The Penn State Berks Campus Activities Board received multiple awards at the National Association for Campus Activities Mid Atlantic Virtual Awards Recognition ceremony on Nov. 18.
Brooke Chiappetta was born into a Penn State family, so when she was applying to colleges, Penn State was at the top of her list. On Dec. 15, she will join the ‘lion’s pride’ when she walks across the stage as student marshal –– graduating magna cum laude –– to receive her diploma from Penn State Berks.
Many returning adult learners credit their children as their motivation, and Bianca Marie Ruiz is no exception. A first-generation college student, mother of three, and now a graduate of the occupational therapy program at Penn State Berks, Ruiz and her fellow graduates will celebrate their achievements during the fall commencement ceremony on Dec.15 at the Santander Arena.
On Dec. 8, nearly 50 people attended the Berks LaunchBox open house. This was the first event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Berks LaunchBox and Invent Penn State, the commonwealth-wide initiative that established campus innovation hubs, which was launched by Penn State President Eric J. Barron in 2016.
It’s not unusual for graduates to experience a career change in their lifetimes, but it’s not so common to hear about a career “refocusing.” Britton Reider’s return to Penn State to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electro-mechanical engineering technology at the Berks campus helped to push his career to the next level.
On Saturday, Dec. 4, Penn State Berks will host the National Collegiate Rugby East Coast Semifinal Championship for the Chesapeake Conference. Games will be held at 1 and 3 p.m. Both games will be held on the college’s athletic turf field, directly behind the Beaver Athletics and Wellness Center. The games will also be livestreamed by National Collegiate Rugby. Visit ncrugby.org for more information.
Erin Horack, a first-year biotechnology major at Penn State Berks, recently won two first place awards for her research studying the spotted lanternfly. She was named a 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar and she also took first place honors at the National FFA Agriscience competition for her research.
Penn State Berks graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 will be recognized during the college’s fall 2021 commencement ceremony, to be held 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Santander Arena. Graduates from the class of 2021 will receive their baccalaureate and associate degrees while graduates from the Class of 2020 will be honored for their achievement. In total, 287 students will be recognized.
For the final installment of the 2021 "Global Oscars Comes to Berks" series, Penn State Berks will present the film "Another Round" at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, in room 5 of the Luerssen Building. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State recently announced the winners of its Idea TestLab accelerator final pitch competition. The competition concluded a six-week-long virtual business idea accelerator in which seven selected startups received coaching and training to identify viable business models through intensive customer discovery.