Category: Standout Seniors 2018

Standout Seniors: Meet Echo Seiersen

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By Heather Cass
Publications Manager, Office of Strategic Communications,  Penn State Behrend

Penn State Behrend’s class of 2018 is ready to make its mark on the world!  We’re proud of our students and the things they’ve accomplished and learned while here at Behrend. Over the next couple months, we’ll be introducing you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have overcome challenges, pioneered new technology, participated in important research projects, and left an impression at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Echo Seiersen:

echo Seiersen - best one

Majors: Concurrent majors in Communication and Political Science

Hometown: Corry, Pennsylvania

On majoring in Communication: Originally, I pursued a communication path because I am fascinated by the science behind interpersonal interactions and the differences that exist in communication between cultures. Political science came in when I started to get more involved in politics and discovered a real passion for rhetoric and social issues. I have found that politics intersects with communication in many ways.

Scholarships: I have received the Joseph A. and Berit I. Benacci Family Scholarship and the Coombes-Leahey Trustee Scholarship.

Proudest accomplishment at Behrrend: My proudest accomplishment has been working with Dr. Colleen Kelley (associate professor of speech communication) as a research assistant on her book—A Rhetoric of Divisive Partisanship: The 2016 American Presidential Campaign Discourse of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, which was published in February. I am also proud of the work I did with Dr. Robert Speel (associate professor of political science). I helped him with research he presented to Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper about the efficacy and success of Day Reporting Centers in reducing recidivism rates throughout Pennsylvania and in other counties similar to Erie County.

Campus involvement: I have been a writing tutor with the Learning Resource Center for more than two years.

What makes her unique: I write poetry and like to paint, and I am actually working on publishing a book of poetry now.

What you’d be surprised to know about her: I have fibromyalgia and psoriatic arthritis. The former is a medical condition in which you experience chronic muscle pain and tenderness throughout your body, either constantly or when touched, along with fatigue and cognitive issues (often called “fibro fog”). Psoriatic arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis that damages joints, tendons, and ligaments, and sometimes the organs. It mostly causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. Long story short, I am in constant pain every single day, and I also sometimes struggle with fatigue and memory or concentration problems. I try really hard not to let these conditions impact my academic work or social life, so I think a lot of people would be surprised to know about them.

Her definition of a good life: Having a home where you feel comfortable, supported, and safe, and surrounding yourself with people who love, challenge, encourage, and inspire you. Also, I believe with total sincerity that having a lot of cats is vital to maintaining happiness.

Advice for new students: Listen more. We all have something important to learn from other people, even those we disagree with. And after you have listened, speak out with courage and certainty.

On the loves of her life: I could not have made it through this journey without my boyfriend, Tanner Hanson. He gives me endless and unconditional love and support. I also have two cats that bring much joy to my life. I have an American shorthair named Isabella and a Maine Coon named Enzo.

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After her graduation in May, Echo plans to attend graduate school. She hopes to obtain a Ph.D. and become a researcher and professor of political communication.

 

Standout Seniors: Meet Cathy Brooks

Published on by Behrend BlogLeave a comment

By Heather Cass
Publications Manager, Office of Strategic Communications,  Penn State Behrend

Penn State Behrend’s class of 2018 is ready to make its mark on the world!  We’re proud of our students and the things they’ve accomplished and learned while here at Behrend. Over the next couple months, we’ll be introducing you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have overcome challenges, pioneered new technology, participated in important research projects, and left an impression at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Cathy Brooks:

Cathy Brooks (2 of 3)

Majors: Dual major in Accounting and Finance

Hometown: Bethel Park, Pennsylvania

On choosing Penn State Behrend: I have always wanted to attend Penn State, but University Park was overwhelming to me. Behrend was big enough to provide great opportunities, but not so large that I felt lost in the crowd.

On choosing her majors: During my freshman engineering seminar (I entered Behrend as an engineering major), I took a personality test that said accounting was a 100 percent match for my skills and interests. After taking Physics 211, I had a feeling engineering was not the right path for me, so I decided to switch majors.

On double majoring: After taking a few business courses and seeing how similar finance and accounting were, I decided to add the Finance major in order to put me closer to the 150 credits I need to sit for the CPA exam and get value out of those credits.

Campus involvement: I am a member of Delta Sigma Pi, the professional business fraternity on campus. For the past year, I’ve been the group’s vice president of alumni relations. Before joining the fraternity, I could be quiet and shy. The group has been great for building my confidence, and being involved with them has made the last two years of college fly by.

On motherhood: I have a two-year-old at home and she has motivated me to succeed. I do everything for her because I want the best for her. Having a family, a job, a role in the fraternity, and going to college full time has forced me to overcome a lot of obstacles. But I have learned that stressful days are just temporary and organization is everything when you have a lot on your plate.

On taking chances: The best advice I can give to anyone is that you will never know until you try. If you try and fail, you’re in the same spot as if you’d never tried at all, so what do you really have to lose?

What you would be surprised to know about her: I love to sing and play trumpet. I haven’t had much time in my life for it since I started college, but I hope to join a community band when I move to D.C. this summer.

Advice for first-year students: Get involved! It’s one thing to get good grades in class, but to show that you also helped other students, the school, or the community will really set you apart from other candidates interviewing for the same job that you are.

After her graduation in May, Cathy will be working as a federal auditor in Washington, D.C., on KPMG’s Army Engagement Team.

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Standout Seniors: Meet Briana Young

Published on by Behrend Blog1 Comment

By Heather Cass
Publications Manager, Office of Strategic Communications,  Penn State Behrend

Penn State Behrend’s class of 2018 is ready to make its mark on the world!  We’re proud of our students and the things they’ve accomplished and learned while here at Behrend. Over the next couple months, we’ll be introducing you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have overcome challenges, pioneered new technology, participated in important research projects, and left an impression at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Briana Young.

Briana Young

Briana with the 2004 Mini Cooper she restored.

Major: Physics

Minor: Mathematics

Hometown: Port Allegany, Pennsylvania

On choosing her major: My high school physics teacher had a poster in his classroom that listed a bunch of careers you can pursue with a physics degree. I love understanding how everything works, and I knew I’d never be bored with physics.

Scholarships: I have been the lucky recipient of the LORD Corporation Scholarship and the National Science Foundation STEM Scholarship.

Proudest accomplishment at Behrend? I have two. The first is when I got an internship with LORD Corporation the summer before my sophomore year. The second is when I was asked to present my undergraduate research work at the American Physical Society conference in Los Angeles this spring.

Campus involvement: I have been involved with an array of organizations on campus. In my first two years, I was involved with International Student Organization where I was able to meet so many people that I never would have met in my small town. In my sophomore year, I was accepted into Lambda Sigma Honor Society and into Pi Mu Epsilon, a national math honor society, in my junior year. I have also been part of Campus Health and Fitness, which is a new club on campus.

What makes her unique: I have a handful of hobbies. I am very into art and I have my own Etsy account. I love cooking, hiking, and camping. I also have completed two half marathons while in college.

What you would be surprised to know about her: My car is a 2004 Mini Cooper that I bought as a wreck and fixed up. I learned how to do it from my dad who has done body work on cars his entire life.

On being a champion for Women in Physics: The longer I have been in school the more involved I have gotten with Women in Physics. In January, I attended a Women in Physics conference that made me realize there would be a lot more of us in this field if it weren’t for self-doubt. I am passionate about encouraging other generations of girls to get excited about physics.

On giving back: I want to involve myself with outreach and teaching kids in the community the importance of science. (Editor’s note: No doubt she’ll have that chance at LORD, as they are an avid supporter of Penn State Behrend’s K-12 Outreach programs, often allowing their engineers to help lead events and each workshops for young students.)

Inspiration at home: My parents inspire me every day. They both work hard for their own success and still manage to dedicate a great deal of their time to helping others. They are both involved in different programs to help troubled kids and they inspire me to not only work hard for myself and my family, but also to actively help others.

Advice for new students: There are no shortcuts to get to where you want to be. It’ll be hard and frustrating, but keep your eyes on your ultimate goals. And don’t forget to take care of both your body and your mind.

Briana has accepted a position as a quality engineer at LORD Corporation following her graduation in May.

Standout Seniors: Meet Ahmed Ali

Published on by Behrend Blog1 Comment

By Heather Cass
Publications Manager, Office of Strategic Communications,  Penn State Behrend

Penn State Behrend’s class of 2018 is ready to make its mark on the world!  We’re proud of our students and the things they’ve accomplished and learned while here at Behrend. Over the next couple months, we’ll be introducing you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have overcome challenges, pioneered new technology, participated in important research projects, and left an impression at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Ahmed Ali:

Ahmed Ali.JPG

Ahmed with his 3D printed self portraits

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Minor: Project and Supply Chain Management

Hometown: Baghdad, Iraq.

Scholarships: I have received the Frank S. Palkovic scholarship for the past three years, which gave me a chance to pursue my dreams. I’m grateful that there are people out there who care about other people and want to help them achieve their goals and dreams without even knowing them. I hope one day I can give back and help others.

On choosing to major in Mechanical Engineering: I felt it was a broad discipline with distinguished career opportunities.

Proudest accomplishment at Behrend: I was chosen to speak at the scholarship luncheon, which I felt was a great honor.

Campus involvement: I was involved in the soccer club and I earned my SCUBA diving certification by taking a class at Behrend.

On cloning himself: I designed and 3D printed a bobble head of myself.

How he defines the good life: Living in safety, having my family near me, and having food on the table every day.

What you would be surprised to know about him: My family moved here from Iraq and I learned English and started college just five months after arriving in the United States.

After his graduation in May, Ahmed plans to begin his career in engineering and work for a few years before returning to school to earn a master’s degree. He hopes to be a college professor someday.