Will Gawryk has lived all over the country, though the Nittany Lion always self-identifies as a Penn Stater when he meets new people or introduces himself to a group.
He’s still not completely back home in Happy Valley, though moving from Arizona to the Hoosier State gets him closer. And this year’s football schedule puts him smack dab in the middle of plenty of action.
Gawryk serves as the president of the Penn State Alumni Association’s Indiana Chapter, and he and the group are set to host their second event in three weeks on Friday, Nov. 11. The first came the night before Penn State battled Purdue in West Lafayette, and the two-set finale arrives Friday, the night before the Nittany Lions take on Indiana in Bloomington.
A 1990 Penn State graduate, Gawryk moved to Indianapolis and re-connected with then-president Kelly Hampton, a 1989 graduate whom he initially met when they were both students at Penn State. Hampton now serves as chapter secretary, and between them, they help spearhead activities for the chapter, which recently changed its name from Central Indiana Chapter to Indiana Chapter.
They’re focused on supporting the entire state, which is exactly what they’ve been doing during this busy three-week span. The Alumni Association caught up with Gawryk ahead of Friday night’s alumni mixer in Bloomington. To learn more about the Indiana Chapter, visit the group's Facebook page.
Alumni Association: How did you initially become involved with your alumni chapter, and what inspired you to accept a leadership position within the group?
Will Gawryk: As I had just moved from Phoenix to Indianapolis, I wanted to get involved with some local groups to meet people with whom I have something in common. Also, Kelly and I met at Penn State, and she was the only person we knew when we moved here; she invited me to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game (the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates) for a Penn State alumni chapter event. I had a great time, met great people, and the group was looking for someone to help out on the leadership team. I was excited to help out the organization, and the group elected me president.
Alumni Association: Were you involved with any Alumni Association-related activities as a student, and following up on the first question, how did you learn about joining an Alumni Association chapter? Was joining an alumni chapter something you knew about even as a student?
Will Gawryk: As a student, my work-study position was in the Office of Development, so I was tied to alumni, the Alumni Association and some of the chapters supporting efforts to process paperwork for donations to the University. When I graduated, my former wife and I decided to become life members of the Alumni Association. She was in the Blue Band and I have always had so much pride to be Penn State alumnus. Every time I am asked to introduce myself and tell a little about myself, my response is always, 'My name is Will Gawryk, I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and I went to university at Penn State.' I had attended a few Penn State alumni events during my years in Phoenix; however, I was most excited to be moving back closer to Penn State and become much more active volunteering my time.
Alumni Association: Having a leadership position within your alumni chapter, did you have any prior experience that helped prepare you for this leadership position, and what have you learned during your time that's helped you grow, personally and professionally?
Will Gawryk: I believe that my career path has significantly helped me be prepared for this leadership role in the chapter. I have been in the aerospace industry for almost 22 years in global roles of increasing responsibility, including a three-year expatriate assignment as a director for Aircraft Engine Services Europe stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. In addition, I was treasurer for our Phoenix homeowners association consisting of 1,880 homes in the community. Also, I volunteered as an instructor for Junior Achievement of Arizona. As president of the alumni chapter, the position has afforded me the opportunity to meet alumni throughout Indiana and begin networking around the state. The chapter has historically been focused in Indianapolis. This past year, we have decided to change our chapter name from Central Indiana Chapter to simply the Indiana Chapter to rebrand ourselves as a chapter for all Indiana alumni to join and participate. This year, we planned football viewing parties both north and south of Indianapolis to meet and include alumni outside the Indianapolis area. Our leadership team has committed to traveling to these events to meet more of our alumni. My goals are to grow the chapter, develop a healthy operating budget and increase the scholarship fund to endowment level. I truly want to make a difference for the chapter and the University during my time as president.
Alumni Association: Do you have any members who've belonged to the chapter for a long time, perhaps decades? If so, how special is it to bridge those generational gaps and have shared Penn State experiences with alumni who might've graduated decades earlier?
Will Gawryk: Yes, we have a core group of about 25–30 who are long-standing members of the chapter and the group that consistently attend most all events. We are definitely trying to improve our communications with Indiana alumni (over 1,000 in the state with approximately 450 in the Indianapolis area) to gain participation from more recent graduates and families. It has been quite the challenge over the past couple of years to bring in new members; however, we are seeing this year an increase in the numbers of new alumni attending the football watch parties each week. In addition, we were thrilled for the turnout at the Purdue alumni event, where more than 100 alumni attended.
Alumni Association: In what ways does belonging to an alumni chapter help you stay connected to Penn State, and why is it important to keep that connection?
Will Gawryk: I have very much enjoyed meeting and becoming connected to the Penn State Alumni Association. The connection has helped me to gain support and ideas to help improve and grow our chapter. Personally, I am hoping to expand those connections into Penn State’s College of Engineering to develop corporate connections in the aerospace industry and redevelop my network in Penn State’s Smeal College of Business community for my professional career networking.