UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ryan Setzenfand and Neil Patel struck up a friendship in the fall of 2019 when they were brand-new to Penn State and Schreyer Honors College. Four years later, Setzenfand will help to carry on his friend’s legacy as the Neil C. Patel Changemaker Scholarship recipient for the 2023-24 academic year.
The Changemaker Scholarship was established in December 2021 in honor of its namesake, Neil Patel, who died from COVID-19 earlier that year. The scholarship honors Patel's memory and recognizes Schreyer Scholars who exemplify his commitment to family, community, education and opportunity.
"I knew Neil since my first day at Penn State during orientation, saw him every semester in our honors business classes, and considered him an admirable friend,” said Setzenfand. “Receiving this scholarship is particularly meaningful for me knowing firsthand Neil’s kindness, humility and brilliance. I now feel a heightened sense of responsibility to live out those values through my day-to-day life.”
As this year's Changemaker Scholarship recipient, Setzenfand will earn a monetary award and be recognized at a spring event.
Setzenfand is an accounting major and, as a Schreyer Scholar, has taken the option of working toward his integrated undergraduate/graduate degree. He also is majoring in political science and is a Paterno Fellow. While he has excelled academically, Setzenfand also has made a name for himself outside of the classroom.
He applied for and was accepted into Schreyer’s Society of Distinguished Alumni Mentoring Program for the 2021-22 academic year. This program, available exclusively to Schreyer Scholars, pairs successful applicants with mentors from Penn State’s Society of Distinguished Alumni. Setzenfand was matched with Tom Killion, a member of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives from 2003 to 2016 and a Pennsylvania state senator from 2016 to 2020. Killion’s mentorship helped set Setzenfand on a path to where he could make a positive change with wide-reaching benefits.
"In sharing stories from his time in public service, Sen. Killion sparked a greater interest for me in state government,” said Setzenfand. “He shared some opportunities for me to consider and wrote one of my letters of recommendation when I applied for the Appropriations Committee Fellowship.”
Killion’s letter helped Setzenfand ultimately land the fellowship and sent the Schreyer Scholar to work at Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives. There, his efforts were overseen by the House’s Bipartisan Management Committee and included responsibilities like analysis of the state budget with a focus on higher education, tax and agriculture legislation, census survey analysis, and authoring bills.
As it turned out, one of the bills that Setzenfand authored, HB850, would allow for those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits to use them for diapers and menstrual hygiene products. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this year and it is pending in the Senate.
When asked about what motivates him to take on this type of work, Setzenfand said that he recognizes the breadth and depth of impact a singular change can have for people both within and beyond his own communities.
“Growing up, I learned the story of my great-aunt Jane who was orphaned by the death of both of her parents, which made her ineligible for financial aid for college without a legal guardian. She successfully advocated to change that policy by working with her state legislators and expanded educational access for people like her,” he explained. “That went a long way toward shaping my perspective around the power of change.”
Setzenfand also has taken on volunteer and philanthropic projects that have benefited people experiencing homelessness in Pittsburgh, pediatric oncology research at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and a laundromat literacy project that assists children from an economically disadvantaged neighborhood in his home school district.
“I can affirm Ryan Setzenfand is someone that truly cares and gives his very best in all aspects of his life and in turn is a positive influence on others,” said Schalyn Sohn, director of the Integrated Master of Accounting Program at Penn State. “Ryan was always very respectful, thoughtful and caring, and he was instrumental in fostering community within the Accounting Society.”