UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Hannah Hetrick was selected as the Penn State College of Education student marshal for the summer 2022 commencement ceremony Aug. 13 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus. Stephanie Hopkins has served as her academic adviser.
Hetrick, from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, was a Schreyer Honors College student, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary and early childhood education. She also earned her Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) certificate. Graduating with a 4.0 grade point average, Hetrick was on the dean’s list every semester.
During her Penn State academic career, Hetrick received the President Walker Award (2019); President Sparks Award (2020); Evan Pugh Scholar Award, junior and senior year (2021, 2022); and the Academic Excellence Scholarship via Schreyer Honors College (2018-2022). She was a member of the Penn State Outing Club in 2019-22, and in her senior year she acted as leader and facilitator of the club’s Book & Media Club, organizing bi-weekly meetings and discussions. She also was a member of the THON entertainment committee (2018-19).
As part of her involvement in the Schreyer Honors College, Hetrick conducted research for her final honors thesis.
“My research was conducted under the supervision of Elizabeth Smolcic,” Hetrick said. “I interviewed teachers working in a variety of culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms to determine how theories promoted within preservice teacher programs — specifically ESL certification programs — translate to actual classroom practice.”
Hetrick did her student teaching in a third-grade classroom at Corl Street Elementary School in the State College Area School District, and did student teaching abroad as an English teaching assistant at Atenas Preschool and Escuela Colina Azul.
“The biggest lesson that I will take from my time at Penn State is that there’s always more to learn,” Hetrick said. “Over the course of my four years here, my ideas, perspectives and beliefs continued to evolve in ways I couldn’t have imagined. This lesson excites me as I embark on new adventures and reminds me to remain open-minded to new opportunities for learning.”
After graduation, Hetrick plans to continue to travel around the world, to build relationships and connections with people, and to learn and grow.
“I know that, even in places and situations where I’m not teaching professionally, my background in education will help me to nurture a sense of community,” Hetrick said. “I do, of course, also hope to teach professionally, in a variety of educational settings that allow me to leverage my learning from Penn State and to evolve my practice as an educator.”