 Bresch grew up in Fairmont and Farmington , West Virginia in a Catholic Italian American family . Her father , Joe Manchin , was a prominent politician throughout her childhood and is presently the United States Senator from West Virginia . Bresch attended Fairmont Senior High School in Fairmont , West Virginia and graduated from West Virginia University ( WVU ) in 1991 with a bachelor 's degree in political science and international relations . 
