Students in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology at the spring 2025 commencement ceremony. Spring 2026 commencement will be the first time the college has named a student marshal for each major. Credit: Cole Handerhan / Penn State. Creative Commons
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) has named student marshals for its spring 2026 commencement ceremony, which will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, at Pegula Ice Arena.
The marshals were selected for their outstanding academic achievements and contributions to student life. They represent the College of IST, the majors associated with the college and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.
David Richards will receive a bachelor's degree in enterprise technology integration with a business competency focus, as well as the Smeal Business Fundamentals Certificate and the Presidential Leadership Academy Certificate.
Richards earned several awards and scholarships while at Penn State, including the President Walker Award, the Schreyer Academic Excellence Scholarship and the Athletic Manager Scholarship.
He was involved in the Presidential Leadership Academy, IST Diplomats and the Schreyer Honors College Student Council. He participated in THON and volunteered at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, both in honor of his brother, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma as a child.
Richards was a lead video manager for the Penn State Football Video Department, which won two Big Ten Video Department of the Year awards during his tenure. The experience inspired his honors thesis, which explored data privacy concerns associated with wearable technologies in collegiate athletics.
Richards completed internships at Boyle Electro Mechanical, St. Luke's University Health Network and DHL Supply Chain.
Upon graduation, he plans to work at DHL as an operations supervisor.
Asa Reynolds will receive bachelor’s and master's degrees in cybersecurity analytics and operations and a National Security Agency certificate.
Reynolds earned several awards and scholarships while at Penn State, including the ISC2 Cybersecurity Scholarship, the Evan Pugh Senior Scholar Award, the Felsburg/Gohn Leadership Award, the President Sparks Award, the President Walker Award, the University Libraries Cynthia Joyce Trustee Scholarship and the Provost Award. He was an Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence Scholar and a member of the Order of the Sword and Shield National Honor Society.
He has contributed to multiple research efforts at the IST and University levels. Among his many extracurricular activities, Reynolds was the president of the IST Living Learning Community and an officer of the Competitive Cyber Security Organization, and he participated in HackPSU and the Nittany AI Challenge.
After graduation, Reynolds plans to work as a security consultant.
Areea Rahman will receive bachelor’s degrees in data sciences (applied data sciences option) and economics.
She earned several awards and scholarships while at Penn State, including the President Walker Award, the Neil C. Patel Memorial Award, the Department of Economics Undergraduate Award and the Schreyer Honors College Scholarship.
Rahman was the finance director for THON and participated in the Association of Women in Computing, Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Co-Ed Business Fraternity and Infusion Dance Competition. She was a GLOBE scholar and Schreyer Peer Educator.
Upon graduation, Rahman plans to work as a data and tech consultant at PwC in New York City.
Ryan Wells will receive a bachelor’s degree in enterprise technology integration with a focus in business competency and the Smeal Business Fundamentals Certificate.
Wells received several awards and scholarships while at Penn State, including the President Walker Award, the President Sparks Award, the David and Kathy Hozza Learning Assistant Award and the Evan Pugh Scholar Award. He is a Schreyer Honors Scholar and a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Wells is an IST Learning Assistant and tutor, a member of the IST Living Learning Community and a member of the Schreyer Honors College Student Council. He has participated in intramural activities, including turf hockey, tennis, pickleball and flag football. And he was the producer and co-host of the weekly radio show "Tier List Tuesdays."
For his honors thesis, Wells developed and tested a framework aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to achieve sustained value from adopting generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
Upon graduation, Wells plans to join Comcast as a CORE Technology Associate.
Emira Hanna Safiya Yahya is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in human-centered design and development with a focus in digital arts and communications, a minor in digital media trends and a minor in information sciences and technology.
Yahya received several awards and scholarships while at Penn State, including the President Walker Award, the Evan Pugh Scholar Award and the Young Talent Program MARA Scholarship.
She has served as an IST Learning Assistant and tutor. She was a performer in the Malaysian Cultural Night Committee and a site leader and volunteer for the Alternative Breaks Program. She was as a logistics organizer and participant in HackPSU and was a runner-up in the Bardusch Family IdeaMakers Challenge.
Upon graduation, Yahya plans to move into a full-stack/front-end development role where she can work closely with products and their end users.
Charles Kuter will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology and a minor in music technology.
At Penn State, he was treasurer of the Audio Engineering Society. Off campus, he is an Eagle Scout and served as a senior patrol leader in the Boy Scout of America.
Kuter completed his College of IST internship requirement as a program support intern for the University.
Post graduation, Kuter plans to visit Australia for an extended period to spend time with family members he’s never met. He said he hopes to follow that with a position in the audio technical field to further his love of music and technology.
Graham Montrose Lively is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in security and risk analysis with a focus in intelligence analysis and modeling and a minor in Russian.
Lively is a Schreyer Honors Scholar and a two-time recipient of the President Sparks Award.
He has participated in many Penn State extracurricular activities, including the Powerlifting Team, the Rubik’s Cube Club, GLOBE and the Russian Studies Club. He served as a Resident Assistant and IST Learning Assistant.
Lively completed an honors thesis for the Schreyer Honors College as well as an internship with the federal government.
Samantha Bergers will receive a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity analytics and operations with a focus on cyber in national defense and Homeland Security. She holds a prior degree in business management, with a focus on international business practices.
Bergers was the recipient of several scholarships while at Penn State, including the Military Officers Association of America ROTC Scholarship, the Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy Scholar and the Evelyn Chostner Marboe AAUW Scholarship.
She has participated in the Air Force ROTC and served as an operations officer for the i5 Space Organization at Penn State, a national student organization that operates in conjunction with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command.
Upon graduation, Bergers plans to commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Space Force, where she said she hopes to serve in a role focused on space operations and cyber defense.
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