Scholarship recipients Britny Logesky and Aaron Hoover were the keynote speakers at Penn State New Kensington’s Fall Scholarship Reception.
BRITNY LOGESKY AND AARON HOOVER EXTOLL
BENEFITS OF WORKING CLOSE WITH PROFESSORS
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More than 140 students and donors were recognized for their outstanding achievements Sept. 26, at Penn State New Kensington’s Fall Scholarship Reception at Hill Crest Country Club in Lower Burrell, Pa.
Britny Logesky, a junior in the Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology (EMET) program, and Aaron Hoover, a sophomore in the Chemical Engineering program, were the keynote speakers. The reception gives students who receive scholarships and benefactors who establish scholarships a chance to meet face to face. Students attending the reception were able to deliver personal thanks to their donors, who, in turn, were able to see the personification of their philanthropic endeavors.
Logesky is the recipient of the Doc and Linda Mueller Trustee Scholarship, which helps engineering students with college expenses. The Murrysville resident earned the highest grade-point average for second-year students in the EMET program and was honored in April at the annual Academic and Student Achievement Awards ceremony. She chose to attend the New Kensington campus for its faculty and small campus atmosphere.
“The EMET program is difficult, but the smaller classrooms and teacher-student relationships are what I enjoy the most about Penn State New Kensington,” said Logesky, who has made the dean’s list every semester since starting at the campus. “All of the faculty members are wonderful and willing to help whenever needed.”
In addition to serving as an officer in the student Engineering club, Logesky is a math tutor for fellow students. After earning a bachelor’s degree in 2015, the Penn-Trafford High School graduate will pursue a master’s degree in electrical or mechanical engineering.
Hoover is the beneficiary of the Patrick Kopnicky and Mardelle Sacco Kopnicky Trustee Scholarship. A resident of Creekside, Pa. in Indiana county, Hoover commutes to the New Kensington campus, where he thrives in the intimate classroom setting and saves money on room and board. Next year, he will move on to the University Park campus, where commuting is not an option, and finish his bachelor’s degree studies.
“Penn State is one of the finest educational institutions in the world,” said Hoover, a product of Merion Center High School. “At New Kensington, I appreciate the smaller classrooms and the smaller hole in my pocket.”
Campus scholarships are awarded to eligible students on the basis of academic promise, leadership qualities, community service and financial need. This year, new and returning students at the New Kensington campus earned a total of $187,000 in scholarship money from campus donors. The campus has 50 scholarship endowments, annual gifts and program awards that funded 135 students this year with an average award of $1,400 per student.
Scholarships are the lifeblood of the campus. They provide a source of financial support as well as encourage academic and personal growth. Penn State New Kensington is a part of "For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students," a University-wide effort to raise private donations to strengthen support for students. All gifts enhance Penn State's historic mission of teaching, research and service to society. Patrick and Mardelle Kopnicky, Penn State alumni, co-chair the campus campaign that is charged with raising $3 million by June 2014. The University’s overall goal is $2 billion.
As of Oct. 1, the campus has raised more than $2.56 million. With eight months remaining in the campaign, the final $439,000 is within reach. Donna Speer, director of development, has called for the “Big Push” to get the campus past the established mark.
"We are on track to reach our goal," said Speer, who has been at the campus since the start of the seven-year effort. "Our objectives reflect the most critical needs for revitalization of our campus, and our main objective is to build a campus of the future that enriches the experiences of students beyond the classroom and serves the community needs of the Alle-Kiski Valley."
Alumni and friends can contribute to the campus by establishing an endowment or by contributing to already established campus endowments or funds. Gifts can be in the form of a one-time gift in cash or securities or a pledged commitment to be paid over a specified number of years. Gifts can also be created through bequests or in the form of a deferred gift designed to provide a life income for the donor or his or her dependents.
For photos of the reception, visit http://psnk.smugmug.com/
For more on giving to the campus, call Donna Speer, director of development, 724-334-6057 or visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Giving/giveoptions.htm
Public Relations interns contributed to the story.
Chelsea Markle conducted the interviews and is co-author of the story.
Jacob Baird was the chief photographer.
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Doc and Linda Mueller Trustee Scholarship recipient Britny Logesky chats with the scholarship’s benefactors,
the aptly named Doc and Linda Mueller, at Penn State New Kensington’s annual fall scholarship reception.