UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Every spring semester, the Office of Student Activities, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs, presents awards and scholarships to students and organizations who have been valuable contributors in the areas of leadership and service while at Penn State. These awards honor individual students and recognized student organizations for their outstanding contributions to the University.
This past year, The Office of Student Activities wanted to increase engagement with the awards as well as showcase are larger variety of organizations. Using the Penn State Values as pillars to the awards, 20 awards were created that recognized not only student organizations, but individuals as well as advisers.
The recipients were announced on April 20 on Instagram and can be found there @PennStateStudentActivities.
These awards provide an opportunity to thank student leaders for being active citizens while on campus and for their continued service and leadership on behalf of Penn State as an institution.
“Each year, our student organizations showcase the outstanding services, programs, and experiences they provide for the Penn State and State College Community. This year, we are thrilled to recognize 29 individuals and student organizations for their hard work and determination throughout the academic year. Our student organizations continue to be a cornerstone of engagement at Penn State,” said Dawn Savage, program coordinator for student organizations in the Office of Student Activities.
The awards and recipients are listed below. For the full list of award descriptions and nominees, visit the Student Activities webpage:
- New Initiative – Days for Girls
- Innovative Program – Society of Indian Music and Arts (graduate and professional organization) and Monty Python Society (undergraduate organization)
- Outstanding Service – Athletes Take Action
- Outstanding Philanthropy Event – Omega Delta Sigma
- Outstanding Sustainability Efforts – Nittany Divers SCUBA Club
- Outstanding Marketing – Women in Business
- Up and Coming Organization – The Minority Association of Pre-Medical/Health Students
- Membership Engagement – Chinese Student and Scholars Association
- Professional/Student Development – Arnold Air Society
- Community Impact – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Student Commemoration Committee
- Collaborative Effort and Initiative – Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
- Diversity and Inclusion Enhancement – First Gen Advocates (graduate and professional organization) and K-Pop Music and Dance (undergraduate organization)
- OrgCentral Maximizer – German Club and INFORMS at Penn State
- Outstanding Event Planners – Electronic Dance Music Club
- Outstanding Financial Management – Alayne Pleasanton, Thespians and No Refund Theatre; and Justin Valenti, Competitive Latin and Ballroom Dance
- Outstanding Student Organization Support – Jenn Stewart, Penn State Unmanned Aircraft Operations Department
- Outstanding Advisers – Cathleen Hunt, Psi Chi; Charlies Smith, Accounting Society; Cynthia Reed, Multicultural Engineering Graduate Association; Katie Hoffman, Harmony; and Mary Ellen Yonushonis, Student Nurses' Association at Penn State.
- Outstanding Member – Cierra Chandler (graduate and professional member), Multicultural Engineering Graduate Association; and Joseph Braukmann (undergraduate member), Harmony
- Outstanding Officer – Katie Leite, Psi Chi (president) and Student Farm (programming director)
- Outstanding Student Organization – Harmony
The Outstanding Student Organization, Harmony, a performing arts club that supports individuals with special needs, was recently featured in Penn State News for their work in transitioning their rehearsals and performance online. The Outstanding Service recipient, Athletes Take Action, was recognized by the State College Area School District.
This year’s full list of nominees and recipients can be found here.