UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) has established the Penn State Chapter of the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society. The inaugural cohort of 20 students was inducted at a ceremony on Nov. 13 at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub in State College.  

Established in 2010, the Order of the Sword & Shield — also known as Omicron Sigma Sigma — is an academic and professional honor society that recognizes academic excellence in the fields of homeland security, intelligence, emergency management, cyber and information security and all protective studies, according to the organization’s website. The society’s motto is "ex scientia pax," which means “out of knowledge comes peace.”

“It is with great pride and excitement that we welcome the inaugural class into the Penn State Chapter of the Order of the Sword & Shield,” said Tyler Estright, student engagement coordinator for the College of IST. “This distinguished honor recognizes not only academic excellence but also the unwavering dedication to the principles of cybersecurity and information sciences.”

Channeling the spirit of the event, Andrea Tapia, interim dean of the College of IST, donned a suit of armor — complete with sword and shield — for the induction ceremony.

“This is the second or third time a sword was used in a chapter ceremony,” said Jeffrey P. Grossman, founder and executive national director of the order, “however, it’s the first time for the complete knight’s regalia!”

Each inductee signed the membership ledger, accepted their certificate from Estright and received their pin from Henry Moeller, lecturer in the College of IST and adviser to the Penn State Chapter. They were then "knighted" by Tapia.

“We are so proud of our talented inductees,” Tapia said. “Membership in the Order of the Sword & Shield is a prestigious honor that will enhance the students’ resumes and set them up for career success. It was a privilege to participate in this important event.”

“This induction ceremony was a momentous occasion and celebration of the new Penn State Chapter of the Order of the Sword & Shield,” said Penn State Chapter President Hope Stylios, a fourth-year student majoring in cybersecurity and inaugural president of the chapter. “This ceremony meant a lot to me as everyone in the college of IST worked extremely hard to pull this event together. I’m so grateful to everyone who showed up to support our first inductee cohort.”

The founding cohort of the society includes 20 undergraduate students from the College of IST. To qualify for membership, undergraduate students must have completed 50% of their security-related program and have a minimum grade point average of 3.25.

• Graciana Badami
• Ashu Bhonguri
• Martina Bouder
• Emily Chan
• Jordyn Dennis
• James Ebert III
• Alexis Gill
• Lauren Gumaer
• Jakob Halfpenny
• Kristopher Kolk
• Joseph Edward Lee
• Joseph Lock
• Kevin McCrea
• Matthew Nguyen
• Hanna Olivares
• Hope Stylios
• Vyshnav Vivek Uppalapu
• Sydney Vachino
• Ben Weiland
• Samantha Zolin

“These students have worked hard to start this chapter, and I’m thrilled to celebrate them and their commitment to the security disciplines,” Estright said. “They truly represent the society’s four core values of knowledge, ethics, excellence and peace.”