UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Current first-year students considering their housing for the 2022-23 school year can now sign up for Lion LaunchPad (LLP), a living-learning community for students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Lion LaunchPad will host an open house from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 19 in 009 Leete Hall. First-year students are encouraged to stop by for pizza and an inside look at the living-learning community.
To apply to the Lion LaunchPad living-learning community, students must first request housing in North Halls during October. An offer from Penn State Housing will be sent in early November. Learn more about the housing timeline at housing.psu.edu.
“Students who previously lived in Lion LaunchPad tell us how the important the connections they made helped them in their Penn State career and how their experiences benefitted them years later,” said Linda Feltman, the faculty associate for LLP and lecturer of telecommunications and media industries in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
Lion LaunchPad is located in Leete Hall, in the North Halls residence area. Residents will have access to a well-stocked and outfitted makerspace. The space is outfitted with a variety of equipment, including computers loaded with specialty software, podcasting equipment, large screen TVs, white boards, an entrepreneurship library and comfortable seating for group activities.
Many former residents say their favorite part of LLP was meeting and living with like-minded, driven people who relish collaboration. Residents in LLP will plan field trips, attend weekly meetings and hear from local entrepreneurs who will share their experiences.
Ben Yan is a recent graduate of Penn State and earned a multidisciplinary degree combining psychology, business and sociology. He said living in LLP during his first year allowed him to find like-minded people at a time when forging new connections can be difficult after just arriving at college.
“In college, having a network is so, so important,” Yan said during a panel discussion of former LLP residents. “I think LLP has been the place where I've been able to find my network.”
Feltman said LLP was a great starting point for students to discover the much larger entrepreneurship ecosystem at Penn State.
“Living in LLP will give students a chance to interact with people from many entrepreneurship programs and opportunities that they may otherwise never hear about,” Feltman said. “We really believe that LLP helps students find their way at Penn State, even if they never go on to create a business of their own. There is a supportive culture here, and we want to keep the momentum going.”
Lion LaunchPad is supported by the Center for Penn State Student Entrepreneurship and Penn State Undergraduate Education.