New Kensington commencement speaker emphasizes the power of skill and attitude

 

Former student Amy Cyprych’s address,
“Success = Ability + Willingness"

UPPER BURRELL, Pa. – Thirty Penn State New Kensington graduates earned their baccalaureate and associate degrees Dec. 19 in the campus Athletics Center. Kevin Snider, chancellor, and Andrea Adolph, director of academic affairs, conferred the four- and two-year degrees.

Amy Cyprych, director of risk revenue at Highmark, delivered the commencement address, “Success = Ability + Willingness." Vera Spina Greenwald, president of the Alle-Kiski Alumni Society, inducted the new graduates into the Penn State Alumni Association (PSAA). Barbara Arnold, longtime member of the campus Advisory Board, sang the national anthem and the alma mater. All three are Penn State alumni who started at the New Kensington campus.

Mixing advice with personal experiences, Cyprych prepared the new Penn Staters for life after college. Cyprych earned a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology from the campus in 2002. A frequent guest speaker in IST classes at the campus, Cyprych enjoys interacting with the students and sharing her experiences in the corporate world.

In addition, she sponsors projects for the senior capstone course, and she has participated as an employer partner of the GREAT (Growing Regional Excellence through Experience, Academics, and Training) program for promising students in engineering and technology fields. GREAT is a collaboration of the New Kensington campus, Penn State Electro-Optics Center and industries in the region. GREAT establishes internships at local companies for engineering students and IST. Whereas most internships are geared to juniors and seniors, GREAT interns can begin as early as their first year in college.

Cyprych’s address emphasized two keys that play a role in an individual’s success -- ability, which is what a person is capable of doing; and willingness, which is a person’s attitude. Ability is a talent, skill, or proficiency in a particular area. Some abilities are inherent, while others require effort to develop. According to Cyprych, “abilities can change over time.”

 Administration of Justice graduate Shaquille Hager’s mortarboard quotes St. Francis of Assisi: "Start by doing what is necessary; then do what’s possible; suddenly you’re doing the impossible."

Although a college education provides an excellent foundation, on-the job-training, as well as continuing education, increases one’s knowledge and adds to a person’s expertise. Cyprych used her own experiences to drive home the point.

When she graduated from college, her technical skills were much stronger than her management skills. As her career developed, management skills became more critical, so she became proficient in the areas.

“I spent more time developing leadership abilities and less time on the technical side,” Cyprych said. “While I still have technical skills, they’re not as big a part of my portfolio as they once were.”

Willingness is about attitude. It’s about being a team player and acting in a positive manner, especially in difficult situations. Cyprych told the graduates that willingness “enables you to seize an opportunity when it arises, and to make the most of that opportunity.”

“When the opportunity presents itself, you volunteer to take on an assignment, even if it’s not your favorite thing to work on,” Cyprych said. You take action when you see something needing attention, whether that action is fixing the problem yourself or finding someone who can help you determine how to fix it. You don’t wait for someone else to step up.”

Vera Spina Greenwald
Greenwald inducted the newly-minted alumni into the PSAA. She urged the graduates to “stay connected to your University and to other Penn Staters.” A one-year free membership in the association was the inducement to do so. The PSAA is the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world with more than 177,000 members. Established in 1870, the Alumni Association strives to connect alumni to the University and to each other, provides valuable benefits to members and supports the University’s mission of teaching, research and service. There are more than 645,000 Penn State alumni.

The chief clerk for Westmoreland County, Greenwald was elected society president in June. She joined the alumni society in 2007 and was elected secretary in 2011. She serves on the board’s scholarship committee, which recommends New Kensington students for the society’s annual scholarships. This year, $5,500 was awarded to upperclassmen. In the past 23 years, the New Kensington-based society has awarded $53,500 to 59 campus students. The scholarship was first endowed in 1998 at $15,000 and now stands at $109,000.

Greenwald earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in psychology. While matriculating at the New Kensington campus, she was active in the Student Government Association, THON and the Lion Ambassadors. Greenwald was named Lion Ambassador of the Year in 2001. A year later, as chair of the campus’ THON team, she spearheaded the drive that raised $9,300 in 2002, tripling the previous record of $3,000.

 Penn State New Kensington graduates and
Penn State alumni stand as the new alumni are inducted into the Penn State Alumni Association.

Dr. Barbara Arnold
A three-time Penn State graduate and member of the Alle-Kiski Alumni Society, Arnold holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. She is the founder and president of PrepTech Inc., an engineering services and mineral processing equipment company in Apollo, Pa.

As a New Kensington campus student, Arnold was a scholarship recipient and president of the Student Government Association. She was honored with the Walker Award that is given to the student whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship and leadership contribute to the prestige of the campus. Arnold continues to be active on both the New Kensington and the University Park campuses. In 2011, she was selected as Alumni Fellow, the most prestigious award given by the PSSA.

In addition to her service, Arnold has supported Penn State in a variety of campus projects. She established the Student Leadership Development Fund in 1999 to support awards, guest speakers and travel related to student leadership programs. In 2008, she created the Barbara J. Arnold Global Initiatives Program Support Fund that promotes cultural awareness and diversity enhancement.

For a list of graduates, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/46376.htm

For photos of the ceremony, visit http://psnk.smugmug.com/

  Former Penn State New Kensington student Amy Cyprych delivers the commencement address as Chancellor Kevin Snider and Director of Academic Affairs Andrea Adolph look on.

Commencement Address

“Success = Ability + Willingness"
by Amy Cyprych

Good morning.
I’m honored to be here today with Penn State New Kensington’s Class of Fall 2015. I would like to congratulate each of you for receiving your degree from Penn State today. You have all poured countless hours of hard work into your education, and today we’re here to celebrate that with you and your families.

Thirteen years ago, in the fall of 2002, I had the privilege of being one of the first graduates of Penn State New Kensington’s Information Sciences and Technology program. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities to come back and visit the campus for discussions with IST students, and to participate in the GREAT program for high-performing underclassmen in engineering and technology fields.

I remember sitting where you are now. I was hoping that I was ready to take on my first “real” job, and that I had the skills I needed to be successful. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’ve learned a lot since then, and I’d like to share some of that learning with you. Today, I’d like to talk with you about two key dimensions that play a huge role in determining an individual’s success: ability and willingness.

Ability, quite simply, is a talent, skill, or proficiency in a particular area. Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Some abilities may be inherent, or natural. For example, you may know someone who is a natural-born leader. People are attracted to this individual as if drawn by gravity. Other abilities may require considerable effort to develop. Think about learning a new programming language if you’re an IST major, or learning how to interpret lab results if you’re in nursing.

Abilities exist on a continuum and can change over time. I’ll use myself as an example. When I was first out of college, my technical skills were much stronger than they are now. However, I was just beginning to develop my management skills. As I’ve continued in my career, management and leadership abilities have become much more critical, so I’ve spent more time developing those and less time on the technical side. While I still have technical skills, but they’re not as big a part of my portfolio as they once were.

You have all taken significant steps toward developing your abilities by completing your course of study here at Penn State New Kensington. Your education provides you with an excellent foundation, whether you are starting your career, going on to graduate school, changing careers, or if you are already in the workforce and came back to school to develop your skills.

You will continue to gain additional expertise, and further build upon the knowledge you have now, through on-the-job training, higher education, reading…the possibilities are endless. Being open to continuously developing your knowledge and skills is tremendously valuable.

Willingness, though, is not about knowledge and skills. It’s about attitude. It’s about being a team player. It’s about being willing to act, and to act in a positive manner. It’s how you respond when the going gets tough. Willingness enables you to seize an opportunity when it arises, and to make the most of that opportunity. Vince Lombardi said that “the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”

If you consider willingness and ability as two dimensions on a graph, you come up with 4 quadrants, or 4 types of individuals.

The highest performers at an organization are those with well-developed skills and high willingness. These workers are typically respected members of the team. They are the ones who take the time to share their knowledge with others, and who take on the most challenging projects with enthusiasm. These folks are typically confident and committed. When they see a problem, not only do they notify the appropriate people about it, but they also recommend solutions. In addition, they recognize the value of continuous self-improvement. As a manager, these are your go-to people, the people who you know will get the job done and done right.

Earlier this year, my team had to jump in to help save another area’s project that was running significantly behind schedule. Two people on my team brought the issues to my attention. Because they had the most subject matter expertise, they were called upon repeatedly to provide guidance and to solve problems. Unfortunately, this resulted in them working very long hours, including many nights and weekends. You know what was really amazing? I never once had to ask them to work these extra hours. They simply stepped up and did it because they knew it was what was needed to save the project. This was an excellent example of high willingness.

Every organization also has people with high willingness, but less developed skills. Many of you may find yourselves in this category as you enter the workforce. These may be new employees. Perhaps they’ve recently graduated, or perhaps they’ve come from other industries. Maybe they have some of the skills that they need to succeed, but are still working to develop other necessary skills. However, they show a willingness to learn and they actively participate with their team.

Let me give you an example. I work in the health insurance industry, yet I hired a project manager with a retail supply chain management background. He knew very little about health insurance before joining our team. So why did we hire him? He clearly showed us how his supply chain skills were transferable to project management. But we were really sold by his willingness to learn and his very collaborative, positive attitude. We were completely confident that he could learn the health insurance industry and develop the additional skills he needed to be successful. We also knew he would be the kind of project manager who could inspire others to get the job done.

Next, there are those with highly developed skills, but low willingness. There are a number of potential reasons for someone to operate this way. Perhaps a person in this situation is insecure, or afraid of making mistakes. I think of this type of person as a turtle that’s afraid to stick its neck out of the shell. It’s easier to stay in the shell and not take a chance. If this is the situation, it could be overcome through mentoring and providing opportunities for success. Small wins can often build the confidence that the turtle needs to stick its neck out

If, however, this person is simply choosing to be unwilling, there’s a much larger problem. This choice can manifest itself when individuals do the bare minimum required to get by. They don’t offer to help their teammates. They actively seek to avoid highly visible, or challenging, projects. Maybe they feel that knowledge is power and don’t want to lose their power by sharing their knowledge. From a manger’s perspective, it’s really a shame when someone with highly developed skills lets those skills go to waste by being unwilling. It’s important to find out the reason behind the unwillingness and determine if it can be corrected.

Finally, there are those who are both unwilling and unable. You’ve probably figured out by now that this is not where you want to be.

So how do you demonstrate willingness?

When the opportunity presents itself, you volunteer to take on an assignment, even if it’s not your favorite thing to work on. You take action when you see something needing attention, whether that action is fixing the problem yourself or finding someone who can help you determine how to fix it. You don’t wait for someone else to step up. When you see a teammate who needs a hand, you offer to help without being asked. You go to your boss with solutions, not just with problems. You also continue to develop your skills – whether that’s new skills that you haven’t used before, or whether that’s enhancing skills you have learned while in school or on the job.

And, once you become an expert in your field, you don’t rest on your laurels. You actively seek opportunities to share your knowledge with others. You mentor junior members of the team. You take the initiative to identify and recommend improvements, and then you follow through to make them happen.

Willingness is the not-so-secret ingredient that can take you from being skilled to being exceptional.

I’d like to leave you with a quote.

“We seldom do anything to the best of our ability. We do it to the best of our willingness.”

This unknown author is exactly right. Ability and skills will only take you so far. Willingness is required for you to reach your true potential.

Congratulations to all of you on your graduation from Penn State New Kensington. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Thank you.