UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State community and public are invited to Engagement Week events to learn how undergraduates are making the most of a wide variety of opportunities outside the classroom.
Events held the week of Nov. 11 will demonstrate the many ways that Penn Staters become inspired and forge the crucial connections necessary to thrive as an engaged student. Topics of poster presentations and lightning talks during the Engagement EXPO will touch on clubs, study abroad experiences, internships, research and other co-curricular activities.
“We want to give undergraduates at Penn State the opportunity to see how their peers are using their passion and talents to learn and grow outside the classroom,” said Michael Zeman, director of the Student Engagement Network. “The students you will hear from during the EXPO exemplify what it means to be engaged. They sought to become part of something larger than themselves and create positive change.”
Events
In addition to hearing student stories, events can help students find opportunities to get involved.
Engagement Carnival
Students can join in the fun of the Engagement Carnival on Monday, Nov. 11, in the Gingher Lounge, HUB-Robeson Center. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., carnival-like games will be set up that will help students learn more about engagement at Penn State, the Engagement App and how the Student Engagement Network can help support their engagement journey.
Student Engagement EXPO
Engagement Week will be headlined by the annual Student Engagement EXPO on Nov. 13. Starting at 5:30 p.m., attendees can hear directly from students about their engagement experiences during a poster session and lightning talks.
The evening will culminate in a keynote address by Dennis Shea, associate dean for undergraduate studies and outreach and professor of health policy and administration in the College of Health and Human Development.
Student Engagement Resource Fair
Engagement Week will end on Thursday, Nov. 14, with the Student Engagement Resource Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Big TV Lounge and Charlotte Ray lounges, HUB-Robeson Center. Students will have the opportunity to connect with representatives from different University Park campus departments, offices, programs and colleges to learn more about specific engagement opportunities.
Lightning presenters to share their stories
Among the presenters at the Engagement EXPO on Nov. 13 will be Victor Frolenko, a double-major in Spanish and nutritional sciences with a minor in neuroscience.
Frolenko and the Culinary Medicine Club were the beneficiaries of an Engagement Grant to help them in their mission to “educate students on how certain foods or diets might help to prevent, lower risk, and/or manage symptoms of various diseases through an interactive learning environment.”
Frolenko, who is the Culinary Medicine Club treasurer, said they had trouble securing funding from other sources.
“I will be telling this story, then how excited we were to receive the grant, all that we’ve done with it, and the new horizons this experience has opened up,” he said. “In this club, I was able to facilitate lots of creative events and have invited a celebrity chef to come to Penn State. Through this club, I’ve also become involved in the Penn State food/nutrition scene, hosting soup kitchens and helping run the Peace Meal.”
Frolenko will be among the eight undergraduate lightning presenters at the Engagement EXPO, who will deliver six-minute, TED-style talks. He’ll be joined by Enrique Egui, an industrial engineering major with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. Egui’s lightning talk will center on intentional living, which he described as a powerful tool for young adults navigating new experiences.
“I’ll be sharing an anecdote from my time studying abroad in Singapore, where a lack of intentionality led to an unexpected — and rather painful — learning experience,” Egui said. “Through my story, I hope to encourage others to think about the purpose behind their actions and to approach each opportunity with a clear sense of direction.”
Egui, who is from Caracas, Venezuela, said his time at Penn State was shaped partially from his out-of-classroom experiences, such as becoming president of the Venezuelan Student Organization and studying abroad.
“These experiences have taught me valuable skills in adaptability and decision-making, and have enriched my education by clarifying my goals and building meaningful connections with others,” he said.
The Student Engagement Network is a joint initiative between Undergraduate Education, Student Affairs, and Outreach and Online Education. The mission of the Student Engagement Network is to advance the power of participation by connecting students with experiences that empower them to make a positive impact as citizens and leaders of the world.