UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) has named its student marshals for the spring 2024 commencement ceremony. Andrew Maier will present IST’s undergraduate majors, and Connor Morton will represent the Reserve Officers’ Training Core (ROTC) program.
Student marshals are selected for their outstanding academic achievement and contributions to student life. They will lead the process of graduates into the commencement ceremony, which will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 4 at Pegula Ice Arena.
Andrew Maier
Andrew Maier will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity analytics and operations. He was the recipient of the President’s Freshman Award, President Sparks Award, Evan Pugh Scholar Award, Scholarship for Service and PNC Technologies Scholarship Award.
Maier served as an IST peer tutor and an officer of the Alliance Christian Fellowship. He was the technology director for THON 2024, having previously volunteered as the event’s technology captain and lead system administrator.
“To be able to represent the college in this way is truly an honor,” Maier said. “The people who have come through this college have really forged a path and shown me the ropes. It’s not something that I’ve done on my own: the entire college, professors I’ve worked with, friends I’ve made and even people outside of IST have shaped my experience. This ties a nice bow on that and makes me excited about all the things to come.”
After graduation, Maier will be working in the public sector as a cybersecurity analyst.
Connor Morton
Cadet Connor Morton will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity analytics and operations with a minor in military studies. He completed two internships at the Applied Research Laboratory, first as a robotics engineer and then doing artificial intelligence/machine learning coding. He was the president of Penn State Wrestling Club, a bible study leader and commander of the ROTC Leadership Development Club. As an ROTC student at Penn State, he pledged himself to a leadership-focused curriculum and extensive military training to become a commissioned officer in the United States military.
"It might not seem like my major and my life choice — the military — are connected, but they are," Morton said. "Before I came to Penn State, I didn't even know we had these kinds of programs and resources."
On June 16, Connor will ship out to attend an infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course at U.S. Army Fort Moore in Georgia.