Paterno Fellow bridges service and leadership to provide others with basic needs

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Emmanuel Kraft embarked on his Penn State journey, he had a clear vision in mind — engage in meaningful work related to community improvement. Now a Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar majoring in political science and communication arts and sciences, the second-year student has spent the last year and a half actively pursuing his interests in basic need resource allocation while working towards a career in law or government.

“I want to ensure that people are provided basic resources to live and thrive in society,” said the Silver Spring, Maryland, native. “Any way I can influence policy or legislation to better the lives around me are avenues I will pursue.”

The Paterno Fellows Program and Schreyer Honors College have allowed Kraft to build connections and collaborate with fellow student leaders to enact change. The experience has emphasized to Kraft the importance of unity in pursuing common goals.

“What I think is great about honors education is that you’re part of the larger Penn State community but you’re also a part of an honors community that helps one another succeed in whatever you want to pursue,” Kraft said. “Being in this community has also allowed me to meet other student leaders and make connections that are useful in building community.”

One of Kraft’s notable involvements on campus is his work with Global Brigades, a nonprofit international volunteer organization that takes American and European university students to underserved communities abroad to partner with local community members in efforts to help reduce social, legal and health inequalities.

During his first year at Penn State, Kraft connected with the president of the Penn State Global Brigades Campus Council, and after attending a meeting, he decided to join the Water, Engineering and Public Health (WASH) Brigade. Kraft now serves as both president and founder of the Legal Empowerment Brigade, after participating in a pilot program to Athens, Greece, in May 2023.

During the trip, Kraft and other students shadowed lawyers to understand how refugee and immigration cases are handled. They also worked with the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), contributing to legal efforts to aid refugees in their journeys to immigration for little to no cost.

“The work in Athens culminated in creating an educational workshop for asylum-seeking minors who are trying to immigrate across the border by themselves,” Kraft said. “Building off this foundation and connections made, the Legal Empowerment Brigade is looking to build and plan additional ways to help the community during our week-long volunteer programs abroad during summer 2024.”

Since the Legal Empowerment Brigade’s founding, the organization has amassed 30 members and been involved in multiple Penn State events, such as Schreyer Honors Involvement Fair, the semesterly Penn State Involvement Fair and additional small events held or co-hosted by other Penn State organizations, such as the Student Farm at Penn State and the United Nations Campus Advocates.  

Kraft's commitment to community service extends beyond Global Brigades. He co-founded the Penn State chapter of the Food Recovery Network and serves as secretary and community relations coordinator. His journey to starting the chapter began when, in his first semester at Penn State, Kraft received an email from Leslie Pillen, associate director of Farm and Food Systems at Penn State, who was looking for students to join her study on food waste.

Joining the research team, Kraft became interested in learning about food resources and waste on campus, and alongside other Penn State students, whom now make up the rest of the Food Recovery Network’s executive board, began to look into how food could be saved and given to those in need. In their investigation of Penn State’s buffets and convenience stores, they ended up merging efforts with Penn State in a pilot program that gave leftover, unserved food to the Out of the Cold Centre County. The pilot program was successful, and the organization has now expanded its reach to other communities in need within the State College area.  

Today, the Food Recovery Network has an official partnership with Penn State’s dining halls to package leftover, unserved food into meals for various local organizations, including the Lion’s Pantry, Out of the Cold Centre County, Abba Java Coffeehouse and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Kraft’s main duties are to coordinate communication among the different organizations, check that food safety regulations are being followed and ensure transportation of food to the various locations.

Kraft has found that his role within the organization has brought to light the importance of food recovery work at the grassroots level.

“Addressing food insecurity in the State College community is crucial, and there's more need than meets the eye,” Kraft said. “We've delivered over 2,000 meals this semester, and it's essential to broadcast this need to increase awareness.”

Alongside his work in community betterment, Kraft is a member of the Presidential Leadership Academy, an initiative that helps build the future generation of leaders through education, training and mentorship. In the Academy, Kraft takes classes taught by Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi, where he learns about leadership fundamentals and crisis management, and evens gets the opportunity to engage with high-level administrators.

“I got to talk with President Bendapudi, her chief of staff and her chief financial officer — all of whom have helped me and my peers become better leaders — no matter which area of society we are interested in or want to go into,” Kraft said. “The biggest thing I’ve taken away so far is listening to others. While leadership involves a lot of guiding people in a certain direction, another part of it is letting others in on the process of brainstorming.”