UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Abigail L. Baxter was selected as the Penn State College of Education student marshal for the fall 2022 commencement ceremony Dec. 17 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus. Stephanie Hopkins has served as her academic adviser.
Baxter, from North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary and early childhood education and a minor in special education. With a 4.0 grade point average, Baxter was on the dean’s list every semester.
“I was incredibly honored to have been selected as the College of Education’s student marshal. When I first found out I had been selected for this role, I felt grateful that my hard work over the past four years at Penn State was being recognized,” Baxter said.
During her Penn State academic career, Baxter received the President’s Freshman Award (2020), the President Sparks Award (2021) and the Evan Pugh Scholar Senior Award (2022). She was a member of Penn State Chabad, Phi Eta Sigma honor society (2020), and Phi Lambda Theta education honor society (2022). She also was a member of the THON Axis organization.
Baxter had multiple internships and field experiences during her time at Penn State. She was a social work and child trauma therapy intern with Alternative Community Engagement Solutions, a mental health counseling center in Greensburg, Pennsylvania; and was a virtual Teamtalk coach with TEAMology, an organization founded by a former College of Education faculty member that aims to help students get the support they need to develop socially and emotionally.
She did her pre-student teaching field experience in preschool with Altoona Area School District, and her student teaching in fourth grade with Elizabeth Forward School District, a small, suburban public school district covering the Borough of Elizabeth and the townships of Elizabeth and Forward Townships in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
“The biggest lesson I learned from my time at Penn State was to find balance in my life,” Baxter said. “I learned how important it was to balance my school, work and social life. My time at Penn State introduced me to some of my best friends and most memorable experiences, but also some my most difficult challenges thus far in life; it was in these times of hardship where I realized I most needed to find balance by turning to my friends and family, going out to sporting events, or simply enjoying the beautiful campus.”
After graduation, Baxter plans to substitute teach in the spring in her hometown. “I then plan to teach full time while pursuing a master’s in counseling or psychology with a focus in trauma,” she said.
Baxter’s parents, Kyle and Jeff Baxter, and her grandparents plan to attend the commencement ceremony.