UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Two students from the Schreyer Honors College spoke to the Board of Trustees this week about the impact honors programming has had in shaping their Penn State education.
Morgan Dawkins, a second-year architectural engineering student, and Olivia DiPrinzio, a fifth-year student majoring in energy engineering and earth science and policy, will present on how the college has helped them to find guidance, craft a courseload specific to their interests and find opportunities for professional development.
“While it’s incredibly difficult to select just two students to speak to the Schreyer experience – our Scholars have such individualized paths – Morgan and Olivia exemplify what it means to be a Scholar,” said Schreyer Honors College Dean Patrick Mather. “Both of them bring ambition and passion to everything they do as they challenge and elevate those around them. I am excited for the Board of Trustees to hear their stories and the impact they’ve had at Penn State and beyond.”
Dawkins and DiPrinzio met with Penn State News to discuss how Schreyer has helped them to craft their own Penn State experiences.
Q: Why did you choose to go to Penn State?
Dawkins: Architectural engineering was something I got passionate about in seventh grade. That was when I made up my mind that it was going to be my major. But there actually are not a lot of schools with architectural engineering programs in North Carolina, where I’m from. My mom said I could go to Pennsylvania or Georgia, so I said, “See you at Penn State.”
DiPrinzio: I knew there would be opportunities through the Schreyer Honors College that I wanted to do, both while in school and out of school. The alumni network for Penn State also was a really key thing for me. I am Pennsylvanian, born and raised, so Penn State's always been there. But I was the first one in my family to come here, and now my brother's following suit. We might end up making that a legacy thing.
Q: How has Schreyer Honors College helped you succeed?
Dawkins: I am out of state, and finances were really big issue for me. My first year, there were difficulties with my FAFSA and I wasn't considered for the aid I could have received. I sat down with Schreyer’s financial aid adviser and, this year, managed to get more funding, which has been great. I actually was invited to the Celebration of Philanthropy dinner, where I got to meet the donors supporting my financial aid. It’s an opportunity that the honors college made unique and that I truthfully don't think I'll be able to have anywhere else.
DiPrinzio: I started here at Penn State as a computer science major. I had a lot of help in figuring out, once I knew computer science wasn't necessarily for me, what was. When I switched from computer science into what I'm doing now, choosing to double major, my adviser told me that she's pretty sure I'm the only person who's ever combined the majors the way that I have. It's been a little tough navigating classes, but the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences staff and advisers are so helpful. Since then, Schreyer funded my trips to two different conferences and helped me go to New Zealand on a SEED grant trip. That experience not only helped my thesis but has been fundamental in shaping how I want to practice what I do moving forward, especially through graduate school.
Q: How have you shaped your experiences at Schreyer to suit your interests? What have you gotten involved in?
Dawkins: I took almost every opportunity that was available for me. My calendar is booked. I am a leadership intern and worked with the college’s career development director, and I'm also a Scholar Ambassador, which means I give tours of honors housing and talk to prospective students. The summer before my first year, I did the Summer Excelerator Program, which allowed me to take six credits for free and get ahead. I thought I was going to be homesick, but I was doing just fine. I got six credits, got a little ahead there, and met some amazing people. I'm still friends with a lot of them.
DiPrinzio: A classmate and I have started an organization called UNA-USA, our chapter at Penn State. That has been one of the greatest experiences for getting to know other people and creating a safe space for meaningful conversation about international issues. And in my junior year, I started doing independent research on community engagement methods for climate action plan development. After the semester was over, I started interning at Penn State Sustainability, where I’ve helped to establish a sustainability attribute for classes and help to create the School of Sustainability’s proposed programming.
Q: What has motivated you to stay in the honors college?
Dawkins: I graduated high school with both a high school diploma and an associate's degree in engineering prior to coming to Penn State. As a first-year Penn State student, I wasn't able to utilize Schreyer honors courses for my general education courses, like most students. I had to complete a lot of my courses as an honors option. It was a lot of work, and it scared me a lot. But I decided to stay here because of the community and the friends I’ve made. It made the transition easier, even when I was stressed out about classes.
DiPrinzio: Schreyer has enhanced everything that I do, and I am so excited to continue to do all those things. In the past, I was always worried about not being able to feel that way about my work. My internship has let me work on things that will stay at Penn State for quite some time, which came with a lot of research, pulling me out of the engineering space and putting me in the education space. I was able to conduct research and write, to present at conferences, and do these things that are really interesting and also very good for my personal growth in working in teams and communicating to different audiences.
Q: What are some of the skills you’ve learned through Schreyer?
Dawkins: The people at Schreyer tell me, “It's OK to adventure outward, as long as it is a learning experience that you're interested in. It is OK to not be perfect.” I was able to join clubs and go on free or affordable career development trips. My first year here, I lived in a living learning community called Globe, where I really got that global perspective. It’s a really good avenue to grow my “soft skills” – specifically leadership, as well as communication. I'm not really a public speaker, but being an ambassador, I've slowly come out of my shell to really develop those skills that I think are extremely underdeveloped in engineers.
DiPrinzio: All these experiences contribute to my development as a young professional. But they’ve also helped me with research for my thesis. My courses and activities have ended up guiding that process, and without those opportunities, my thesis would look a lot different. And that process has also helped me to determine what I want to do moving forward, which is graduate school. Schreyer’s multitude of opportunities really can help you figure things out, even when you may feel like you don't know what's going on. That was certainly true for me.