UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State's College of Arts and Architecture has named nine student marshals to represent the college during its spring 2025 commencement exercises, to take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, in Eisenhower Auditorium. The marshals were selected based on academic achievement and student engagement.
College marshall: Kylie McKenna
The college marshal is Kylie McKenna, who will graduate with a bachelor of fine arts in art and bachelor of arts in English with honors. With a double-major in visual arts and English, McKenna, a native of North Palm Beach, Florida, has pursued the intersections between art and research in the field of ceramics. Over the past four years, she has conducted research into historic glaze formulas, for which she was awarded an Erickson Summer Discovery Grant and Student Engagement Network Grant. In March 2025, she presented her research at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. Outside of the studio, McKenna has served as an academic peer advisor in the College of the Liberal Arts; intern for the Department of English’s Creative Writing Program; treasurer of Clay Coven, Penn State’s ceramics club; and volunteer for the Department of Art History’s Center for Virtual/Material Studies. She is the recipient of the Fisher Family Scholarship in Creative Writing and the Taylor Watkins Scholarship in Ceramics, as well as the inaugural recipient of the Christopher Staley Family Scholarship in Ceramics. McKenna will return to Penn State in the fall to pursue a master of arts degree in English.
Read more about the marshals representing the college’s academic units below.
Architecture
Jackie Zheng, Bachelor of Architecture
As an architectural designer and scholar, Jackie Zheng strives to provide a comprehensive and systems-thinking approach to architecture. A native of Wallingford, Pennsylvania, he has held leadership positions with the GLOBE special living option and in Alpha Rho Chi fraternity, in addition to serving as a teaching assistant for three architecture courses. Zheng has received awards from the Stuckeman School and organizations outside the University, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Metropolis Magazine's Future100. In the profession, he said he seeks to develop solutions informed by his passion for understanding historical, cultural, and social contexts and is committed to transforming spaces through powerful narratives and elegant designs.
Art History
Jade Ciampichini, Bachelor of Arts in Art History; Bachelor of Arts in English
In her high school yearbook, Jade Ciampichini, of State College, Pennsylvania, was voted “Most Likely to Graduate College Undecided.” In the end, she really couldn’t decide on just one major, which led her to study both English literature and art history. Along with her dual bachelor’s degrees, Ciampichini is working towards a master’s degree in fiction writing through Penn State’s Integrated Master’s Program. She received the 2025 Edward Nichols Award in Creative Nonfiction Writing and is an Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Intro Journals Awards Finalist. Ciampichini is deeply invested in the connection between visual art and the written word, utilizing her art history knowledge within both her academic and creative writing. During her time at Penn State, Ciampichini developed interests in art theory and modern art studies. Her greatest accomplishments in art history scholarship include her research on Frank Lloyd Wright, the Harlem Renaissance, and accessibility in contemporary art museums. As a teaching assistant, Ciampichini realized her love of teaching (and editing papers), and she said she is excited to teach English 15 in the fall, through her graduate program. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree while working at a university art museum.
Graphic Design
Megan Marflak, Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design
Born and raised in State College, Pennsylvania, Megan Marflak is a Schreyer Honors Scholar, graduating with a degree in graphic design and a minor in business. Passionate about creating user-centered, immersive experiences, she gained hands-on experience in the themed entertainment industry, spending two summers in Orlando, Florida — first at Walt Disney World in Quick-Service Food and Beverage, where she gained insight into park operations, and later as a user experience and interface design intern with Universal Destinations and Experiences, collaborating on guest and team-facing interfaces. On campus, Marflak served as alumni relations chair for the Penn State Design Association and designed for TEDxPSU 2025. Her thesis explores how theme park design uses psychology to create memorable guest experiences, with a case study featuring an Oktoberfest-inspired outdoor food concept. Marflak said she looks forward to pursuing a career in themed entertainment, focusing on placemaking, production and brand design.
Integrative Arts
Sa’ida Bronner, Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Arts
During her time at Penn State, Sa’ida Bronner, of Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania, immersed herself in the artistic community, making connections among art, business, and community in every aspect of her college career. As a member of the ROARS Lab, she contributed to several School of Music events, including the Penn State International New Music Festival and Symposium, the Penn’s Woods Music Festival, and individual exhibitions. Through her work as part-time student staff supervisor and arts specialist for Student Affairs, she contributed to numerous productions, concerts, lectures, and events at campus venues, such as Schwab Auditorium, Flex Theater and the Lion’s Lair. She also served as event planner, social chair and web designer for Opulence Drag Ambassadors at Penn State. Her honors include first place in the 2025 Arts Business Idea Competition, Sony Global Music Group Scholar Award, and Myers Renaissance Fund Scholarship. After graduation, she said, she plans to launch her downtown recording studio, Sa’ida Sound.
Landscape Architecture
Julia Li, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture; Bachelor of Science in Meteorology and Atmospheric Science
During Julia Li’s undergraduate career at Penn State, she has spent her time in the classroom at University Park and abroad in Germany, Tanzania, and Thailand, exploring how science and design can combat climate injustice. Graduating with concurrent degrees in meteorology and atmospheric science from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and landscape architecture from the College of Arts and Architecture, Li’s Schreyer Honors Thesis and Landscape Architecture Foundation Olmsted Scholar Project are the culmination of the two facets of her education: proposing agricultural land-use designs that aim to mitigate food and livelihood insecurity caused by erratic rainfall patterns in rural south-central Tanzania. A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Li has interned with landscape architecture firms Mahan Rykiel Associates in Baltimore, Maryland, and TBG Partners in Austin, Texas, and served on the executive boards of Penn State’s Club Swim Team and Circle K service organization. After graduation, Li will continue her education at Penn State, pursuing a Master of Science degree in landscape architecture, after which she plans to enter public service in the coastal resiliency space.
Music
Kiera Chillis, Bachelor of Music Education
Kiera Chillis, of Danville, Pennsylvania, has developed an interest in diverse styles of learning through music during her time at Penn State. During the summer after her second year, she studied music in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, where she learned about Jamaican culture and taught traditional Jamaican folksongs and drum patterns to participating schools. Her experience abroad allowed her to broaden her perspective to global music approaches in the classroom. As a previous executive member of the Musicians' Wellness Association, Chillis has studied wellness practices for musicians and students, including body mapping and therapy within the arts. Outside of school, Chillis held a position at a local daycare center, gaining more experience working with children. After graduation, Chillis said she plans to find an elementary general music position in Pennsylvania and ultimately look for opportunities to teach abroad.
Theatre
Jasmine Ward, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting
Jasmine Ward, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, has balanced their academic career with numerous extracurricular and work experiences. While at Penn State, they found a passion for disability activism through a minor in disability studies. Ward served on the board of the School of Theatre Student Diversity Committee and was an active member of Penn State’s Presidential Leadership Academy. They worked on campus in the dining halls, at the Arts Ticket Center, and at the tennis center. They appeared in a Penn State commercial and performed in several Penn State Centre Stage productions, including "Metamorphoses," "John Proctor is the Villian," and "Alice in Wonderland." Ward also established an event within the School of Theatre called “Radical Joy,” which prioritizes community, playfulness, and shared joy of creation. They said they have a long-term passion project of starting an art-based recreational center for children with disabilities in low-income/underrepresented areas.
School of Visual Arts
Julie Ammon, Bachelor of Design in Digital Arts and Media Design; Bachelor of Arts in Film Production
Julie Ammon, of State College, Pennsylvania, is the marshal for both the School of Visual Arts and the Film Production program in the Bellisario College of Communications. She will also earn a diversity studies certificate. Ammon embraced art in high school and continued her education in visual arts at Penn State. While at the University, she specialized in film, video art and animation. She said she is especially proud of her video art series, "Environmental Imaginaries," which was shown at the Arboretum at Penn State, and her work as a communications and video production intern at the Palmer Museum of Art. Ammon spent three years working as a gallery assistant at the HUB-Robeson Galleries and one year as a digital production intern at WPSU. Her capstone thesis exhibition was titled "Reinventing Night." She said she plans to continue working in media production after graduation.