UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Six students who excelled in and out of the classroom during their careers were selected to serve as student marshals for the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications during undergraduate commencement exercises scheduled for May 10 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
One student was selected as the overall Bellisario College marshal and five others will represent each of the resident majors.
Commencement exercises begin at 1 p.m. May 10 in the Jordan Center. Additional information about the event, including a parking information, the Jordan Center’s bag policy, and a link to a livestream the day of the event may be found on the Bellisario College's commencement website.
The six students selected to serve as student marshals were:
Overall Marshal, Michael DeAngelis
Michael “Mikey” DeAngelis completed a major in film production and studied abroad in Florence, Italy, as part of the International Studies Institute to focus on art, history and culture education. He also completed a business fundamentals certificate from the Smeal College of Business and a minor in Italian.
A dean’s list student, DeAngelis worked as visual editor of Onward State, leading a 30-member staff of photographers, videographers and graphic designers. He also completed an internship focused on social media with Visit Philadelphia in 2024.
Additionally, DeAngelis worked as a freelance photographer throughout his time at Penn State. In that role he helped clients with graduation photos and regularly shot and edited personal YouTube videos — including a 57-part series from his time in Italy and Europe.
DeAngelis, the son of Lynn and Michael DeAngelis of Furlong, Pennsylvania, also worked as a tour guide for the Bellisario College.
“One point I would always stress, which is still my favorite thing about the Bellisario College, is the balance of ‘big school resources, small school feel,’ which is something the college uses to advertise — for good reason,” DeAngelis said. “I’ve gotten to know many of my classmates. I’ve had the same professors multiple times in small, intimate classroom settings. It feels like home to me. At the same time, Penn State has the resources to provide all the advantages of a massive university.”
DeAngelis spent much of his senior year working on a documentary project titled “Mat Town USA,” which he plans to screen at film festivals around the country this spring and summer while pursuing communications, filmmaking and marketing positions in Philadelphia and New York.
Advertising/Public Relations Marshal, Davis Yoshitani
Davis Yoshitani completed his bachelor’s degree in advertising/public relations along with a minor in digital media trends and analytics and a business fundamentals certificate from the Smeal College of Business.
A dean’s list student, he complemented his classroom efforts by completing separate advertising sales internships with NBCUniversal and Warner Brothers Discovery. Both provided hands-on, professional experience. That included working to enhance revenue growth for Peacock during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (as part of the NBCUniversal internship) and compiling and tracking key performance indicators for a variety of efforts at Warner Brothers Discovery.
Yoshitani, the son of Gail and Shaw Yoshitani of West Point, New York, worked at The Daily Collegian as an advertising sales account executive and later as business manager during his time at Penn State. He also participated in the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition as the assistant director of the Nittany Group. The team won its district and region and advanced to the national finals in 2024.
Although he’s from a military family and both of his parents are instructors at the U.S. Military Academy, he found his home, and much success, at Penn State.
“Joining clubs and organizations helped me grow professionally and provided valuable real-world internship experience,” Yoshitani said. “More importantly, extracurriculars allow you to collaborate with like-minded individuals, fostering friendships and a sense of community that is vital during college.”
One of those meaningful extracurricular organizations Yoshitani joined was Penn State Navigators, a Christian ministry on campus. “God blessed me with such a loving and supportive community that made Penn State feel like home,” he said. “It not only helped me build lasting friendships but also allowed me to grow in my faith throughout college.”
Journalism Marshal, Alena Surace
Alena Surace completed a bachelor’s degree in journalism, specifically focused on broadcast journalism. She added a minor in French.
A dean’s list student, she started her career at Penn State New Kensington and has complemented her classroom success with many hands-on opportunities.
Because she plans to pursue an on-air television career, several experiences have helped her prepare for that goal — specifically an internship with WTAJ-TV this spring and a variety of positions with the student-run PSN-TV, as well as an anchor role with the award-winning “Centre County Report” newscast.
Surace, the daughter of Cynthia and Vincent Surace of Plum, Pennsylvania, honed her time management skills as a student, too. Along with classes and practical work to prepare for her eventual career, she balanced a part-time job and made the most of on-campus opportunities and special events.
“Whether it’s the clubs, classes or off-campus functions, there is something for everyone in the Bellisario College,” she said. “During my time at Penn State I learned what it takes to be an adult. Trying to balance it all can be hard but by learning from those kinds of obstacles I feel better prepared for my career.”
Film Production Marshal, Julie Ammon
Julie Ammon is the daughter of Lynn and Charles Ammon and a graduate of State College Area High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in film production, a bachelor of design in digital arts and media design, and a certificate in diversity studies.
Ammon, a dean’s list student, gained extensive hands-on experience at Penn State. She worked as a videographer for VALLEY Magazine, a digital production intern at WPSU, and a communications and video production intern at the Palmer Museum of Art. She also completed internships with the Centre Film Festival and C-NET, Centre County’s government and educational access network. Beyond internships, she maintained freelance art projects and embraced various roles on student film productions — including cinematographer, director, editor, gaffer, production designer and writer.
A documentary production course had a profound impact on Ammon as a filmmaker, and she said the collaborative and inclusive mindset in the Bellisario College was impactful. “The class opened my eyes to the creative potential of nonfiction film and helped me realize how much I enjoy crafting stories from real life,” she said. “I will always value the collaborative atmosphere of the college where everyone is eager to make something special, and I enjoyed finding unexpected ways to contribute to its community.”
Media Studies Marshal, Jenna Meleedy
Jenna Meleedy completed a bachelor’s degree in media studies and developed a vast area of expertise experience focused on media literacy and news literacy.
A dean’s list student, she complemented her classroom success by working for the National Association for Media Literacy Education, the Media Education Lab and the News Literacy Initiative at Penn State. Each of those opportunities offered many ways to make an impact — including developing youth-centered media literacy resources, creating and hosting a webinar series about teaching strategies, or researching and producing visual news literacy social media content. She also works on a freelance basis producing hour-long lectures and webinars about media literacy.
As a student affiliate of the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence she also promoted AI-related research and initiatives on campus. She worked as a news reporter for The Daily Collegian and studied abroad in the Czech Republic as well. She also served as a resident assistant for a year and a half.
Meleedy, the daughter of Rayna and Michael Meleedy of Upton, Massachusetts, said all those experiences — along with battling homesickness when she first starts college, spending four months abroad and then engaging with other students, faculty and staff daily at Penn State — helped build her confidence and shape her path going forward.
“As a prepare to transition out of college, planning for the future feels like a squint through a fog. The training wheels are off,” Meleedy said. “But Penn State has given me the assurance that I can more forward without them.”
Telecommunications Marshal, Calvin Brzozowski
Calvin Joseph Brzozowski completed a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications and media industries and found a career passion during his time at Penn State.
Brzozowski, the son of Diane and Daniel Brzozowski of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant, served as vice president of the Penn State Outing Club, and was a senator for the student government association.
In a more major specific role, he was a crew member for 46 Live, the student-led organization that provides the livestream of the annual Penn State Dance Marathon and related events, for two years.
A dean’s list student, Brzozowski’s classroom work and related collaboration were especially impactful. He developed a passion for broadband connectivity and its social and economic impact on communities across the United States. He hopes to find a way to serve the public interest through community representation and the development and deployment of advanced telecommunications services.
He said the community in the Bellisario College had an important impact on him.
“The best part of the Bellisario College is its personality. From students and staff, down to the courses, everything feels engaging, full of energy and unique,” he said. “At a university as large as Penn State, the Bellisario College has cultivated a close-knit community.”