UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Hannah Priller has been named the fall 2024 student marshal for the Penn State College of Engineering. She will receive bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering and in chemistry from the Eberly College of Science at the University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony, which will be held at 1 p.m. on Dec. 22 in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Student marshals are selected for their outstanding academic achievement and contributions to engineering student life and lead the procession of graduates from their college during commencement.
A graduate of Souderton Area High School in Montgomery County and daughter of George and Kathy Priller, Priller earned a 4.0 grade point average and appeared on the dean’s list all eight semesters. She received numerous awards, including the Evan Pugh Scholar Senior Award, the President’s Freshman Award, the William “Bill” Suits Undergraduate Middle-Atlantic Regional Award for Outstanding Student Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society (ACS), the ACS Student Leadership Award, the Department of Chemistry’s Award for Excellence in Service and Engagement, and the Department of Chemistry’s Benkovic Summer Research Award.
She also received the John and Elizabeth Holmes Teas Scholarship, the Schreyer Honors College Academic Excellence Scholarship and the Eberly College of Science Homer Braddock Scholarship.
“I was surprised to be selected [as a student marshal] but also felt honored for my hard work and thankful for everyone who has supported me along the way,” Priller said. “My most important lesson that I will take from my time at Penn State is how to push myself, but, at the same time, make time to relax and have fun with friends and family. This is especially important to me because I came into Penn State ready to push myself academically, but realized that in order to stay motivated, I needed to take time for myself outside of academics to enjoy my college experience and to keep myself happy and healthy.”
During her time in college, Prilller participated in various organizations, including Penn State’s pep, campus and concert bands, the Volé Dance Company, the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Central PA Mixed Marshal Arts. She also was a member of the Nittany Chemical Society for all four years and served as its 2023-24 president.
Priller completed a research and development internship at Axalta Coating Systems during the summer of 2022. She also completed research over two summers at Penn State in the research group of Ben Lear, professor of chemistry, where she studied the effect of size on the electronic properties of gold nanoparticles.
After graduation, Priller plans to attend graduate school to earn a doctorate in organic synthesis, then to work in research and development in industry.