“From there, my college career is kind of history,” Mollo said. “I found a real passion for problem solving and analytics and I knew that consulting was something that would excite me to get out of bed in the morning and made me want to have an impact on others.”
Now, chosen as Smeal’s spring 2021 college marshal, Mollo said her consulting experiences have been the highlight of her Penn State story.
As a junior, Mollo became the president of the Nittany Consulting Group. Around that same time, she switched her major from marketing to finance to help her pursue consulting as a career.
As president, Mollo made it the club’s mission to expand the consulting community at Penn State, something she said she and her fellow club members felt passionately about.
In 2020, she helped to launch the University-accredited experiential learning program Nittany Lion Consulting Group, which was the result of the merger of three project-based consulting groups on campus: Nittany Consulting Group, Management 496 and Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations.
To make this possible, Mollo helped design the pilot for the new experiential learning program along with the weekly class sessions and industry collaborations.
The program is made up of three components: a semester-long series of training and activities introducing students to consulting; a student-managed, faculty-supported consulting firm providing services to real world clients, and a traditional student organization focusing on mentorship and networking.
David Lenze, an assistant teaching professor in management and organization who is the faculty director for the Nittany Lion Consulting Group, said that Mollo is someone who loves a challenge and is “always looking to have an impact."
“Wanting to expand consulting opportunities at the University, Allie committed her time, energy and leadership to planning and launching a new experiential learning program focused on consulting. Despite all of the challenges of a global pandemic, the Nittany Lion Consulting Group successfully launched the following semester," said Lenze.
Mollo said throughout her Smeal career, she’s most proud of the work she’s done on this project and hopes that the time she’s put in to the Nittany Lion Consulting Group will benefit students down the line who are interested in consulting by providing them with recruiting opportunities and real-world experience.
“What other school could I have attended to get that hands-on experience and ability to make that impact?” Mollo said. “That was the most real-world consulting project I’ve ever been on — having to navigate future members, clients and the faculty and think of ways to elevate our mission. I was really given the opportunity to impact others positively.”
Mollo is also a distinguished member of the Sapphire Leadership Academic Program and is involved in undergraduate research in hospital mergers and acquisitions.
Like many Smeal seniors, Mollo will be graduating with a long list of achievements, displaying her academic excellence throughout her four years in Happy Valley. The list includes:
- Schreyer Scholar
- Smeal College of Business Most Outstanding President Award
- 1st Place Smeal College of Business S.T.A.R.T. Diversity Essay Contest
- 1st Place Deloitte Consulting Penn State Case Competition
- 1st Place Boeing Penn State Case Competition
- 1st Place Johnson & Johnson Penn State Case Competition
- Penn State Student Leader Scholarship Recipient
- Long Island Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship Recipient
- Evan Pugh Scholar Award
- President Sparks Award
- President’s Freshman Award
Robert Novack, associate professor of supply chain management, is another of Mollo’s mentors. He said Mollo is truly deserving of the title of Smeal student marshal.
“Ever since I met Allie in my SCM 301H class (an honors version of Supply Chain Management 301) when she was a sophomore, she has continuously amazed me on how she strives for perfection in everything she does,” Novak said. “Whether it is her performance inside of the classroom or her participation on the Sapphire program, Allie focuses all of her energy on every detail of every task she faces.”
Mollo is also a new member educator for the Alpha Kappa Psi Co-Ed Professional Business Fraternity, where she said she’s met some of her greatest friends.
“The friendships and mentorships I’ve built there have been incredible,” Mollo said. “It’s something that I am — being an Alpha Kappa Si has shaped who I am as a person.”
In her free time, Mollo said she enjoys exploring the outdoors, frequenting museums, reading historical fictions and describes herself as an “avid peloton user.” She also has a love for traveling, which led to her participation in the London and South Africa Schreyer Study Tours.
Allie selected Stefan Lewellan, assistant professor of finance, as her faculty marshal.
After graduation, Mollo will begin a full-time role as a management consulting associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers within the firm’s Deals Advisory practice in New York City. Mollo said she’s excited to remain actively engaged with the Penn State and Smeal communities as a young alumna.
When asked about her Penn State experience, it all comes back to Smeal. Whether she was leading the Nittany Consulting Group or participating in one of the college’s case competitions, Mollo was always taking advantage of what the college had to offer.
“As a freshman, I quickly discovered Smeal’s culture of holding the door open for those behind you,” Mollo said. “It’s so apparent in our college that people are so willing to help and that faculty really invest in you and want to see you succeed.”
Smeal has also named student marshals for each academic department, along with a corresponding faculty marshal. They include:
- Accounting: Kristen Andes and Faculty Marshal Ed Babcock
- Finance: Madison Blake and Faculty Marshal Anh Le
- Management: Justin Fisher and Faculty Marshal Brad Leve
- Marketing: Sofia Allen and Faculty Marshal Duncan Fong
- Risk Management: Noah Donten and Faculty Marshal Ron Gebhardtsbauer
- Supply Chain and Information Systems: Rachel Martin and Faculty Marshal Jason Acimovic
- ROTC: Student Marshal Cadet Kevin Ouyang and Military Marshal Lawrence B. Havird, Colonel, USAF AFROTC Detachment 720, Commander