Ethan Sten selected as Liberal Arts college marshal for fall 2023 commencement

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Schreyer Scholar Ethan Sten was selected to represent his classmates as the College of the Liberal Arts’ student marshal at Penn State’s fall 2023 commencement, which will be held Dec. 16 at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park. Sten will graduate with a bachelor of science degree in psychology and a minor in sustainability leadership.

“It was a great surprise to be nominated and then selected,” Sten said. “It’s nice that the College of the Liberal Arts recognizes students with this award. I feel proud to represent the college that has provided me with so many opportunities. There is a sentiment in the college where people want to support you if you commit to work hard, and then in return, you can support other people, too.”

While in high school, the Shamokin, Pennsylvania, native was uncertain about attending college. However, a call from the Office of Student Aid changed that. Sten learned that he had been awarded a scholarship from the William L. and Josephine B. Weiss Family Foundation.

“I am very grateful for the incredible generosity of scholarship donors who made it possible for me to come to Penn State,” Sten said. “It speaks to the support available in the Penn State community: all the donors, professors, advisers, parents, family and friends who contribute to a student's success and make it possible to earn a diploma.”

Through the college, Sten found research advisers and faculty willing to be mentors who supported him through the years.

Sten joined the Cole Development of Emotion Regulation Lab, run by Pamela Cole, liberal arts professor of psychology and human development and family studies, and the Lab for Anxiety and Depression Research, run by Michelle Newman, professor of psychology. Sten appreciated getting to build not just scientific and analytical skills but also human connections and symbiotic relationships with people willing to share their passion for their research with him.  

“The research mentorship I got through the labs was amazing,” Sten said. “Having people give you the opportunity to work on their projects and help you develop research skills encouraged me to pursue research as a career.”

For his honors thesis, Sten applied these skills to a study that examined functional anger and sadness in preschool-aged children and whether cognitive engagement is related to anger and sadness. 

Sten also found support through Liberal Arts Student Services, including the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network, which provided Sten with enrichment funding to travel to Philadelphia for the Society for the Study of Human Development conference. The funding covered conference fees, travel expenses and Sten’s hotel reservation. While there, Sten presented one of his research projects from the Cole Development of Emotion Regulation Lab. Sten also received enrichment funding to support an internship with Cornerstone Coordinated Health Care.

“The Career Enrichment Network helped me with travel expenses and buying professional clothes,” Sten said. “It’s great that those costs are something that donors are thinking about when they make gifts, which helps students tremendously.”

Sten encourages other Penn State students to get involved with research.

“If you are curious about what it means to produce scientific knowledge, want to get involved in academia outside of classes, or want to contribute to current developments in your field, Penn State has plenty of research opportunities to foster your growth,” he said. 

Outside of the classroom and lab, Sten has been heavily involved with Penn State EcoReps, an organization aimed at educating first-year students about sustainability concerns and how they can adopt environmentally beneficial habits. His involvement has greatly influenced his passion for sustainability.

As a senior program coordinator last year, Sten oversaw programs and committees that worked on events like Earth Day, America Recycles Day and more. As the current student adviser, he focuses on connecting Penn State EcoReps alumni to current students to show potential career paths.

“EcoReps made me think deeply about community-based movements, community-based mental health care, and community clinics,” Sten said. “I also realized the resilience you can build when you have strong ties to the people around you.”

Sten joined Centre Helps as a crisis hotline counselor to get more involved in the community and develop different psychology counseling skills. Centre Helps is a crisis line in downtown State College that provides individuals with emotional support and connections to resources.

Sten also honed his psychology counseling skills during PSYCH 477 and 480, a mental health practicum with children taught by Jennifer Connell, research project manager in the Child Study Center in the College of the Liberal Arts. Through the Friendship Group Program, Sten and his classmates met with children from the community to work through various situations and interventions.

“It was very helpful to take the skills and practices we have been learning in classes and applying it to a clinical setting. Seeing the kids grow throughout the year while developing these friendships with each other was heartwarming,” Sten said. “The instructor and teaching assistant were incredible mentors.”

Although he learned many skills, Sten said the most important one was to be aware and grateful in the moment. Applying that to friendships, courses and experiences was something that he developed throughout his time at Penn State.

After graduating, Sten will work at Penn State’s Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center on community and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-funded projects in Hazleton. He also plans to apply to clinical psychology graduate programs that begin next fall.

“I will miss just waking up and going to class. That is such a unique part of our lives,” Sten said. “Every day, I get to sit down and intentionally listen and learn to expand my understanding of something I’m interested in. I don’t think it will hit me until after I graduate.”

‘Moments of Change: Creating a Livable Planet’

Sustainability is the theme of the current offering in the College of the Liberal Arts’ “Moments of Change” initiative — an undertaking that brings students, faculty, staff and alumni together to explore what it means to live through historic and contemporary times of change. Through spring 2024, “Moments of Change: Creating a Livable Planet” will examine the many aspects of sustainability and highlighting the ongoing work of the Liberal Arts Sustainability Council and students, faculty and staff in that regard.