Penn State Altoona was more than an ordinary college experience for me; it became my second home. I spent most of my life traveling the globe with my parents at a young age, which allowed me to see the good and bad in the world. As I grew up, I watched both of my parents succeed and excel. Lucky me, the bar was set pretty high! I spent my educational years before college in Bethesda, Maryland, at great schools with a lot of competition. I was in a few organizations and received a couple of awards and recognitions. At the tender age of thirteen, I decided to join the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC) Mooberry Unit in Washington, D.C. The NSCC is a leadership program for teens 11 to 18 years old around the world and creates leaders by providing life-changing programs and training to instill the values of a true leader. When it came to applying to college, I visited thirteen different universities, including three different Penn State campuses. The second I stepped onto the Altoona campus, I knew this was where I wanted to spend my college experience.

I want to walk you through my first Penn State Altoona experience. After I visited the other two Penn State campuses, my parents and I were driving past Altoona and my mom saw the Penn State Altoona exit. Having heard earlier from a student who attended the campus, my mom decided to call admissions and talked to Rick Shaffer. Little did we know at the time that he would become the individual to change the course of my life forever. He sat down with my parents and me for hours talking about the amazing campus, programs, organizations, clubs, and faculty. We toured the campus and he took us to the organizational fair where most of the clubs on campus were marketing for potential new members.

Before I continue, I should note that we were already sold on Penn State Altoona. As we stepped into Adler, we saw a group of students and a faculty member singing and dancing around the area. You can imagine the excitement caught our attention, and Mr. Shaffer told us we should go talk to them and that the group would be a good fit for my business major. The organization at the time was called SIFE, now Enactus. Again, little did I know that I would be meeting a faculty member none other than the wonderful Prof Wood who would guide me throughout my college experience. Enactus is an international non-profit organization that allows college students to improve businesses and organizations around the world through entrepreneurial actions. This organization allows students to partner with businesses or organizations internationally or in the community to improve their business model and standard of living.

I was honored to be a project manager for two of our five projects during my undergraduate days. The first project I managed was for a local 84-year-old woman who wrote novels called Turtle Books for children with disabilities. I was able to manage and work with a small team to develop a marketing plan, create social media accounts, and network with organizations and businesses that would purchase the books to increase revenue for Turtle Books. The second project I managed was an international partnership in Rwanda, Africa. The Beza Project’s mission was to help support vulnerable children, expand opportunities for disadvantaged women, and rebuild lives throughout Rwanda. The focus of this project was to work with local Rwandan partners to create and implement social entrepreneurship projects in a country still affected by the 1994 genocide. Through Enactus, I was able to share our amazing projects with so many individuals at the annual Association for Human Resources Management in International Organizations’ conference—from CEOs of large companies, such as Wal-Mart and Unilever, to leaders from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, and other international financial institutions. One of my favorite memories was being chosen to attend the conference with three other students, Chancellor and Dean Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry, and Prof Wood. Not only was it amazing to travel to Vienna, Austria, but four of us were able to present our sustainability projects to top international executives in these organizations.

Enactus influenced my life greatly; I obtained internship opportunities, job offers, and most importantly, high-level executive mentors who I still reach out to for great conversations and guidance. More importantly, I learned how to diagnose inefficiencies in business and learn from its strengths, learning how to positively impact the business through sustainability. Prof Wood motivated me to be my best throughout my three-and-a-half years at Penn State Altoona. Through my experience in Enactus, I was determined to go to graduate school and focus on exactly what Enactus stands for.

The second program I was involved in was the Sheetz Fellows Program, which was established by Steve and Nancy Sheetz for students who are chosen to engage in a rigorous and stimulating academic experience designed to provide mentoring opportunities and resources to develop an entrepreneurial outlook and leadership mentality. Through the program, I was able to study aboard in Italy and Ireland. In addition, I joined the executive board as marketing director. I will be forever thankful for the mentorship and generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Sheetz. In addition, through the program, I learned tremendously from my mentor, Deb Dellaposta, president and CEO of WPS Office Solutions, on running an extremely successful business and how to be a strong woman in business.

I was also the senior class president for the Student Government Association (SGA), the student representative for SGA in Academic Affairs’ Faculty Senate Committee, and the student chair for the 2014 Penn State Altoona Business Case Competition.

As a result of my experiences at Penn State Altoona, I was able to obtain internships at the World Bank Family Network, International Monetary Fund, Inter-American Development Bank, and the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1812 as the head intern.

After graduation, I put my efforts into marketing for the dean of the White House Press Corps and engaged in a presidential campaign. I was still in contact with many of the faculty members at Penn State Altoona after graduation and had continuous contact with the Enactus team, and they motivated me to go back to graduate school. I am happy to say that I completed my master’s degree in organization development and change and am moving to University Park at the end of August to start my journey in the doctoral program for Organization Development and Change.

So, now that you are all caught up, you are probably thinking that my time with Penn State Altoona is done. Remember though, in the beginning of my story, I said that Penn State Altoona is my second home, and I am still very much involved! This year, I traveled with the Enactus team to their regional competition in Washington, D.C., and to their national completion in St. Louis, Missouri. Also, I am honored and humbled to serve as a board member for the Penn State Altoona Alumni Society Board of Directors, and I intend to continue my engagement with Penn State Altoona and further support its great efforts and initiatives.