In just four short years, Matthew Williams has earned three degrees from Penn State. During that time, he has studied abroad in Spain; represented Penn State Schuylkill at THON; tutored droves of students; and showed himself his true potential. Triumph over adversity has fueled Williams’ Penn State story as he conquered addiction and navigated his mother’s cancer diagnosis and treatment. As Williams looks to his bright future, he reflects on all the ways Penn State helped him realize the way forward, sharing his story in the hopes that it inspires others to take the lead in their own stories, as well.
The accomplishments of 2020 Penn State Schuylkill biology graduate James Abicunas read like those of many other high-achieving students. He was a member of the Honors Program, a student-athlete, a merit scholarship winner, a student researcher, and more. But in 2019, Abicunas faced serious medical issues, including undergoing a liver transplant, yet fought to stay on track with his studies and graduate as planned.
Aurora Brunovsky, a 2009 Penn State alumna and member of the University's Human Resources team, helped raise funds to donate over 1,000 masks to local non-profits in need. "We want to unite people in our community and give them a way to give back if they can’t find one,” she said.
With Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement today (May 22) of additional counties moving to yellow phase over the next two weeks, students residing in those counties can now begin scheduling a move-out date from their on-campus residence halls. A number of Penn State campuses will also begin scheduling students for move out.
Dr. Kimberly Hashin and Albert J. “BJ” Evans understand the value of retaining legal and medical professionals in oftentimes underserved rural communities such as Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. By establishing a Penn State Schuylkill scholarship for Schuylkill County residents majoring in administration of justice, biology, or nursing, the couple hopes to help educate and retain the area’s next generation of legal and health care professionals.
Penn State Schuylkill students have joined the Small World Initiative and Tiny Earth Program, international projects where students participate in the crowdsourcing of antibiotic discovery.
Following a three-month comprehensive planning process, Penn State officials have determined that the University can meet or exceed the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s guidelines for colleges and universities, and look forward to welcoming back faculty, staff and students to resume on-campus, in-person classes and other activities this fall in a limited fashion.
Incoming Penn State Schuylkill students have a new way to meet and connect with classmates, faculty and staff: the Fall 2020 Incoming Class group in LionConnect, the campus’s online hub for events and student groups.
Valerie Schrader, associate professor of communication arts and sciences, will present a webinar on June 29, exploring her new book project, “Public Memory and the Television Series ‘Outlander.’”
Penn State Schuylkill’s Community Engagement Office will offer two virtual summer youth camps for high schoolers this July. Camps include The Criminal Mind, which examines criminology and psychology, as well as Cybersecurity and Coding, which explores the development technology common to robotics and video game design. A virtual book club is also included in the lineup and will guide students through “The Giver” and “The Book Thief.”
