Four Schreyer Scholars have been chosen to receive awards from Schreyer Honors College. These Scholars have demonstrated ethical leadership, academic excellence and a drive to passionately serve their local community.
The Scholar awards and their recipients are:
Changemaker Scholarship
The 2024 Neil C. Patel Changemaker Scholarship has been awarded to fourth-year Schreyer Scholar Nicole Croushore for her outstanding volunteerism and academic achievements. Throughout her time at Penn State Behrend, Croushore has showcased leadership and an overwhelming passion for helping the Erie County community through her on and off-campus involvements.
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.
As captain of the Behrend women's soccer team, Croushore has helped foster strong connections, create a positive atmosphere, and lead volunteering events for her team. One of these volunteering events includes the team's current collaboration with the TOPS soccer program, where Croushore and her teammates play sports with special needs youth. Additionally, she helped organize the team's first PinkOut game to raise money for breast cancer research.
Croushore is also dedicated to her academic goals as a mechanical engineering major and has been a peer tutor for the past six semesters to help other students excel in their coursework. Throughout her varied involvements, she has formed lasting relationships with Erie County residents and positively impacted the lives of those throughout the Penn State Behrend community.
Her excellence in leadership and community engagement left a lasting impression on Yi Yu, professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State Behrend.
“Croushore has demonstrated Neil’s values of family, community, education, and opportunity throughout her four years at Penn State Behrend. She has shown her commitment to her community here through her extracurricular and volunteer activities,” Yu explained. “Croushore’s dedication and enthusiasm for her education and the people around her have been a source of inspiration for her peers.”
Future Leaders
Cameron Koch and Mabel Tong have exemplified the honor’s college mission of leading positive change through their crucial leadership roles within the Penn State community. To recognize their impressive contributions, Koch and Tong have been selected as the recipients of the Schreyer Honors College’s Future Leaders Scholarship for the 2023-24 academic year.
The Future Leaders Scholarship was established in 2018 by the Scholar Alumni Society Board to recognize Scholars who demonstrate outstanding leadership in the honors college and Penn State community.
Koch is a third-year biology major and current Co-Executive Director for the Schreyer Honors Orientation (SHO TIME) program. In this role, Koch is responsible for organizing the SHO TIME program and leading a diverse team of peer educators to welcome hundreds of incoming Scholars to the honors college. Koch also volunteers as a crisis hotline counselor for Centre Helps, a THON Finance Chair for the Red Cross Club, and acts as a Director for the Penn State Fresh START service program.
Tong, a fourth-year biology major, is a current member of the Presidential Leadership Academy and the Schreyer Medical Team. Leading the team during her second year, Tong diligently worked to recruit new members, crafted the club's mission statement, and effectively established the team’s presence among other medical organizations on campus. While leading the team, she learned how to problem-solve, make ethical decisions, and communicate effectively with other Scholars.
Scholar Involvement Award
Fourth-year Schreyer Scholar biology major Emma Khoury has been selected as the recipient of the Scholar Involvement Award for her steadfast commitment to the Schreyer community and her embodiment of the college's core values.
The Scholar Involvement Award honors students who demonstrate excellence in the honors college’s overall mission of building global perspectives, creating opportunities for civic leadership and engagement, and demonstrating academic excellence with integrity.
Serving as President of the Schreyer Student Council for two consecutive terms, Khoury has led multiple student engagement projects and created a standard of inclusion for all Scholars. She has also demonstrated her leadership skills as a Schreyer Honors Orientation (SHO TIME) leader. In this position, she organized various activities to welcome new Scholars and aided in creating a comfortable environment for these students to form meaningful relationships.
Khoury also fosters connections between past and present Scholars as the student representative for the Scholar Alumni Society Board. In this position, Khoury helps facilitate career development mentorships between alumni and current students, creating a strong, supportive Schreyer alumni network.
Her dedication to her academics has allowed Khoury to excel in her concentration in neuroscience and minor in psychology, possessing a passion for understanding the mechanics behind brain functionality. The embodiment of the honors college’s overall values, Khoury is recognized for balancing her rigorous academic work with diligently serving her Schreyer community, and continuously putting the needs of her fellow Scholars first.