Eighteen students complete college leadership program

A celebratory ceremony Monday honored the 18 students who completed the seven-week LEAD-PCT program this semester.

Led by Allison A. Grove, interim director of student engagement, the initiative provides participants the opportunity to learn a variety of leadership skills and apply them by proposing a social change project that directly benefits the Penn College community. At the close of the event, held in the Thompson Professional Development Center during Finals Week, Grove announced two winning projects that will each be funded with $100 awards.

The students, their hometowns and majors are: Madelyn P. Ackley, Sunbury, pre-nursing; Cullen S. Berfield, Jersey Shore, industrial design; Daniel P. Bert, Elizabethtown, automotive technology management: automotive technology concentration; Dustin W. Brown, Gettysburg, graphic design; Daniel J. Duncan, Friendsville, game and simulation programming; Alexandria Dutz, Hazleton, graphic design.

Brooke A. Estelle, Trappe, pre-dental hygiene; Mathew T. Hammond, Williamsport, building automation technology; Rebecca E. High, Willow Street, baking and pastry arts; Brandon T. Hostetlar, Austin, residential construction technology and management: building construction technology concentration; Alex K. Kline, Shoemakersville, electronics and computer engineering technology; Anakin S. Major, Susquehanna, civil engineering technology.

Ryan Y. Park, Bellevue, Washington, physician assistant studies; Rudy C. Shadle, Mechanicsburg, construction management; Noah E. Siegle, Milesburg, culinary arts and systems; Morgan M. Winwood, West Newton, early childhood education; Preston T. Wolfe, Elizabethville, civil engineering technology; and Alexis L. Yost, Trevorton, early childhood education.

The program is based on a curriculum of seven C's, one of which is addressed each week: Consciousness of Self, Congruence, Commitment, Collaboration, Common Purpose, Controversy (With Civility) and Citizenship.

The featured speaker for the evening was Erin S. Shultz, coordinator of career development, who engaged each of the 11 attendees in conversation about what they gained from their participation – from resume-building activities to better communication skills to leadership lessons beyond the classroom.

Also attending were Grove and Meghan R. Delsite-Coleman, Residence Life coordinator, who co-judged the students' proposals. While the chosen projects will need to be tweaked on their way to implementation, Grove said, both identified a need and clearly communicated a solution.

PennFriends
Proposed by Dutz, Hammond and Siegel, the program recognizes that students' mental well-being gives them a substantial advantage toward navigating college and the real world.

"This project will provide all students a chance to feel more welcome ... and further their social lives through making new connections," the proposal states. The PennFriends program is designed to help first-year students connect to people who have already become acclimated to the campus community, and to enhance their stay at Penn College.

Nicotine Addiction and Awareness
Advanced by Duncan, High and Hostetlar, the program aims for increased awareness of the hazards of nicotine addiction, as well as "more clearly established and enforced smoking and nonsmoking areas"on campus. The team's target audience is college-aged smokers and their parents and families, with a secondary focus on faculty and staff.

Even if their proposals were not selected for funding, Grove encouraged the student leaders to advocate their own interests and/or help their LEAD-PCT classmates carry out the winning projects.

"If you truly believe in a cause, if there's something you're truly passionate about, talk to me," she said.