Category: Standout Seniors 2024

Penn State Behrend’s Class of 2024 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 will introduce you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have engaged in college life in a big way, conducted valuable research, pioneered innovations, and overcome challenges during their time at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Jenna Etter.

Major: Communication

Certificate: Public Relations

Hometown: I was born in Erie, but lived in State College for my entire childhood.

On choosing Behrend: Growing up in State College, I was familiar with the Penn State community. I wanted to move and make a big change for myself. Choosing Behrend allowed me to make this transition while still staying in an area that is familiar to me and near my family. It also seemed like a better option for me as I perform better academically in a smaller environment.

On choosing her major: I was fairly late to the game in deciding to pursue higher education. I knew I wanted to do more with my future but was not entirely sure what that would look like. During high school, I took multiple video production classes, journalism, and graphic design type courses. I began looking into majoring in business or advertising, but after reading through descriptions of each major, communication seemed to fit me best and aligned with the previous work I had done and enjoyed.

Putting her education to work: My proudest accomplishment was applying what I learned at Behrend during my summer internship with strategic communications for Ferguson Township near State College.  I was able to take the things I’d learned and studied and see how they were used in the real world.

Awards and recognition: I will be receiving the Outstanding Achievement in Communication Award at the Honors and Awards Convocation.

Her definition of living a good life: Being able to live comfortably has always been my definition of a good life. I’ve never had the goal of making an outrageous amount of money, but rather to have the ability to be financially stable to balance my life between work and leisure.

Proud Swiftie: I am incredibly passionate about Taylor Swift and her music. I will take any chance I get to discuss her journey throughout the music industry. I have been listening to her music since she released her sophomore album Fearless in 2008, so in a way, I have grown up with her. It’s inspiring to see a woman achieve the things that she does and her continuing to outperform not only others, but herself as well.

Advice for first-year students: When I started at Behrend, it was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was fully online and did not step foot onto campus until my second year. I was already fairly introverted, so not being able to fully immerse myself into the Behrend community made it difficult to meet new people right away. For first-year students, I would say take advantage of being on campus and allow yourself to meet new people. Whether it’s other students or professors, people have some interesting stories to tell, and they can give you different perspectives on life. Also, creating relationships with people during college really has great potential to open new doors for your future.

After her graduation in May, Jenna plans to start her career in Erie, where she hopes to obtain a public relations position with a media company or within the entertainment and music industry.

Penn State Behrend’s Class of 2024 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 will introduce you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have engaged in college life in a big way, conducted valuable research, pioneered innovations, and overcome challenges during their time at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Josiah Burkett.

Major: Early Childhood and Elementary Education

Minor: Special Education

Hometown: Edinboro, Pennsylvania

Scholarships: The Provost Award, PNC Leadership Scholarship

On choosing Behrend: I chose Behrend because I wanted to go to Penn State while being closer to home.

On choosing his major: I chose my major because I believe that, through education, anything is possible. Giving back to students and their communities through education is something I strive for.

His proudest accomplishment at Behrend: My proudest accomplishment while being at Behrend is the connections I’ve made with so many people—friendships, mentorships, and meeting people who are now family to me.

Campus involvement: I was a Welcome Week guide, then leader, then director. I was a member of THON and Lion Ambassadors, and I worked as a Lion Scout. I am also a leadership scholar and the treasurer for the student PSEA (Pennsylvania State Education Association). During the summers, I was a mentor for Upward Bound Math and Science through Behrend’s K-12 Youth Education Outreach program.

What makes him unique: I believe my work ethic is unmatched, and my competitiveness helps me to strive toward being the best version of myself. Also, I can play the drums and tell you obscure football statistics that most people don’t know.

Student teaching: I did my student teaching at Klein Elementary in Harborcreek where I taught 4^th grade. I loved it.

What you’d be surprised to know about him: A lot of people at Behrend would be surprised to learn that I am a very relaxed person most of the time. On campus, especially during Welcome Week, I tend to be excited and loud. However, I prefer to be more relaxed and in quiet environments.

His other identity: I was often asked to be the Behrend Lion mascot for campus events and photo opportunities. It was always super fun interacting with students and kids who visited, and seeing the looks on their faces when I’d come around. It was kind of fun to know all of the people around me while they had no clue it was me in the costume.

His definition of living a good life: A good life to me is a happy life — one that is filled with doing things that you enjoy. As someone going into education, I chose my field because I genuinely love teaching and learning. So, for me, doing things you love with the people you love is a good life.

His passions: I am passionate about having more classroom educators in decisive positions to truly make a change in education. I am also passionate about learning. I consider myself a life-long learner and enjoy learning about anything and everything. It makes me a more well-rounded person.

Advice for first-year students: Take advantage of every opportunity you are presented with.

After his graduation in May, Josiah plans to work as an elementary education teacher while also pursuing a master’s degree in education.

Penn State Behrend’s Class of 2024 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 will introduce you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have engaged in college life in a big way, conducted valuable research, pioneered innovations, and overcome challenges during their time at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Tyler Akam.

Major: Digital Media, Arts and Technology (DIGIT)

Minor: Game Development

Hometown: Corry, Pennsylvania

Scholarships: Renaissance Fund Scholarship and the Lake Erie Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship.

On choosing Behrend: I chose Behrend because it has a lot of great resources and a growing community of creative people and evolving digital art opportunities.

On choosing his major: I originally intended to participate in the 2+2 program and planned to start at Behrend and go to University Park for Film. I ended up staying at Behrend and switching to the DIGIT major because it fit my broad interests and ideas, and Behrend has a lot of useful resources, such as the equipment available to borrow from the Behrend Open Lab for Digital Creations (BOLD-C). It was a good choice to stay, as I have been able to explore different fields and areas that I am interested in.

His proudest accomplishment at Behrend: One of my proudest accomplishments is my senior project, which is a stop-motion/Claymation short film. I’m still working on it at the time of writing this, but it has been a journey on which I have learned more about my creative process and how to execute it.

Campus involvement: I was involved in the Chess Club, first as a member, and then as a member of the executive board. I helped plan events early on, and then I settled into the role of making the event posters as I got busier.

Awards and recognition: I’ve made the Dean’s List regularly. I’ve taken part in DIGIT Works, a digital event to showcase what I’ve worked on that takes place at the end of every semester, and that feels like a reward as I get to show my fellow students and members of faculty the kinds of projects I’ve worked hard on.

What makes him unique: I have a lot of creative and ambitious ideas that are seemingly endless. I come up with ideas for projects all the time. I have the skills and know-how to use Photoshop, Illustrator, and video editing programs such as DaVinci Resolve. I tend to have a knack for making interesting YouTube thumbnails and other graphic design products.

The sky’s the limit: There is no limit to what I am interested in. I usually end up exploring new areas of technology and the different forms of art. All at once, I’m interested in creating film, music, physical and digital art, video games, comic books… I could go on.

His passions: I am passionate about stories and music. I love indulging in a story and immersing myself with characters and their worlds. The human condition is to create and imagine things, which I think is amazing. I listen to music every day, and I look for a lot of meaning and like to relate to the lyrics of a song and let the instrumentals paint pictures that I can imagine. Listening to music is really one of my favorite things to do.

Advice for first-year students: If you’re having doubts, make the change you think you should. It’s not too late to change your direction in life, and you might end up making the best decision of your life.

Parting thoughts: If what I do sounds interesting, you can follow me and my projects on my YouTube Channel Takamator. I have and intend to upload videos to introduce my projects to people there. I hope to be consistent with it, and I hope to grow as a creator.

After graduation, Tyler would like to establish his own brand with his creative projects in  filmmaking, music, game design/development and more. He also is pursuing other opportunities that fit his skills.