Opening doors: Students help bring new video to life

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State strives to create opportunities for everyone who is willing to work hard, complete their degree and go on to shape the future.  

This spirit encompasses the University’s educational mission, our students and our efforts to advance educational opportunities for all segments of our society. And it is precisely this message of opportunity, openness and accessibility that Penn State’s students recently helped bring to life as part of the University’s new “Redefining Legacy” brand spot. 

In the video, a voiceover of different Penn State students, all speaking in unison, reflects on the importance of building a legacy that doesn’t just look back, but one that looks side to side to welcome in everyone who is ready and willing to make their mark on the world. 

“I feel like the production team really grasped that message — a message of strength, resilience, and the versatility of different talents all across the University,” said Marlene Fernandez, a musical theatre student featured in the video. “I think that’s why they wanted us to all be drawn to the camera with a singular expression, to reflect on the love this community has for one another and emphasize how serious that is. When I saw the final product, it had the effect of making me stop and say, ‘woah.’” 

Opportunities that are open to everyone 

The students who took part in the filming and recording of the University’s latest brand-related spot say the video represents different things to them — an opportunity to build professional networks and gain valuable hands-on experience, a chance to contribute to something bigger than themselves, an experience that built new bonds and friendships, and affirmation of what originally drew them to Penn State in the first place. 

Jayden Jefferson, a featured student in the School of Theater, said the video’s message on the importance of openness and accessibility reminded her of why she felt such a strong sense of community at Penn State when considering what university to attend. 

“I think about how hard my now-professors and the head of the College of Arts and Architecture worked to get me here. I didn’t know how I was going to pay for school, and they worked very, very hard to make sure I could get here and I would be taken care of,” Jefferson said. “Lots of schools fought for me to get as many scholarships as possible, but it felt different here; it felt very much ‘for me.’ I felt like I was supposed to be here.” 

Jefferson’s experience reflects the work of the University, donors and community partners to create educational opportunities open to all students. Through initiatives like Achieve Penn State, institutional scholarships and student aid — as well as an educational model that includes a Penn State campus within 30 miles of nearly everyone in Pennsylvania, plus nationally-ranked online degree programs — the goal is to make a Penn State degree accessible to talented students from all walks of life. 

Penn State’s work in this space represents the University’s aspirations to be accessible to students of all backgrounds, an area where Penn State has seen meaningful progress in recent years.  

“There’s still a lot of work to do, but I think this video is a step toward that — it shows what the school could be,” Jefferson said. “The more we can continue to grow, bring more people together and make our community more diverse — the more we’re making sure everyone is receiving the same equal opportunities as everyone else — the stronger we become.” 

Fernandez said, out of all the universities she considered, Penn State was the place where she felt the greatest sense of community and belonging: a place that made her feel “safe, heard and respected.” 

“Other programs felt like they wanted someone who was already baked into a mold of what ‘the norm’ for artists in our industry is supposed to be. But Penn State sees your individual potential, to help build you on that and be there for you in your growth,” Fernandez said. “They take their time to get to know you and prioritize making the education process safe and comfortable and open so we can produce our best work. Even after you leave, the relationships you build here stay with you forever.” 

‘I honestly got goosebumps’ 

For students like Cade Miller in the Bellisario College of Communications, the chance to be in this new video represents their first time breaking into a new industry. “This was my first gig!” Miller exclaimed. “The voiceover was especially cool for me, because I want to work in radio. This is definitely going on my resume.” 

For the voiceover, Miller said he recorded his lines in a sound booth set up in Old Main, surrounded by blankets to muffle echoes and other sounds. He particularly enjoyed working with the director to explore different ways of reading the script, who gave him direction on how to read the lines in different ways while embodying different emotions.  

“Seeing the final product, I honestly got goosebumps,” Miller said. “I love Penn State, and seeing this, seeing how we are striving for a better future, just makes me love Penn State even more.” 

For Justin Stanek, a fellow Bellisario student who also appeared in the University’s previous “The Power of Penn State” brand spot, the opportunity to be part of helping to tell Penn State’s story has affirmed his own personal goals and career aspirations.  

Having gotten a behind-the-scenes look at the production team at work, Stanek is confident that he too wants to pursue a career using his passion to create campaigns and tell stories that help make the world a better place. And, for him, seeing the final product and the message behind the video has inspired him to continue pushing to achieve those dreams. 

“I think the tone and the expression of everyone in the video reflect the hard work everyone is putting in to make their mark on the world,” Stanek said. “That inspires me. It says to me, ‘you can make a difference with who you are and what you can do.’ I think that’s really beautiful.”