Category: Standout Seniors 2023

Penn State Behrend’s Class of 2023 is ready to make its mark on the world!  We’re proud of our students and all that they have learned and accomplished here at Behrend. Over the last several weeks, we have introduced you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have overcome challenges, pioneered new technologies, participated in important research projects, and made their mark at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Max Myers.

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Minors: Math, French and Francophone Studies

Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania

Scholarships: Behrend Excellence Award

On choosing Behrend: Behrend is a great school. The class sizes are small, so you get to know your professors well. Getting started with extracurriculars, research, or other campus opportunities is easier because you aren’t competing with thousands of other students. Also, Behrend is close to home, so I saved money by commuting.

On choosing his major: I wanted to go into some form of engineering or science. Mechanical engineering is very broad. You can go into a lot of different sectors – corporate, government or academic – and fields within those sectors after finishing the degree.

Awards and recognition: President’s Freshman Award, Dean’s List, First-Place Engineering Research Award at the Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference.

Proudest accomplishment at Behrend: Graduating with two minors, my Schreyer Honors thesis, three internships, and an internship project all coming to an end as I start a new chapter is extremely gratifying.

Campus involvement: I was part of the French and Francophone Club. I also worked as a tutor at the Learning Resource Center for about three years and was a lifeguard at Junker Center for a year.

What you might be surprised to know about him: I can ride a unicycle.

Words he lives by: “It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life,” JRR Tolkien. It is really easy to get caught up in your education or your career and start chasing pursuits that are not totally your own. It is also easy to stop pursuing something you love because of what others think. I think living a good life is living a simple life, where you do things you care about no matter how big or small they seem. Everyone has a different path.

Highest priority in coming years: I want to travel globally and continue to learn. I think I will be to go to graduate school within a decade.

Advice for first-year students: Study hard. Respond to your emails. Make sure to keep your professors updated via email. Make sure the email is sent and not stuck in the drafts folder. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help—Tutoring is free, and the tutors are wicked smart and patient.

Max plans to serve as a nuclear naval officer through the Nuclear Propulsion Candidate Program.

Penn State Behrend’s Class of 2023 is ready to make its mark on the world! We’re proud of our students and all that they have learned and accomplished here at Behrend. Over the next several weeks, we’ll introduce you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have overcome challenges, pioneered new technologies, participated in important research projects, and made their mark at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Savanna Carr.

Major: Industrial Engineering

Hometown: Accident, Maryland

On choosing Behrend: I originally wanted to be an aerospace engineer, and the only university that offers aerospace engineering in Pennsylvania is Penn State. I ran cross-country and track in high school and after talking to the head cross-country coach, Coach Greg Cooper, I decided to start at Behrend and transfer to University Park after two years. After my first semester, I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. I knew Behrend was where I was going to be the most successful.

On choosing her major: When I decided to stay at Behrend, I changed my major to Mechanical Engineering. I’ve always loved the methods and process of manufacturing but not always the design part of engineering. During the pandemic, I did some soul-searching and realized that Industrial Engineering was a better fit for me. I switched my major again, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Her proudest accomplishment at Behrend: There have been a lot of things I am proud of during my time at Behrend, but if I were to pick one, I would say that it is how much I have grown as a person. My freshman year, all I could think of was running fast and making it to nationals. While I’d still love to do that, I’ve realized that there is more to college than that. I took a semester off to do a co-op at Rand Machine where I helped grow their new Program Management department. I’ve never been the best student, but once I started taking major classes, I started making the Dean’s List. Though it has not been easy, Behrend has helped me grow tremendously and I am proud of the person I am today.

Campus involvement: I am a member of the cross-country and track teams as well as Phi Sigma Rho, an engineering sorority.

Awards: I’ve been the AMCC cross-country runner of the year four times, an academic all-American, and the 2019-2020 Behrend Athlete of the Year, and I received the 2020 Herb Lauffer Leadership and Scholarship Award.

What makes her unique: I’m determined. My coach told me that when he needs a relay to do well or someone to score points in an event, he’ll put me in it because he knows I’ll get the job done.

What you might be surprised to know about her: I love to downhill and water ski.

She’s writing her own story: I’ve always felt pressure to be the best in the classroom, the fastest person on the team, and involved in everything. During college, I realized that while I could have everything, I wasn’t able to achieve everything. And it took me a while to realize that it is okay. I define what makes me successful, and I define what is a good life. So, I try to wake up every day grateful for the opportunities I have been given and to be a better person than I was yesterday.

Improvement is her passion. I am passionate about improvement, from the manufacturing process to personal goals. It’s amazing what someone can accomplish when they put their mind to it.

Advice for first-year students: Something I’ve come to realize is that when you set a goal to climb a mountain, you only spend a fraction of the time at the summit compared to the long trek up. Enjoy the climb.

Parting thanks: I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me through the journey, especially my parents, Jay and Johnna, who I am so blessed to have supporting me, and Coach Greg Cooper who talked me into coming to Behrend.

After her graduation in December, Savannah plans to find work as an industrial engineer.

Penn State Behrend’s Class of 2023 is ready to make its mark on the world!-  We’re proud of our students and all that they have learned and accomplished here at Behrend. Over the next several weeks, we’ll introduce you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have overcome challenges, pioneered new technologies, participated in important research projects, and made their mark at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Ben Fahrney.   

Major: Mechanical Engineering Major

Hometown: Lititz, Pennsylvania

Scholarships: Provost Scholarship as well as scholarships from the foundry industry

On choosing Behrend: I chose attend Penn State Behrend for its excellent integration of the business and engineering schools. I chose to stay at Behrend because of the professors. During my first year, one of my professors sat down with me for almost four hours to talk about what I wanted to get out of my experience there. This kind of personal interaction with professors is common at Behrend and exactly the reason I loved it here.

On choosing his major: Like most engineers, I have always loved learning how things work but, at Behrend, I really fell in love with the process. Seeing a project that you have been working on for months–and sometimes years–slowly come together is a truly rewarding experience and one I hope to continue pursuing in my professional career.

Proudest accomplishment at Behrend: One of my proudest accomplishments was completing an almost three-year-long research project (concerning the integration of additive manufacturing into the Pennsylvania investment casting industry to spur economic growth) and presenting my findings at various competitions, at major trade expos, and at several campus presentations. Working on a huge project like that and then presenting in front of more than 200 industry professionals is not where I would have seen my Behrend career going, but it has been an amazing experience.

Campus involvement: I have been on the executive board for the Materials and Manufacturing Group for all four of my years here at Behrend. I am also involved in the Rack ‘em Pool Club and Disc Golf Club and have been a Welcome Week volunteer twice. I have also worked in Innovation Commons, the college’s open ideation, product development, and prototyping center, for three years.

Awards and recognitions: I have been on the Dean’s List several times, won both first and second place in the engineering division at our annual Sigma Xi research competition, been the recipient of several metal casting scholarships from the foundry educational foundation (FEF), and won the Larry Blum Intern Scholarship, which allowed me to speak at the 68th annual technical conference for the Investment Casting Institute.

What makes him unique: When I first came to Behrend, I had almost no experience in the metal casting industry. I barely knew what the industry was. Since starting formal academic research during my first semester, I have become a highly regarded student in the field.  After four short years, I have had internships, competed in competitions, and spoken at conferences in the industry. I am an active member of the Foundry Educational Foundation, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and the Investment Casting Institute and frequently travel to their conferences and expos.

Top priority: I am excited to begin pursuing my professional career. I’m also looking forward to setting some roots down near my family and begin serving my community as a volunteer firefighter again.

Eager to help: I am most passionate about helping people in any way that I can. I enjoy talking with new and prospective students, making them feel welcome, and giving them the advice and guidance that was so helpful to me when I first came to Behrend.

Advice for first-year students: The best advice that I have for new students is to talk to people. Bugging my professors, people at job fairs, and even the maintenance staff at Behrend has afforded me more opportunities than I can count.

After his graduation in May, Ben has accepted a position as a systems integration and testing engineer in the rotary mission systems division of Lockheed Martin in New Jersey.

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