As a middle schooler, Gage L. Romanoskie earned three Scout Badges at Pennsylvania College of Technology. As a college student, he’s earning Dean’s List honors at the same institution.
About seven years after being introduced to the campus through the Merit Badge College initiative, Romanoskie is a successful sophomore at Penn College, seeking a bachelor’s degree in building automation engineering technology.
Today’s regional Scouts BSA members have the same opportunity that Romanoskie seized in middle school. Registration is open for the next Merit Badge College, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15.
Scouts can select from 20 merit badges and earn up to three during the event, offered in partnership with the Susquehanna Council, Boy Scouts of America. The council represents Scouts in Clinton, Lycoming, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties.
Badge options for Scouts include digital technology, computer programming, metalwork, composite materials, electronics, landscape architecture and welding. Penn College faculty will lead the workshops, conducted in the school’s high-tech instructional facilities.
Romanoskie, of Paxinos, doesn’t recall the specific badges he earned while attending Merit Badge College. But the program’s value still resonates with him.
“It’s a very efficient way to get three merit badges, especially if they are required for Eagle Scout,” Romanoskie said. “You also get to meet a lot of people. And the parents learn, too, when they go to Merit Badge College. It’s just an overall good experience. It’s rare to get an opportunity like that.”
Attending the event provides a benefit beyond scouting: exposure to Penn College.
“Merit Badge College gives you an idea of what to expect when you go to college. You kind of get the view of what a college looks like and just overall how it works,” Romanoskie explained. “You’re going in some of the buildings. It’s just nice to see when you are younger.”
The Eagle Scout described his first impression of Penn College as a “clean, organized campus” with “super nice facilities.” By his junior year in high school, Romanoskie knew he would attend Penn College, influenced in part by his Merit Badge College experience, the encouragement of his father, John (a 1986 electrical technology graduate from Penn College’s predecessor, Williamsport Area Community College), and the lure of a building automation career.
Through his dad, Romanoskie connected with management at NRG Controls North Inc., an automation company based in Snyder County. A Corporate Tomorrow Maker, NRG Controls North employs several Penn College alumni.
“I met a bunch of people there, and I started looking into building automation. It’s super interesting. The owner of the company told me that you’ll always have a job,” Romanoskie said.
Data from Penn College backs that assertion. Graduates of the building automation engineering technology degree boast a 100% overall placement rate.
Romanoskie plans to intern at NRG Controls North this summer. He expects that experience will augment what he’s learning in Penn College’s program.
“I knew a little about electrical work before I came here. I knew how to wire a receptacle or a light, but I didn’t know any of the math or theory behind it,” Romanoskie said. “The labs have helped a lot, and now I can visualize how electricity works inside stuff. It’s really cool.”
When not at school, Romanoskie still maintains his scouting roots. He’s assisting Scouts from his area, Troop 254 out of Shamokin. “Pretty much everyone in our troop right now is going for Eagle Scout,” he said.
Romanoskie earned his Eagle Scout Award, the highest achievement in scouting, prior to his freshman year at Penn College. He planned and coordinated the refurbishment of a softball complex in Ranshaw, a small community outside of Shamokin.
That information nugget brings a smile to the face of fellow Eagle Scout Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies at Penn College and Merit Badge College coordinator. “Obtaining the Eagle Scout Award requires commitment and persistence, essential qualities for success in college and beyond,” Webb said. “I believe Gage is proof of that. I hope many young Scouts follow his example. Attending Merit Badge College would be a great start.”
The registration fee for Merit Badge College is $50. To register for the Feb. 15 event, visit the BSA registration site. The deadline is Feb. 3.
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Email the Admissions Office or call toll-free at 800-367-9222.
