Perreault Fellows welcome new cohort

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Perreault Fellows Program, an international internship program funded by an endowment given by Paul and Beverly Perreault, is entering its third year at Penn State. The Perreaults first began the program in 2019, around the same time that they donated funding for the Veterans Center at Penn State. CSL Behring, the company of which Paul Perreault is CEO, donated funds for the cutting-edge CSL Fermentation Lab on campus. The company was honored as Penn State’s corporate partner of the year in 2019.  

The Perreault Fellows Program is a competitive global leadership and internship program that prepares students from multiple disciplines for personal and professional excellence through learning in cross-cultural leadership, ethics, service, personal mentoring, and an internship abroad related to the betterment of the human condition.   

Each year, the program seeks to enroll a diverse group of Penn State undergraduates in a two-year, co-curricular program, the centerpiece of which is an internship abroad during the summer semester.  

The program prepares students for global leadership through participation in intercultural learning opportunities, a workshop through the Rock Ethics Institute, mandatory service, and a presentation on their learning outcomes to the provost’s Global Advisory Council.

Now, the Perreault Fellows program welcomes its newest cohort, a group of seven students from four campuses across the commonwealth. They are:  

• Gretchen Adan, World Campus, College of Agricultural Sciences 

• Marianna Di Balsamo, University Park, Eberly College of Science 

• Aidee Santos Acosta, Penn State Berks

• Zachary Chludzinski, Penn State Scranton

• Charis Liu, University Park, College of the Liberal Arts 

• Christina Beaubrun, University Park, Eberly College of Science

• Imani Young-Butler, World Campus

“During my time as a fellow, I hope to inspire those around me to look beyond their immediate circumstance and strive to create change in the world,” said Beaubrun. “As students of the Pennsylvania State University, we have every opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants and every effort we put forth is meaningful and may someday bear fruit. I am thrilled to be a Perreault Fellow and even more so to spearhead actions toward health equity." 

The program is expanding and improving. While historically recruitment has been closed to certain colleges, for the next round of applications, it will now be open to students in any field of study. 

The Perreault Fellows program is administered within the Education Abroad office in Penn State Global, which is focusing on more direct support and mentorship for participants to help them make the most out of their experience. 

“We’re really working on thinking through how to make the experience more impactful and more refined for students,” said Chris Nischalke, international internships and research adviser. 

Applications for the next round of Perreault Fellowships will open on Feb. 15 and can be found on the Perreault Fellows website. For more information, contact Nischalke at cmn5262@psu.edu.