UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Six Penn State students who packed their careers at the University with academic success and a mix of community involvement, internships and research experience were selected to serve as student marshals for the College of Communications during commencement exercises at noon May 7 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Along with an overall marshal, the group includes one representative from each of the five communications majors.
Kristen Laubscher, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was selected as the overall marshal. A Schreyer Honors Scholar and dean’s list student, Laubscher will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in advertising/public relations and a bachelor’s degree in sociology, as well as a minor in political science.
Laubscher completed four internships, including experiences with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in Arlington, Virginia, and Susan Davis International in Washington, D.C. She also served as a project intern for discernPSU and as a promotions manager and business division staff member for The Daily Collegian.
Laubscher, a member of the Lion Ambassadors, earned several academic awards. Her Schreyer Honors College thesis focused on how corporate social responsibility influences consumer attitudes and purchase intent. The goal of the research was to determine if spending time and money on corporate social responsibility was in a company’s best interests.
Rachael David, from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was selected as the advertising/public relations marshal. Along with her bachelor’s degree, she added a minor in psychology. A dean’s list student, she completed three internships and served as a college ambassador for Ford Motor Company on campus.
She also served as editor-in-chief of Her Campus Media and as an account executive for the student-driven Happy Valley Communications. Among her many activities, David was director of public relations for the Lawrence G. Foster Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, a contributing writer to EliteDaily.com and a volunteer for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON).
During her undergraduate career David earned the President’s Freshman Year Award, the President Sparks Awards, the Evan Pugh Scholar Award, the John W. Oswald Award and several scholarships.
Megan Roethlein, from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, was selected as the film-video student marshal. A dean’s list student who started her career at Penn State Behrend, she complemented her bachelor’s degree with a minor in English. Roethlein completed an internship in Los Angeles with Martin Chase Productions, served as a production assistant for Structure Films and was a production intern for Castle Pictures Inc. in New York City.
Roethlein also studied abroad twice — visiting Amsterdam and Iceland, respectively — with a documentary filmmaking class that made weeklong trips during spring break her junior and senior years for hands-on experience.
Taylor Bisacky, from Jamison, Pennsylvania, was selected as the journalism marshal. A dean’s list student, she will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and marketing.
She completed her classroom success through an abundance of real-life experience with “Centre County Report,” the award-winning, student-produced newscast; an internship WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.; an internship with WPVI-TV in Philadelphia; and back-to-back years as an on-air host for 46Live, which produced the webcast for THON that was seen by viewers in more than 100 countries.
Wenjuan Xu, from China, was selected as the media studies student marshal. A dean’s list student, she will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in media studies, criminology, psychology and sociology as well as a minor in linguistics. She completed three internships in China and served as a research assistant in laboratories at Penn State focused on language and aging research, as well as anxiety and human emotion.
She also served as a teaching assistant for an introductory sociology course and participated as a graphic designer and playwright for the Chinese Theatre Group at Penn State.
Rachel Kristine, of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, was selected as the telecommunications marshal. A dean’s list student, she added a minor in political science.
She served as a peer mentor in the College of Communications and was consistently involved in THON as an alternative fundraising chair for Apollo and as a member of committees focused on rules and regulations and staff outreach. Kristine also served as an event coordinator intern for FarmFest, organized by Pennsylvania Certified Organic.