Editor's note: Penn State Abington students graduating this May are sharing their Abington Experience, the roadmap that is launching them from campus to career. Each vignette will focus on a pillar of the Abington Experience: Brief academic travel, internships, research with faculty and leadership development.
ABINGTON, Pa. — Two soon-to-be Penn State Abington graduates shared how leadership opportunities helped shape their journey from campus to career. Through hands-on experiences, mentorship, and campus involvement, they built confidence, strengthened skills, and discovered how to transform their potential into impact.
Mark Jachura
Major: Cybersecurity analytics and operations, a minor in information sciences and technology. He also earned Penn State’s National Security Agency and Security and Risk Analysis certificates.
What’s next: A summer internship and he's starting a master’s program this fall.
Learning to lead: Jachura’s role as president of the Cybersecurity and IT Student Association (CISA) defined his leadership journey. He led hands-on workshops, hackathons and events that put classroom learning into practice while fostering a collaborative environment for future cybersecurity professionals.
“I’ve helped bridge classroom knowledge with real-world applications,” he said. “It strengthened my leadership abilities and reinforced my commitment to building a skill-driven cybersecurity community on campus.”
Jachura mentored peers, encouraged professional growth, and represented CISA in meetings that supported connections among students, faculty and industry partners. Through coursework that included academic travel, he also expanded his perspective, gaining insight into how communication and culture shape leadership across global settings.