Alumna pays it forward through endowed IST scholarship

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumna Jen Romano has made a commitment to establish the Jennifer Romano Dean’s Advisory Board Matching Scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). The endowment, valued at $50,000, was built on Romano’s generosity and a matching commitment from the IST Dean’s Advisory Board Matching Scholarship Program, a fund that is financially supported by the board’s members and enables donors to double the impact of their gifts.

“We are grateful to Jennifer for this generous gift,” said Mike Weyandt, director of development in the College of IST. “And we are grateful to the board members whose matching contribution will expand the gift to help more students.”

The scholarship will be awarded to IST students who contribute to the diversity of the student body, who are first-generation college students or who have a demonstrated financial need for funds to meet their necessary college expenses.

“I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to attend Penn State,” Romano said. “I had a supporting and able family that could help me to afford the cost of a degree, and I want to provide an opportunity to those who may not have the support or ability to attend on their own.”

Romano earned her bachelor of science degree in IST with a minor in telecommunications in 2005. She participated in a variety of activities at University Park, including Penn State Club Field Hockey, THON and Women in Information Sciences and Technology, among others.  

When she was an undergraduate student at Penn State, Romano worked on an IST project with Accenture, a global professional services company. Prior to graduating, she was recruited by the firm’s New York office. She transferred to the Accenture London office in 2012 and has been there ever since.

Romano credits the education and exposure she received in the College of IST for her successes over the past 18 years.

“IST could not have set me up better for a career in consulting,” she said. “The curriculum kept up with the ever-changing technology landscape, and the practical, problem-based learning helped me to understand how to immediately apply what we learned.”

Romano said that IST prepared her with soft skills that are equally as important as technology skills.

“Specifically, I felt well-equipped to solve most problems, to plan a project, to summarize important points and to present to more senior stakeholders,” she said. “My IST training was an incredible steppingstone to what turned out to be a pretty successful career!”

Romano said she benefited from the greater University experience as well.

“IST directly prepped my business skills and going to Penn State more broadly made me want to be a better person,” she said. “I was surrounded by strong and talented people doing incredibly interesting things.”

Romano now serves as the head of sales for strategy and consulting in the U.K. and Ireland.

“My day consists of reviewing and refining our approaches for our biggest sales pursuits, identifying new industry trends and go-to market opportunities and discussing with our clients some of the ways we can best solve their toughest challenges,” she said.

Romano also leads the division’s inclusion and diversity agenda.

“I try to ensure that everyone in our organization is given the same opportunity to succeed regardless of age, race, gender, sexuality, disability or social economic background,” she said.

Romano, who resides in London, said she enjoys adventure travel, volunteering in her community and staying active with sports like field hockey and softball.

“I play for Team USA in World Masters Hockey and represented the U.S. at the World Cup last August,” she said.

Gifts like the Jennifer Romano Dean’s Advisory Board Matching Scholarship advance the University’s education, research and service. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends help students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success. Their generosity drives the research, outreach and economic development that prepare us for the future and increase the University’s impact on families and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.