UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Casey Zanowic came to Penn State with a goal in mind: study political science in the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts. The Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar, now a double major in political science and journalism, can’t imagine her college career looking any different.

Because she grew up outside Washington and had parents who worked in government, political science was a no-brainer for Zanowic. The decision to add journalism came during her first year at Penn State.

“I came in with a lot of credits, so I was trying to find something that could balance out my time,” she said. “I took a few telecommunications classes, and I loved it. I thought they were great, and then I finally took a writing class and realized I loved journalism. I figured I would do a broadcast path after watching all the morning news shows growing up and already wanting to do that with a political science degree.”

Zanowic figured a writing background could elevate her political science degree and make her stand out when she applied to internships in government. This past summer, Zanowic completed an internship with the Department of Homeland Security.

“I loved every minute of it,” she said. “Although it was remote, I felt like the people I was working with made it so much better because on a day-to-day basis, I would have meetings with my supervisor and other people in the department, and they made my experience very welcoming and made it so easy. They were very willing to help me with anything and answered every question I had.”

Zanowic explained how she had no expectations when it came to what she would be doing this past summer as an intern but was able to work on something that became “one of her biggest achievements to this day.”

“I actually went in not exactly knowing how I would do communications work with them because I was working with the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, and although I was in the strategic recruitment, diversity and inclusion division, I thought it would be more focused on inclusive diversity and hiring methods, aka HR kinds of things,” Zanowic said. “However, my supervisor knew that I was in a radio broadcasting class and asked if I would be willing to help create a podcast and I thought, ‘Yes, of course! That sounds awesome,’ so that was my main project of the summer.”

Zanowic created the podcast as a part of the inclusive diversity team within the Office of the Chief Human to talk about topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion in a more conversational way.

“It was a way to talk about inclusive diversity and its importance in short segments that people could easily access,” Zanowic said. “The office wanted the podcast to be available internally to all DHS employees so that the entire agency would have the ability to listen to the podcast and just gain a better understanding of what diversity and inclusion really mean.”

Zanowic recorded and uploaded three episodes that revolved around the topics of unintentional racism, microaggressions, stereotypes and adjusting to a new environment.

“We would bring in one or two people to interview, and they would share their stories about the specific topic,” Zanowic said. “In our first episode, one of my supervisors shared a story about a time when he was racially profiled.

“In our second episode, we brought in another intern to talk about her experience starting out at DHS and how she adjusted. I know that other topics they were going to explore included things like addressing cancel culture, defining what diversity and inclusion really is and psychological safety.”

Not only was Zanowic involved in interviewing people for the podcast, she also promoted the podcast within the Department of Homeland Security.

“When I got there, the structure of the podcast and the format we were going to use were already set up, so I mostly helped with the design of the app and website, brainstorming content, and establishing how we were going to ‘release’ our first couple episodes,” Zanowic said. “My co-workers also asked if I would be comfortable doing the interviews because I have a background in both radio reporting and journalism in general, so I was also heavily involved in the interview process which I really enjoyed.”

In addition to creating the podcast, Zanowic made an inclusive diversity PowerPoint, wrote talking points for the deputy chief human capital officer and helped the department redesign its website to be more strategically inclusive to younger audiences in hopes of recruiting more recent college graduates to the federal government.

Zanowic looked back on her time as an intern fondly, explaining how positive of an experience her time with the Department of Homeland Security was for her.

“I thought it was fantastic to work within government but also do something in communications because I wasn’t sure if that was possible,” Zanowic said. “Being able to combine the political science classes and American government classes that I’ve taken with doing a podcast and taking the radio portion of broadcast, I think it was one of the best times of my life and wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.”

Zanowic explained how fortunate she is to have received an education at Penn State, specifically through the College of the Liberal Arts.

“I think my College of the Liberal Arts education has really broadened my knowledge base because the liberal arts are so expansive,” Zanowic said. “I think it’s really given me an opportunity to take so many classes that I never would have thought to take and a chance to learn about a whole different base of things.”

“Also, all my classes have been super helpful in teaching me how to write and prepare for life outside of college, which is something that I will be thankful for in any career I choose.”

Zanowic also talked about what being a Paterno Fellow meant for her, describing it as one of the highlights of her Penn State experience.

“The rigor of the program has challenged me both in and out of the classroom, and it has taught me essential communication, leadership and critical thinking skills that I know will be especially useful after I leave Penn State,” Zanowic said. “As a Paterno Fellow, I feel that I am academically challenged in a way that helps me reach my fullest potential and succeed in all my academic goals.

“This experience has helped me succeed inside the classroom and in several student organizations that I'm involved in. Being a Paterno Fellow has truly enhanced my experience at Penn State and has taught me so many things that I believe will help me in any career I choose.”

Zanowic also discussed the resources the College of the Liberal Arts has offered her that have allowed her to apply to internships and opportunities she wouldn’t have before.

“The College of the Liberal Arts has such an incredible professional development and career office that I take advantage of all the time,” Zanowic said. “I think that without the Career Enrichment Network, I wouldn’t have applied to the things I’ve applied to.”

On campus, Zanowic is involved in Penn State Lion Scouts. She serves as the director of marketing and recruitment where she runs the organization’s social media accounts and conducts fall and spring recruitment events. Zanowic is also a website content writer for VALLEY Magazine and a member of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority.

Zanowic still has one more year at Penn State but sees herself working for a year after college prior to taking the big step of attending law school.

“I was originally planning on going to law school, but I think I want to take a year off and find a job in writing,” Zanowic said. “I have always been interested in law school, and I really want to have that under my belt.”