SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. — For alumna Tara Laubenstine, speaking to a room full of students at Penn State Schuylkill feels like coming home. Laubenstine, a 2020 graduate who received her bachelor’s degree in business and a minor in psychology, returned to campus to speak about her career path and how Penn State Schuylkill prepared her for her next steps.
Laubenstine commenced her job search in an unprecedented time at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. After facing uncertainty in finding the career path for her, she leveraged the Penn State network for support, where she eventually secured a role as an agent account representative with the locally headquartered Evans Network of Companies, one of the nation's leading logistics and transportation providers.
In her career, Laubenstine manages 43 accounts across the United States, where she maintains relationships with trucking companies’ agents and works to ensure that the agents truck drivers are appropriately compensated for their work. Speaking on her role, Laubenstine noted that no day on the job is the same, and one of the most valuable skills learned during her undergraduate studies is her ability to think critically and problem-solve on the spot.
As a very engaged student, Laubenstine expressed the importance of how her involvement in clubs and organizations such as the Blue and White Society and Penn State Schuylkill Benefiting THON prepared her to prioritize tasks and helped her to interact with students and community members with various backgrounds and cultural experiences.
Laubenstine remains engaged with the campus following her graduation and said, “I love being able to have a role that allows me to stay closely connected to Penn State Schuylkill. Without the mentors and various connections I made during my time as a student, I would not be where I am today, or the person I am today.”
Reflecting fondly on her experience at the Schuylkill campus, Laubenstine provided three-pronged advice for students in their undergraduate studies: be comfortable with the uncomfortable, get involved, and take advantage of all this tight-knit campus community has to offer.
