UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ten Penn State students have been selected as the inaugural group of Bellisario College Fellows in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
The 10 students, two each from the Bellisario College’s five majors, were selected after initial faculty recommendations and by completing a rigorous application process that included reviews by alumni and faculty, as well as personal interviews.
More than 90 high-achieving students were nominated for the program.
Those selected were:
Advertising/Public Relations: Christina Chambers (junior-West Chester, Pennsylvania) and Taylor Harrington (senior-Westport, Connecticut)
Film-Video: Katie Gergel (junior-West Chester, Pennsylvania) and Peter Rivera (senior-Land O’Lakes, Florida)
Journalism: Maddie Bertempfel (junior-Pittsburgh) and Alison Kuznitz (senior-Trumbull, Connecticut)
Media Studies: Bennett Nelsey (senior-Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) and Ellis Stump (senior-Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania)
Telecommunications: Andrea Melgar (senior-Pahrump, Nevada) and Meghan Shiels (senior-Julian, Pennsylvania)
Candidates were evaluated on their academic performance, demonstrated interest in career development, involvement in campus media opportunities, and potential to become notable stewards to the Bellisario College.
The Bellisario College Fellows program is an effort to provide a transformational learning experience for students, helping them network and meet with alumni and friends, while also engaging them to serve as ambassadors for the Bellisario College and Penn State. The program is designed to offer special opportunities for students, provide them with exclusive access to on-campus events, and even participate in field trips to meet with key alumni in nearby major media markets.
Members of the inaugural class of Fellows met with alumnus and Bellisario College namesake Donald P. Bellisario at a private lunch during Homecoming week. Students selected also earned scholarship support.
Alumni reviewers for the process were Alyson Joyce, chair of the Bellisario College’s Alumni Society Board and previously an associate for stakeholder relations at Seneca Resource Corp., and Richard Rapp, chair of the Bellisario College’s Ad/PR Network Board and president of Altamira, an integrated marketing and communications company based in Westport, Connecticut.