Real West Virginian of the Week: Jada Mills captures the people and places that make West Virginia home

By Hannah Yost, RealWV

MORGANTOWN, W.Va — For Jada Mills, a photograph can capture more than what happened in a single moment. It can show how someone felt while it was happening.

Whether she’s photographing a child competing on a ballfield or a family spending the day at the State Fair of West Virginia, Mills looks for the emotion behind the moment. It’s what drew her to storytelling in the first place and what continues to shape the way she captures West Virginia through her work.

Mills grew up in Beckley and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School before attending Marshall University, where she majored in multimedia. Her path initially pointed toward journalism.

While at Marshall, she worked for the university’s newspaper and student news program before completing an internship with WSAZ. Mills said she enjoyed being in the community and meeting people who were making a difference, but she eventually realized she wanted a career that allowed her to lean further into her creative side.

“I really love the storytelling aspect, and I just love using creativity,” Mills said.

That realization eventually took her to Morgantown without much of a plan beyond finding a place where she could put her degree to work.

She began applying for positions in media and marketing before discovering The Social Bee, a Fairmont-based marketing agency. Something about the company immediately caught her attention.

“I felt like a connection to it,” Mills recalled. “I just really was like, I love their values. I love the look.”

Mills joined the agency and has since grown into an account executive role, where her work allows her to use photography, video, graphic design, and the storytelling skills she developed through journalism.

Some of that work has taken her to events across West Virginia, including the Wild Trails Festival and the State Fair of West Virginia.

Behind the camera, Mills isn’t simply looking for the most technically perfect shot. She’s watching for the moments that tell a larger story.

“I would say capturing the emotion,” Mills said.

At a concert, that might mean capturing the energy of a performer. At an agricultural competition, it could be the concentration on a participant’s face or the reaction of a family member watching from nearby.

At the State Fair, Mills found herself drawn to the relationships unfolding around her.

“You get to see the whole picture of things,” Mills said.

The State Fair has become one of her favorite events to photograph. Another memorable assignment took her to Bridgeport for a Little League state tournament, where she was able to photograph young athletes immersed in competition.

Even when her work takes her inside local businesses, Mills said she enjoys capturing people who genuinely love what they do.

That focus on people is also part of what she finds so compelling about photographing West Virginia.

Mills said the state’s beauty is impossible to ignore, from its mountains and rivers to the changing seasons. But when she talks about what makes West Virginia special, she continually returns to its people.

“You can see the friendliness. You can see the neighbors helping neighbors,” Mills said. “It’s a lot about community.”

It’s something she hopes comes through in her photographs.

Rather than focusing solely on scenic landscapes, much of Mills’ work captures West Virginians experiencing their home — dancing at a festival, spending time together at the fair, or supporting someone they love.

She hopes those images communicate the passion West Virginians have for the people and experiences that matter to them.

It’s also a side of the state Mills wishes more people understood.

“I wish they understood that it’s not about the stereotypes,” Mills said. “It’s about how much we care for one another and what we would do for each other.”

For Mills, West Virginia isn’t simply the backdrop for her work. It’s where she has chosen to build her own life.

She now lives in Morgantown and commutes to The Social Bee’s office in Fairmont. Although her education and early experiences could have taken her elsewhere, Mills has found room to build a creative career here at home.

“I love West Virginia,” Mills said. “I always have and I always will.”

She believes other young West Virginians can find that same sense of possibility.

For someone interested in photography or another creative field, Mills acknowledged that finding the right opportunity in West Virginia may sometimes require a little searching. But she believes those opportunities are here and that her generation is helping create even more of them.

“Now more than ever, it’s true that you can stay here and you can make a living and a life here,” Mills said.

She pointed to the growth of creative work around the state, including photography, videography, art, markets, and other avenues that allow young people to turn their interests into something more.

“The sky truly is the limit, and there is a place for it in West Virginia,” Mills said. “You just gotta kind of dig a little bit.”

Sometimes, she added, the opportunity may already be there. Finding it can begin simply by talking to someone and learning what’s possible.

As she looks ahead, Mills wants to continue learning and improving her photography and videography. Because much of her work is shared through social media, she also hopes to help the organizations she works with reach larger audiences.

More eyes on that work can mean more people discovering what West Virginia has to offer.

Mills hopes someone scrolling from outside the state might see photographs from the Wild Trails Festival or the State Fair and decide they want to experience it for themselves.

“Even if you’re not from West Virginia, come to these places, and you can still experience our culture,” Mills said.

Her message to other young West Virginians is rooted in the same belief that has shaped her own path: Building a meaningful life here is possible, even when the path isn’t immediately clear.

“You can do anything that you set your mind to,” Mills said.

College wasn’t always easy. Neither was graduating and figuring out what came next. Mills said success doesn’t have to be handed to someone for it to be attainable.

“You are capable of more than you could ever imagine,” Mills said. “You just have to believe in yourself.”

For Mills, that belief has allowed her to turn a love of storytelling into a career that keeps her connected to the state she has always called home.

And now, from behind the camera, she’s helping other people see what she has seen all along — a West Virginia filled with people worth noticing and stories worth capturing.

Know someone who should be featured? Email your nomination to news@therealwv.com.