Destination Unknown 2024 Session
2024 Panel
Destination Unknown panelists represent the evolving and diverging career pathways increasingly typical of the 21st century. Our speakers share with us the challenges they have endured, the successes they have celebrated, and what resources they draw on to navigate complex transitions. In the short video clips collected on this page, they reflect on the impact of General Education on their professional and personal lives, recommendations and regrets included.
Ahmad S. H. Al Monawer
Ahmad S. H. Al Monawer arrived at Penn State Altoona as an international student from Kuwait, pursuing the Penn State 2+2 academic plan and finishing his education at University Park. He was a Schreyer Honors Scholar and earned two bachelor of science degrees, in economics and industrial engineering, both with honors. He also completed minors in business administration and history.
Ahmad currently works as a senior investment analyst for the Kuwait Investment Authority in Kuwait City. He is also the founder and CEO of two companies, one, a hotel and restaurant equipment supply, the other, a coffee roastery.
Finding a Profession in Kuwait in Pandemic Times
Ahmad Al Monawer tells the story of how he built a career as an investment analyst and entrepreneur in his native Kuwait after college, big questions, a pandemic, and lots of hard work included.
College Courses in the Real World
Ahmad Al Monawer connects college habits and skills to the real world. Math appears in his answer more than once.
Handling Major Transitions
Ahmad Al Monawer says: “Don’t give yourself just one opportunity. Try your best to work on more than one!” He explains in what ways that has been important for his journey.
2024 Speakers
Dr. Barry Minemyer
Dr. Barry Minemyer came to Penn State Altoona with plans to play on the men’s basketball team and also receive a college degree (in this order of priority). It did not take long, though, for his superior talent in mathematics and a related academic path to reveal themselves.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Penn State Altoona, Dr. Minemyer attended Binghamton University, where he earned a Ph.D. in mathematics, specializing in Metric Geometry and Differential Geometry. He is currently an associate professor of mathematics at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg, engaged in an unanticipated but entirely fulfilling career, as he views it.
At Age 18, What did You Not Foresee?
Dr. Minemyer is a first-generation college student who believed in himself when he came to campus but never thought that his current life was possible. He reflects on some of the steps along the way.
Eating Now but Planning Ahead
Dr. Minemyer was tempted to take a job after high school but decided to go to college instead. He explains what guided him.
Value of General Education as a Professional
Dr. Minemyer “hated” GenEd classes as a student. He views them differently now. What precipitated this change?
Tera Nelson
Tera Nelson earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography and a minor in psychology from Penn State University Park. Her intersecting talents allowed her to create a successful photography studio and subsequently build a vibrant career as a branding expert and marketing strategist, including founding her own marketing agency.
Tera has worked with Fortune 500 clients, such as Adobe and Amazon, as well as Olympic athletes and Harrison Ford’s interior designer. In recent years, her focus has shifted to working solely with passion-driven entrepreneurs. Tera is also a professional speaker and business coach.
Becoming Resourceful
Tera Nelson identifies the moment when she learned to be resourceful, and how this trait allowed her to create a successful career as a marketing director from a bachelor’s degree in photography.
What worldview motivates you?
Tera Nelson wants students to know that they are valuable. She reflects on the meaning of education and a college degree in the context of her worldview.
Pegs in Your Mind
Tera Nelson explains what her love of ancestry study has taught her about the value of a broad-based education, and how thinking and pegs are connected for her.