UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Noah A. Lingwall, a senior majoring in history in the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Eric A. Walker Award.
The award is presented annually to the student who has contributed most to enhancing the reputation of the University through extracurricular activities. Walker was president of Penn State from 1956 to 1970.
Lingwall, a Schreyer Scholar and Paterno Fellow with a 3.99 cumulative GPA, plans to continue his education in law school, but his contributions extend beyond of classroom.
As president and co-founder of Music Service Club (MSC), a position he has held since 2014, Lingwall relied on his musical talents and leadership skills to perform for individuals with physical and mental disabilities, forge partnerships with Penn State service and music groups and build relationships with the Schreyer Honors College and university service leaders.
“Starting MSC proved an incredible leadership challenge, including recruiting officers to managing intricate logistics of musical performances,” said Lingwall. “Despite these hurdles, I helped build the club to where it is today, performing almost every week at five nursing homes and PSU LifeLink.”
Lingwall also serves on the Council of LionHearts, a roundtable where the University’s top service leaders share lessons and partner to create new service opportunities. Through the group, he has been involved in creating community service volunteer projects for Penn State students and has been a leader of the annual “State Day of Service,” a program that organizes more than 1,000 students to help complete community service projects in Centre County.
“I aspire to practice public-service oriented law to represent the interests of the voiceless, much like I did at Penn State,” said Lingwall. “My internships with public defenders and family law practitioners deepened my understanding of what it means to meet the needs of the underserved.”
A nominator said Lingwall is an “extraordinary and dedicated student leader” with a high level of academic success.
“After nearly 20 years as a senior administrator at Penn State, I have known many students who have demonstrated strong leadership,” said the nominator. “But it is rare to work with a student who exemplifies such strong leadership skills along with a commitment to public service and a strong sense of personal empathy and ethics.”