Economics

Maintaining your level of involvement on campus during a pandemic is difficult no matter who you are, but for senior Zachary McKay, the level of stress and commitment is taken up a notch. As the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) president as well as a member of the Presidential Leadership Academy and Navy ROTC, McKay has his hands full this fall semester.

History and Economics

During the spring 2020 semester, Paterno Fellow Josie Krieger launched a new program called Students Teaching Students. The core of the program is simple: students can teach. Putting this idea into action, Students Teaching Students provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to teach official courses that count towards the minimum credit requirement for graduation. 

Psychology

Scheyer Scholar Ethan Liebross, a psychology major from Frenchtown, NJ, always dreamed of starting an organization while being a college student but has been waiting for the right idea. As COVID-19 struck the United States this spring, he noticed the strains that the pandemic had on higher education. This strain prompted him to create Professor Owl, an organization that helps high school students with the college and scholarship application process.

Political Science and Social Data Analytics

Nic Birosik is the founder and president of NicNac Charities, a nonprofit dedicated to providing tools for education to students in need. Founded in 2016 when he was still in high school, NicNac Charities started out as a way for Nic to capitalize on what he saw as his own privilege to obtain an education and give that opportunity to those who were less fortunate.

Women’s Studies

The first collegiate chapter of the national League of Women Voters is now at Penn State, thanks to Sarabeth Bowmaster, president of the organization. Sarabeth, a Paterno Fellow, is passionate about getting students to vote, and she credits her major with influencing her decision to start the new chapter at Penn State.

African American Studies and Sociology

Awaly Diallo is a student leader and activist interested in social justice. Her career aspirations of attending law school and working in civil rights law have been strengthened by her internships, leadership positions on campus, and her liberal arts education.

Chinese and Finance

McKenna Kimmel is a creative entrepreneur using her artistic abilities and digital savviness to make and sell custom Penn State denim jackets.

Economics and Letters, Arts, and Sciences

Ezra Gershanok came up with the idea for the Keyper, a silicone phone wallet that can hold credit cards, a student ID, and a key, during his first year at Penn State. After watching students around him lose their room keys, Ezra wanted a product that would hold all of the “essentials” that a college student needs.

Philosophy and Political Science

Paterno Fellow Brendan Bernicker helped create a non-profit organization called the COVID Response Network. The purpose of the organization is to raise funds to distribute masks across the country to those in need, such as homeless shelters, food pantries, and county jails.

Labor and Employment Relations

At just 11 years old, Kylie Kuhns founded a nonprofit called Kelsey’s Dream in memory of her older sister who passed away from cancer when they were children. With the mission to assist children with cancer, Kylie wishes to make life a little brighter for children with the disease and children in need through community involvement.

African Studies and Economics

Jasmine Jackson is an activist and the president of Queer and Trans People of Color. Jasmine is also a multicultural outreach intern for undergraduate admissions. Jackson loves talking to high school students, particularly people of color, and stressing that they can attend Penn State and thrive.

Philosophy, International Politics, Economics

Last year, after participating in Deliberation Nation as part of the Rhetoric and Civic Life course, Harrison Brennan challenged himself to eliminate single-use plastics from his life. While Harrison had always tried to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, he had never realized until then how much single-use plastics are a part of life, especially as a college student.

Communication Arts and Sciences

Diana Weidner uses her communication arts and sciences background to make an impact on campuses around the country. She is the founder of Connect Unplugged, an organization that plans and executes leadership retreats with a focus on detaching from technology and instead concentrating on face-to-face interaction to create authentic connections.

Political Science and African Studies

Through the Schreyer Honors College, Noelia Ortiz-Landazabal has had the opportunity to make an international impact as the president of the Penn State chapter of Days for Girls, an international organization that empowers women and girls worldwide through sustainable menstrual care and health education.

English, Philosophy, and Communication Arts and Sciences

Paterno Fellow Daniel Zahn is the co-founder of F.O.R.M. Consulting. Daniel also participated in a linguistics research project in Bassila, Benin. His research focused on everyday language use, which consisted of interviewing local students on how many languages they spoke, when they used what language, and their attitudes toward different languages. Additionally, the students assisted in creating archival footage of the Anii traditions in the Anii language.