UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Architecture major Brody Ivy and visual arts major Sarah Nelson, both undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Architecture, have been selected for Penn State’s Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA).
Founded in 2009, the PLA aims to develop students' critical-thinking skills and leadership capacity through involvement in classes, special events, field trips and a mentorship program, all of which prepare the students to encounter the complex problems presented in today's world.
“It’s a group of driven students diving into how academics, debate and discussion really shape our future,” Ivy said.
One of the program’s key philosophies is to train future leaders to deal with what the PLA calls the “gray areas.”
Few issues, few decisions and few of life's complexities are black or white, according to the PLA website. It is the gray areas that dominate the decisions that are made in the workplace, in the home, in communities and across borders.
For Nelson, the PLA’s concept of “thinking in the gray” and having conversations and debates on different topics is important. The PLA students do this in a “productive” space, Nelson said, and within that space she hopes to develop both as a person and a leader.
As an architecture student, Ivy said PLA and his degree program fit together perfectly, each complementing the “mindset of a designer.”
“With architecture specifically, and honestly a lot of the arts majors, there’s that extra thought process on ‘how can I improve my design?’” Ivy said. “I think constantly being in the thinking mode, which is really what architecture has opened my brain to do, will help me out in PLA.”
Nelson said that PLA is setting her up as an arts student to be more adaptive and versatile.
“PLA is a place where you’re in a group of like-minded people in the sense that you all are working toward bridging a gap, having important conversations, and sitting in that discomfort,” Nelson said.
Nelson said that while PLA is made up of students from different backgrounds and majors, they are all working toward a common goal.
“It’s kind of beautiful in that way, because we’re all different but we’re all the same, essentially, in the way we’re thinking,” Nelson said.
Ivy and Nelson each said that they hope to continue to make new connections and gain networking experience through PLA.
“I really enjoy being in groups of people who think differently, challenge other beliefs, think outside the box, and not just go with what they’re told,” Ivy said.
Ivy and Nelson are two of 90 PLA students University-wide who, after three successful years in the academy, will be presented upon graduation with a certificate, and a notation will appear on their transcript.