UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As part of Penn State’s 2020 spring commencement activities, senior Erin Doolin will represent criminology in the College of the Liberal Arts as the program’s student marshal.
In response to the growing coronavirus pandemic, orders from the state government and recommendations from global public health organizations, Penn State will hold its spring 2020 commencement ceremony via livestream on May 9. The virtual ceremony will recognize all Penn State undergraduate students and all graduate students in the Penn State Graduate School.
Doolin, a Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar, will graduate with bachelor of arts degrees in criminology and political science and a minor in Spanish. Her faculty marshal is Howard Smith, associate teaching professor of criminology.
“The opportunities in the College of the Liberal Arts are unparalleled,” said Doolin. “I am most grateful for the professors that I've had during the past four years; they have consistently pushed me to challenge myself and achieve more than I thought I was capable of.”
Doolin was captain and public relations chair for the Penn State Mock Trial Association where she taught her team members how to create material, develop case theories and learn the rules of evidence and case law. As president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Penn State, Doolin led efforts to organize advocacy events, recruit members, and raise money. Doolin was also an orientation mentor and scholar advancement team member for the Schreyer Honors College.
During her academic career, Doolin studied abroad in London and Madrid and traveled to Curaçao through an embedded course trip. She completed research on the interactive effect of gender and race on sentencing outcomes with political science and criminology faculty at Penn State. In addition, Doolin held numerous internships, including with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., Penn State University Police, the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute, Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, and Flip Learning.
After graduation, Doolin plans to work for the federal government in Washington, D.C.
“The advice I would give to any Liberal Arts freshmen is to take advantage of everything that Penn State and the College of the Liberal Arts have to provide,” said Doolin. “There are an infinite amount of opportunities to get involved, gain leadership opportunities, study abroad, and network. I would also suggest getting to know your professors; they love to help you and they are great resources!”
This is the 14th in a series of stories on the 24 student marshals representing the College of the Liberal Arts during the spring 2020 commencement activities.