other JWU help: her mother,
Christine, and executive chef Jim Camillo, both Providence
Campus graduates.
"No matter what it is, one of [JWU's] chefs always pops into my
head," she notes.
Cowles-Cosmus knew when she was in fourth grade that she
wanted to attend JWU, like her mother. She reached that goal at
age 16. Despite owning the restaurant and all of the time spent
in the kitchen, she is back in school finishing her bachelor's
degree because she recognizes the value of a JWU education.
Kevin Weaver is excited to expand Campus Safety & Security. Since
joining the Charlotte Campus as director, his department has grown
from two proprietary officers to 14 full-time JWU employees. This
means that the bulk of the staff is no longer provided through
contract services.
"I work with my staff daily to provide a safe and secure environment
that fosters an inclusive, vibrant community," says Weaver.
Weaver is a 23-year veteran of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police
Department where he worked in homicide and eventually rose
to the rank of sergeant. He holds a master's degree in business
administration from Pfeiffer University's Charlotte Campus, as well
as a bachelor's degree in communications from Western Carolina
University in Cullowhee, N.C.
KEVIN WEAVER
DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS
SAFETY & SECURITY
