Major/minor: Chemistry major, biology minor
Year: Second
Involvement: President of Sustainability Club, STEM lab tutor, student mentor for Multilingual and International Student Programs, student mentor for Lion Guidez, honors student at Schreyer Honors College
Brandywine: Why did you choose Penn State Brandywine?
Guerin: Originally, I was meant to go to a different university in Massachusetts — I had all my classes picked out and everything. About a week before I had to leave, I realized that it wasn’t a great fit. I had already gotten accepted to Penn State, and Brandywine is right down the street from where I live, so I decided to go for it. I’m so glad I made that decision.
Brandywine: How did you pick your major?
Guerin: I just switched majors, so it's been a bit of a journey. I had a major in biology because I was told that’s what I needed to go to medical school or to get a Ph.D. I found that I was enjoying my chemistry classes a lot more than my biology classes — I was a lot more enthused about them. With that in mind, I decided I was going to change my major to chemistry.
Brandywine: What challenges have you faced at Brandywine?
Guerin: Getting involved here at first was difficult because I’m a commuter. I didn’t do anything my first semester. I basically just went to classes, and then I went home and did my homework. I wouldn't even stay in the library to do my homework. I'd just go home, which made it hard to get involved. I didn't go to any events or anything. In my second semester, I got a job on campus, and that really made all the difference. Suddenly, I was interacting with people who I wasn't in classes with. I had more faculty that I was talking to as well, and that really made a huge difference. After I got the job, I was suddenly doing much more.
Brandywine: How has Penn State Brandywine supported your efforts? Who at Brandywine has supported you?
Guerin: The faculty here are amazing. They go above and beyond for all their students. Personally, my adviser, Dr. Kurt Kistler, has absolutely changed my life here. He's always so supportive. He always answers my very long emails. He'll always make time for me on his busy days. He's always there for good advice about what to do, and he really pushes me to be a better student.