UNIVERISTY PARK, Pa. — Maeve Riley and Freda Smit, students of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, have been selected to serve as the college’s student marshals in the spring 2024 commencement ceremony.
Riley is a committed student both on and off campus. She is a member of the sorority Pi Beta Phi, the Student Nurses Association at Penn State (SNAPS) and a supporter of Penn State THON. Additionally, she has made Dean’s List every semester since Fall 2020.
This Spring, Riley was able to act as an Independant Dancer Couple (IDC) at THON 2024 and spend 46 hours dancing with her roommate. Now, her time as an IDC remains one of her top moments in Happy Valley.
Riley said she is thankful to both the faculty at Penn State and all of the people she has met along the way.
“It’s a big school with a lot to do, but you can make it what you want it to be,” Riley said.
Following graduation, Riley will continue her passion for pediatric nursing at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After completing an externship at CHOP in the summer of 2023, Riley is ecstatic to return.
“I love taking care of kids, and I feel at home in that field when I am doing it,” Riley said.
Smit, hailing from Hopewell Junction, New York, is finishing her nursing degree alongside minors in Spanish and a Forensic Nursing certificate. She was a recipient of many awards and scholarships, including the Daughters of the American Revolution ROTC Award for her involvement in Penn State’s Army ROTC program.
On top of her academics, Smit was a research assistant for the Penn State SAFE-T Center where she coded qualitative data on HIV/AIDS prevention for victims of sexual assault. She had several volunteer opportunities with LifeLink PSU, THON and being a student ambassador for the college.
Now, Smit will be commissioning in the U.S. Navy in the Naval Nurse Corps at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Smit hopes to gain more experience in women’s health initiatives and participate in humanitarian and disaster relief deployments.
“I think these next two years will be focusing on just becoming a really good nurse,” Smith stated.
The college will highlight Riley and Smit alongside the graduating class in the commencement ceremony scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, at Eisenhower Auditorium.