UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As a high school student, Blake Toliver wasn’t familiar with Pennsylvania schools. When researching colleges and universities, he ended up visiting Penn State Brandywine, which led him to become interested in Penn State University Park. Originally from South Jersey, he and his twin brother Brent Toliver attended a “Spend a Fall Day” session.

“It was very magical,” Blake said. “I had no idea what college was like until I stepped on the Penn State campus.”

Now, Blake and Brent are fourth-year students set to graduate with degrees in English and criminology, and telecommunications, respectively.

“The best part about going to Penn State was being able to stay connected with my twin brother,” Brent said. “To have that person to talk to when you’re feeling down or need someone to cheer you up is really nice.”

“If we ever start feeling homesick, we try to make efforts to spend time with one another,” Blake said.

A Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar, Blake knew he wanted to be an attorney since high school, and he quickly became interested in criminology while at Penn State.

“It was something I continuously liked engaging myself in,” Blake said.

Blake will represent criminology as the major’s student marshal at spring commencement.

Blake knew his English degree would also benefit him with the reading and writing necessary in law school. He is also minoring in communication arts and sciences.

Brent, who is minoring in sociology, became interested in the subject while working as a World in Conversation facilitator in the College of the Liberal Arts.

“[Sociology] definitely encompasses everything — even in [telecommunications]. How do people communicate to the masses?” Brent said. “It all works together.”

Moreover, Blake and Brent quickly became involved on campus. Blake is currently the president of the Multicultural Undergraduate Law Association and was previously the University Park Undergraduate Association chair for the Penn State Student Black Caucus. His efforts within UPUA — including speaking out publicly against Zoom bombings that targeted Black Caucus and creating an initiative to support first-generation students — led him to be awarded the Paul Robeson Cultural Center Humanitarian Award.

When speaking out against Zoom bombings, Blake credits his Liberal Arts education for helping to build his public speaking skills.

“My communication arts and sciences minor helped me turn those words into a performance that people could engage with and act upon to make Penn State a better place for all students,” Blake said. “Maybe something that I say could get somebody to act differently or civically engage themselves in a different way.”

Recently, Blake received the 2022 Jackson Lethbridge Tolerance Award, which recognizes a third-year, fourth-year or graduate student who is exceptional in working to enhance the understanding of diverse cultures and to create a community centered around acceptance and equity.

Brent is the first vice president of Black Caucus and previously served as the Sankofa chair. He is an advertising sales account executive for CommRadio, and he’s also involved in the Multicultural Undergraduate Law Association.

Brent said Black Caucus “feels like home because it serves as a safe space for Black and other minority students on campus.”

“The memories I’ve made in Black Caucus are lifelong memories that will extend outside of my four years at Penn State,” Brent said.

Black Caucus’ Sankofas, which are discussions that “allow the Black community to come together to talk about different topics,” allowed Blake to feel in touch with Penn State.

“During my time at Penn State… I’ve never had that many Black people in one space to talk about different things, but Sankofas gave me that,” Blake said. “It gives you this feeling that there’s a community within a community, and everybody belongs at Penn State.

“Sankofas were pretty life-changing.”

Brent translated lessons from his sociology classes to Black Caucus’ Sankofas.

“It helps you understand what other people may think on different issues and different topics,” Brent said. “All Black people aren’t alike, and exploring that idea that we’re all different, but we share the same commonality of being Black, opens up the conversation of what it means to be Black and being Black at a predominantly white institution.”

For Brent, “sociology is in front of our eyes every second of the day.”

“When I studied abroad, I had the opportunity to facilitate dialogues with locals. Our exchanging of ideas and viewpoints allowed me to gauge where that person was positioned in society which helped me better understand different social issues unique to that society,” Brent said.

Brent said he and Blake have “similar tracks” — they’re both planning to attend law school in the near future.

Blake is a master of public policy student, so he will graduate from the School of Public Policy in the College of the Liberal Arts next year. When going into law school, Blake said he has plenty of range from his Liberal Arts education.

“It makes you feel more confident about your future because you’re not limited,” Blake said.

Blake would like to work in either public interest, criminal justice or intellectual property. Brent wants to leverage his knowledge of communications and sociology to work in entertainment law.

“Sociology is heavily integrated in our everyday lives,” Brent said. “Being able to translate different theories we learn in class and apply it outside of the classroom opens up our understanding of liberal arts and sociology. Furthermore, I think learning about sociology is important because it exposes us to some of the harsh realities of the real world.”

“Get involved as early as possible and look at organizations in which you want to potentially take leadership in and really immerse yourself in that organization,” Blake said. “Take leadership and make a change… never feel like it’s too late to make a difference on campus.

“Whether that’s your last 10 days at Penn State or your first 10 days at Penn State, you could definitely do something on campus to change it for the better.”

To learn more about Liberal Arts Change Makers, visit la.psu.edu/changemakers.

Paterno Fellows Program

The Paterno Fellows Program is an innovative program offered jointly by the College of the Liberal Arts and Schreyer Honors College that encourages students to challenge themselves academically and distinguish themselves in areas traditionally associated with the liberal arts: ethics, service, and leadership; excellence in communication; and intercultural awareness. Fellows receive financial support to participate in enriching out-of-class experiences like internships, education abroad, and research.