Penn State Berks senior Lestine Paye has had quite the journey to get to where she is today. From the outside looking in, it seems as though she’s done it all with ease. In just a few weeks, she’ll graduate with her bachelor’s degree in business with a focus on marketing and management, and a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. For her, the challenges she’s faced have deeply influenced her personal and professional development.
When Victor Ortiz emigrated from Mexico to the United States at age 13, he couldn’t have imagined what his future would hold. Ortiz will earn his Penn State Berks baccalaureate degree in organizational leadership on May 6, 2023, during the college’s commencement ceremony. Then he will be commissioned as an officer in the United States Marine Corps during a pinning ceremony, which will be held at Reading Senior High School on June 2.
Born and raised in Vietnam, Huy Truong was 10 years old when his family immigrated to the United States in 2011. He did not know any English and had to take English as a Second Language courses from fourth through seventh grade. On Saturday, May 6, he will graduate with a baccalaureate degree in biology as the Penn State Berks student marshal, the student with the highest grade-point average.
As a Reading native, Amy Lista always felt right at home with Penn State Berks, literally and figuratively. On May 6, Lista will conclude her time at Penn State Berks as she graduates with her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a minor in psychological sciences.
Two Penn State Berks students took first place in the fourth Women in Engineering Design Competition at Penn State Altoona earlier this month. Lillie Mohn, a mechanical engineering major, and Jenicy Strong, a computer engineering major, received a cash prize of $3,000 for their efforts.
Radha Pyati, former dean of the College of the Sciences and Mathematics at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, has been selected as the new chancellor and dean of Penn State Berks. She will assume her new role on July 1, 2023.
A new class of nearly 250 Penn State Berks students will receive their baccalaureate and associate degrees at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, at the Santander Arena in downtown Reading, when Berks hosts its spring 2023 commencement ceremony. The honorary keynote speaker this year will be Brian S. Dreibelbis, Penn State Berks alumnus and senior director of supply chain human resources/labor and employee relations at the Land O’Lakes Corporation. He is also a member of the Penn State Berks Advisory Board.
Eve Gibbs, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major and chemistry minor at Penn State Berks, is well on her way to an exciting career in science research. This past summer, she completed an internship with the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. And after the spring semester ends, she will spend the summer working at the National Institute of Health through their Undergraduate Scholarship Program.
The Penn State Berks Alumni Society celebrated three alumni who received awards for 2022 during its awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 5. Nick Claytor received the Volunteer Service Award, Brittany Maack LaManna earned the Outstanding Young Alumna Award, and Steve Stetzler won the Alumni Achievement Award. In addition, Nicholas Yeager, 2021 recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, was also recognized this year as he was unable to attend last year’s ceremony.
The Penn State Berks global studies degree program will host a global forum with a presentation titled “Public Service Abroad: What Is the U.S. Foreign Service?” from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, in Room 121 Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building. The event is free and open to the public.
