UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Isabella Ferreira arrived at Penn State several years ago as a social and outgoing student eager to get involved.
Ferreira, now a rising senior majoring in Earth science and policy, has made the most of the many opportunities she discovered at Penn State.
She joined the Student Sustainability Advisory Council, supporting efforts toward waste reduction in the dining halls; and the Penn State Center for Advancement of Undergraduate Studies and Experiences (CAUSE) Program, which allowed her to travel the country and see sustainability concepts taught in the classroom applied in the real world.
She has conducted research internships with Project Drawdown, a nonprofit that seeks to address climate change, where she studied carbon capture sequestration potential in Pennsylvania; and the Society of Aspiring Geophysicists, where she looked at the overlap of carbon capture solutions and economics.
"That was just all very beneficial to my experience here,” Ferreira said. “And I feel like I couldn’t have gotten that anywhere else. I’m so very grateful for my experiences here at Penn State.”
Now Ferreira hopes to help younger students at Penn State find their own opportunities.
This spring semester, Ferreira and 14 other undergraduates were inducted as College of Earth and Mineral Science Academy for Global Experience (EMSAGE) laureates.
Established in 2009, the EMSAGE program is the college’s signature undergraduate program for fostering well-rounded students who graduate with a broad skill set in experiential learning and global literacy, and service addition to being excellent students, academically.
“The most rewarding aspect of being selected for this honor is to be a part of a long legacy of other accomplished students,” Ferreira said.
In 2019, the program expanded to create protégé and practitioner statuses for underclass students. This revised format aimed to establish a supportive community for students pursuing EMSAGE Laurate status.
“I would tell other younger students, ‘don't be scared to put yourself out there and to take on a new opportunity,’” Ferreira said. “’Don’t hesitate to put yourself out there and take on a little extra work, because it'll pay off.’”
The Spring 2023 Laureates are:
- Ali Al Hassan, petroleum and natural gas engineering
- Mohammed Alarfaj, petroleum and natural gas engineering
- Athbi Alfarhan, petroleum and natural gas engineering
- Mohammad Badghaish, petroleum and natural gas engineering
- Hannah Chop, environmental systems engineering
- Isabella Ferreira, Earth science and policy
- Mufaddal Gheewala, energy engineering
- Allison Holland, geography
- David Marcial, meteorology and atmospheric science
- Jaeden Mayzel, environmental systems engineering
- Akhdan Mir, energy engineering
- Hunter Reeves, geosciences
- Angelina Santamaria, Earth science and policy and geography
- Justin Warner, materials science and engineering
- Luke Winand, meteorology and atmospheric science