In honor of Black History Month, the Multicultural Students Association and IDEA sponsored an event to bring students together to expand awareness on social justice issues.

Students participated in discussions and activities to facilitate better diversity and inclusion in their community and personal life.

There were three different sessions, each of which students participated in various acitivites to bring awareness to these every day issues people face such as socio-economic status, ability status, gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

The first set of dicsussions and activites were about “Our Identities. Who am I?” The second session investigated acts of racism and discrimination, and the final session was about learning from others.

Students focused mainly on the respect of others while also learning about different identities and what they mean to everyone.

When I attended as an observer, I got to hear many different thoughts and opinions and left with a lot more knowledge than I came with. I also felt uneasy when certain groups were being stereotyped against.

Professor Carol Evans led these events, with the help of professor Ginett Pineda at the second series. They did a wonderful job organizing and carrying out the activities.

I think it’s extremely important for students to engage in activities like this with fellow classmates. We need to come together to expand awareness on these issues, and it can start right here in our small community.

When I asked the question, “what is the most important thing we hope students learned from these series was?” I got the response,

“I would like students to consider perspectives, and opinions beyond those they’ve already formed or were shaped in early life by family and friends. I want them to realize that people’s experiences while navigating life are different and in many ways are shaped by race and stereotypes.” 

Students participated in role play activities such as “Speed Hating” where a scenario would be acted out, and then there was a discussion about how it should’ve been handled correctly.

They also did an activity with “targets” and “non targets” where common insults and stereotypes about certain groups were read aloud. If you were part of a certain group, you were asked to step out front. This gave students a sense of what it feels like to be on both sides.

When asked how it felt to be in the “target area” and “non target area,” students explained that they felt bad looking at the people while these horrible things were being said about them. They also said that sometimes they aren’t sure if they belong in certain categories.

A final activity required students to switch from different stations, defining terms like sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, socio-economic status, and ability status.

Students expressed that it wasn’t as easy as they thought to define these words, and that they hear these words all the time, but don’t really think about what they mean.

When students were asked to discuss the key take away points & important messages, they said:

“Stand up for people, be respectful, there’s no excuse.”

“Don’t be a Karen.”

“Hold each other accountable.”

“Put yourself in others’ shoes”

“Mind your own business and have the courage to say something.”

“The most important thing I learned was that identities make everyone unique and they should be appreciated and honored rather than criticized, whether or not we are proud of our identities.” -Anonymous

If you missed Fayette’s first round of Diversity Circles and are interested in the upcoming series, mark your calendars for April 6th and April 20th. These series will be held in the athletic conference room in the community center.

Trevor Thomas…The one that made every person in the room laugh hysterically and never skipped a chance to give someone a compliment or lift a hand to help.

”Be somebody that makes everybody feel like somebody” is a quote used in this Washington Post article that perfectly explained the type of person that Trevor was.

I vividly remember meeting Trevor for the very first time at a bonfire during the first week of school my freshman year. I immediately knew we would get along super well because our personalities were so similar and he was just simply the type of person I like to be around.

What I didn’t know at the time was how much of an impact he would have on my life. 

The group of friends that we had freshman year share a bond that is unbreakable because of Trevor being the light that brought us all together. The memories made this year are unmatched, and I always find myself reminiscing on these moments.

To share a few specific moments, Trevor lived in the apartment above my roomates and I, and he would always come down to borrow our hairdryer or to get help putting his contacts in. I laugh when I say, I don’t think he ever figured that one out.

Sundays consisted of watching football as a group and sometimes even playing a game outside in the parking lot at the commons.

And let’s not forget about the interesting foods that Trevor ate like graham crackers in a bowl of milk or the little ice cream cups with chocolate milk poured over it.

Or the time he pranked me at Dunkin’ by telling me to order a “French Niller.”

The list of memories could go on..

I miss him dearly.

I wanted to start something to honor Trevor, something that was special to him and could be continued each year. I remember a story his mother told me about the time Trevor was three years old in Philadelphia and saw a homeless man in the streets for the first time. He immediately wanted to give his blanket to this man. This was just the start of Trevor’s kind and compassionate heart to all.

Trevor’s mother, Brenda Thomas has inspired me to make something good out of something bad as she has been doing for strangers ever since the loss of her son. She makes sure each recipient receives a random acts of kindness card. Her strength, support, and encouragement is admirable.

The Thomas family has become a huge part of my life, and after being around them, it is clear to see where Trevor got his kind heart and goofy personality from. I am deeply grateful to call them close friends.

After making a few phone calls, I reached Campus Police Officer Russell and we immediately came up with a plan to make something happen. Chad Long donated ten drawstring bags to be filled with donations that were given by students and faculty on campus as well as others as the flyer circulated the internet.

It felt amazing to get the entire campus involved in this random acts of kindness, and even outsiders from Trevor’s hometown. I know Trevor is proud and smiling in Heaven.

His parents expressed their gratitude to everyone involved in making this a success. We even had several bags full of leftover items that were donated to City Mission of Fayette County.

The bags were handed out on December 13th by myself, Trevor’s parents, and Officer Russell to homeless people in the streets of Uniontown. We wanted to be present and physically hand the bags out to these people for our first time doing this.

After walking some distance on train tracks in search of people, we came across a tent, but unfortunately nobody was there at the moment, so we left two bags. We then found two gentlemen on Main Street in Uniontown, one of which played the guitar and kindly played us a song.

The face to face encounters and interactions we had with these people made this experience more real and humbling.

The appreciation of these people that received the bags and the people in charge at City Mission where the extra items were donated was heartwarming.

I personally want to thank Trevor’s parents, Officer Russell, Chad Long, my peers, and anyone that donated or shared the flyer for making the first random act of kindness to honor Trevor at Penn State Fayette a huge success.

I still have a few bags that were saved to be personally handed out. If anyone knows of someone in need, please reach out to me via email. (cmc7073@psu.edu)

Let’s continue to spread love and kindness to all in the new year 🙂

“All good things must come to an end” is the quote that stuck to me when beginning to write this post. I had to pause and collect myself for a minute.

Looking back at my past four years of Fayette Volleyball, I get emotional and cheerful. It’s bittersweet. If you’re an athlete, I think this video below will make you feel some type of way.

My senior teammates and I were heartbroken when making this video on the bus ride home after our final game of the season and final game ever after we lost to Penn State Mont Alto in the first round of conference playoffs. Especially because this was the first time Fayette Volleyball has been on the losing side of the spectrum in my four years as a player.

When I look back on my four years as a member of this team, there are numerous achievements and moments I could talk about, and I’ll get to that. But first, I wanted to talk about the biggest lesson I’ve learned from volleyball this year (and last year because of covid) and that was to never take anything for granted. Although my senior season didn’t go as we had hoped for, I still believe there are lessons learned in every situation and outcome. Of course I was devastated, heartbroken, and emotional for days and weeks after our loss, but my outlook changed after I heard the tragic news of a player from Penn State York’s volleyball team passing away on her way to practice during the time of playoffs.

I thought to myself, yeah we lost a very important game that ended our season, but this team lost an actual life. Our loss couldn’t even compare to their loss. I couldn’t begin to imagine losing one of my teammates, let alone having to continue to compete in games in the next few days after this. That situation changed my entire outlook on us losing. Even though we lost the game, we didn’t lose a player, and we got to come home with our full team.

Ok, enough with the sad stuff. I want to reflect on the accomplishments and memories Fayette Volleyball and myself has made. This season, we had a very young team and had a select few players that have had court time in the previous years. We were a talented and special group of girls, but just couldn’t seem to find our groove against certain teams. One accomplishment we made as a team this year was being the only team in our conference to beat the number one seed which was Penn State Mont Alto.

This year was very different because we didn’t travel as much, and that meant we didn’t have as many overnight trips as usual which is where the bonding and unforgettable memories are made. I was fortunate enough to experience this in years past with the team. Missing out on an entire season last year due to covid affected me personally and the team.

Personally, I watched myself grow and develop as a player and leader on and off the court over the years. This year I was named captain alongside two amazing players, Pasepa Buwawa and Kristina Aeschbacher. I was also given the libero jersey which meant a lot to me as I always looked up to players like Chanel Porter and Machaela Hall who wore the libero jersey in prior seasons. At the end of the season, I was awarded the John Fritz Sportsmanship Award by the PSUAC Volleyball Conference.

During my time at Fayette, I’ve also been a member of the Women’s Basketball and Softball teams, but nothing has been the same as Fayette Volleyball. We are all truly sisters and family here. There wasn’t one day that I dreaded going to practice. I was actually always extremely excited about practice as this was my escape and outlet to all of the outside things going on in my life. Plus, the sport of volleyball is pure enjoyment for me. It’s super thrilling to get that perfect pass, set, and then kill as a team. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. And I think all of my teammates can say the same.

I want to talk about a few things that we have done as a team that make Fayette Volleyball so special and memorable. Our coaches Samantha Swetz and Janelle Cooper introduced us to something called “big and little sisters” where an upperclassman is paired with and underclassman and serves kind of as a mentor to them. I loved this idea, and I still keep in close contact with my “big sister” from freshman year, Morgan Pytlak. She became one of my closest friends and still is. My “little sister” this year, Kamden Miller has become one of my best friends as well. I truly consider the whole team to be my sisters.

We also did something called “Secret Sisters,” which is exactly what it sounds like. At the beginning of each season, we would write our names on a piece of paper with a list of a few different things we like consisting of things like candy, snacks, drinks, etc. Then, we put them into a bucket and each pulled a name out to be our secret sister for the season. Before every home game, you would buy your secret sister a small gift or leave a word of encouragement in their locker. Then, at the end of the season, we would reveal our secret sisters. This was something we all looked forward to doing each year.

Here is a video from my sophomore year of my secret sister revealing who they were to me.

On top of that, we also had something called the “Let Go Bucket.” This was an opportunity for players to write down something that has been bothering them or something they are struggling with that they need to let go of as soon as they walk into the doors of the gym before practice. This was so they can have a solid practice and not have their minds elsewhere. We would crumble the pieces of paper up, and they were never read by anyone. At the end of the season, they were disposed of.

I know this post is lengthy, but I haven’t even gotten to the fun stuff yet.

Keep reading to hear about and see pictures from Fayette Volleyball’s biggest victories and memories.

Rewinding to my freshman and sophomore years, Fayette Volleyball made numerous achievements. My freshman year of 2018, our team’s overall record was 23-9. We were named PSUAC Conference Champions which were held at State College and made a huge run in the National Tournament held at Virginia Beach. Penn State University Women’s Volleyball Coach, Russ Rose even handed our medals to us individually. We ended up placing third at Nationals which was huge for us as the previous season’s team consisted of only nine players. This was an extremely successful building year for Fayette Volleyball.

My sophomore year, our overall record was 30-3, and we were named PSUAC Conference Champions again, but this time we were also named USCAA National Champions! I can’t even begin to explain those moments and feelings, so I’m just going to share them in images below.

We also had the honor to be recognized at one of Penn State University Volleyball’s home games. This was such an amazing feeling as we walked onto the court and heard the crowd proudly cheer for us.

I’ll forever cherish the memories I have made with my teammates and best friends on and off the court. Volleyball awarded me the opportunity to experience things that most college students don’t get to. From the sweat and blood on the court, to the long bus rides, tears, team dinners, overnight trips, holiday gift exchanges, banquets, and the list could go on, there isn’t any other way I would’ve wanted to spend my last four years at Penn State Fayette. Even though this chapter of my life has closed, I know that I will hold the memories and friendships in my heart forever.

To everything, there is a season.

Students at Penn State Fayette attended the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Pittsburgh on November 2, 2021. We also stopped at Burgatory before arriving at the exhibit (meal included) all for $10.

When I first heard of the event on campus, I was super excited because I myself do not have artistic talents like this, but I am always fascinated by the artworks of others, especially in a museum or unique gallery display. If you’re adventurous like me and like seeing cool things at barely no cost to you, these are the kind of events for you.

Although I lack artistic talents and abilities, I’ve always been a fan of Vincent Van Gogh from the time I was introduced to his work. But, I honestly never paid much attention to the detail that goes into his work or how many paintings he had for that matter. Again, probably because I never had an interest or passion in arts of this form growing up. But wow was I amazed seeing his artwork in an immersive way like this!

The paintings were displayed in a large room through a computer system with the artwork surrounding the audience on all sides. There was even music playing in the background which added to the overall mood of the event. The mood was very relaxed and I noticed some people sitting or laying down with their partners just enjoying the art being displayed around them. Literally around them. I could tell that this was something that they value or may do often. I felt calm during the show and was surrounded by people with the same goal of trying to experience part of one of the most prominent artists.

Not to mention, there was even a gift shop area with tons of different merchandise and things like posters, hats, water bottles, key chains, and bags with some of Van Gogh’s most famous designs. This was the only part of the trip that required your own spending money. I know most of us like getting souvenirs at places like this, myself included. I bought a keychain with probably the most well known painting design, Starry Night.

I surely enjoyed the exhibit with my peers and would be interested in doing something like this again. As a side note, this exhibit reminded me of one of my favorite museums and experiences which is the wax museum called Madame Tussauds New York in New York City. If you’re attending the New York trip with the school on November 20, this is definitely something I recommend seeing!

It’s always nice to get out of my apartment at the commons and do something exciting and experience something new. Plus, my art professor is giving bonus points to anyone who attended the trip. This was a win-win for me. Talk to your professors, maybe they’ll be up to offering some bonus points for future events as the end of the semester is approaching 🙂

If you’re interested in Fayette’s upcoming events, check out the Fall 2021 Student Activities Calendar here!

Penn State Fayette held its first Trunk or Treat on October 24, 2021.

Penn State Fayette welcomed members of the community to campus on October 24, 2021 for our first ever Trunk or Treat. Student led organzations, faculty, and police officers decorated their trunks with various themes and handed out candy with a smile.

I myself participated in the event and thought it turned out very well. The creativity and uniqueness to every trunk made the event special. Seeing the kids dressed up in their costumes brought back memories from my childhood, and it was nice to come together as a campus and community to have an event like this. Campus Officer, Russell expressed that he couldn’t thank everyone who participated enough and wants to continue this event in the future years.

Some of the different types of trunks are shown in the above images. There was even a contest for the best decorated trunk and idea. The Christian Club won first place with a Noah’s Ark theme, followed by Brandy from the Student Success Center with a Scooby Doo theme.

I highly recommend to all of my classmates and peers to get involved on campus and attend different events that are offered to us. It is a great resume builder, and we also pay tuition, so why not take advantage of the exciting events to gain an even better college experience. Some of them even have the chance to win gift cards and who doesn’t love free stuff!?

A Pumpkin Carving Contest, Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit Trip, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream Production are all coming up soon! All free or at a low cost!