UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Katrina Dietrich, Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing RN (registered nurse) to BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) student, has been selected as the student marshal for the fall 2023 commencement ceremony.
Dietrich is a second-time Penn State student, first graduating in 2004 from the College of Agriculture with a degree in horticulture. During her first experience earning a bachelor’s degree, Dietrich was a Schreyer Honors Scholar and was selected as the student marshal for the Spring semester.
“Penn State is like home,” Dietrich said.
After her 2004 graduation, Dietrich realized that her dream of having a family and being a mother would be tough with a career in horticulture, so she earned her RN diploma and started working at Lancaster General Hospital in the ICU.
Dietrich began her new career path, and after working as an RN for a few years, she made the journey back to Penn State to accomplish her RN to BSN degree through Penn State World Campus.
“My number one goal was to be a mom and have a family, and that’s a difficult thing to do as a woman who has a lot of abilities,” Dietrich said. “You are kind of pulled in directions to succeed in a career and I saw nursing as something I could do at a lower level, and when I was ready, I could amp it up.”
This time around, Dietrich is both a wife and a mother. Her four children, Adelaide, Liam, Maelynn and Alama, will be there to see their mother accept her degree and be praised for her dedication to the nursing program.
“I have a son who is 10 and a daughter who is 14, and for my daughter I feel like it’s empowering to see that you can be a woman and you can expect your husband to participate in the household and childhood duties so that you can advance your own career and your own education,” Dietrich said.
Looking forward, Dietrich hopes to become a nurse practitioner (NP), focusing on psychiatric and mental health.
This area of nursing allows her to nurture her love for people, science, education and caregiving, while making an impact on people’s lives.
Now that Dietrich is finished with her degree, she has nothing but gratitude for her family for supporting them throughout this phase of her life.
“It’s an honor,” Dietrich said. “To me, it means the most that my children will be there to see it and I know it made my parent’s really proud.”
Dietrich will continue to work as an RN in the Behavioral Health Unit at WellSpan Chambersburg and continue to assist people with their mental health needs.
The Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing commencement will take place at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, in the Bryce Jordan Center.