UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Members of the first cohort of high school students to participate in a Penn State program that helped prepare them for college are completing the journey they began years ago, graduating with their bachelor’s degrees.
Students from the inaugural Summer Discovery program at the Readiness Institute at Penn State will don their caps and gowns during Penn State’s spring 2026 commencement ceremonies. They participated in Summer Discovery as rising high school seniors in 2021. Since then, 285 students from 84 different high schools have participated in the program.
Summer Discovery has provided high school seniors in Allegheny, Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset counties the opportunity to be college, future and community ready by developing leadership skills through interactive skills workshops, field trips, group projects and real-world learning opportunities.
Alexandria Rhoads is from Moon Township and an alumna of Moon Area School District. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Penn State College of Engineering. Rhoads said her experience in the Summer Discovery program was formative and exposed her to a wide range of perspectives.
“I learned more about different service opportunities that exist within my community and in the Pittsburgh area,” Rhoads said. “It helped me to understand how individuals can positively impact the world around them through dedicated service, or just by listening and learning from others to ensure that we are creating space for all voices.”
After graduation, Rhoads said she will be attending the University of Colorado at Boulder to pursue a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering with a focus on astrodynamics and trajectory optimization for spacecraft.
Noah Rock is from Sewickley and an alumnus of Quaker Valley School District. He spent his time at Penn State pursuing degrees in finance and accounting from the Smeal College of Business. He said his experience in the Summer Discovery program included working at Sunny’s Community Garden — a nonprofit that turns unused urban lots into gathering spaces for gardeners of all ages — and learning from various speakers and mentors who helped him explore various post-high school options.
“My cohort was filled with great people from all walks of life in Pittsburgh, a city that I’ve learned to love and appreciate through this experience. It provided me with a support network that I can lean on whenever I need someone to talk to and instilled in me the importance of helping to care for my community. Emma Hance, senior program manager for the Readiness Institute, has been a caring and overall fantastic mentor to me, especially during my college years, for which I am extremely grateful,” Rock said. “This experience also helped me to think about the various communities that make up Pittsburgh and how the actions of some people affect others, requiring the need for leaders to consider everyone when making decisions. I would not have had this opportunity without the Readiness Institute.”
Rock said his plans after graduation include working as a risk management analyst for Barclays in New York.
Justin Aglio, associate vice president for Penn State Outreach and the executive director for the Readiness Institute at Penn State, shared how Summer Discovery embodies Outreach’s mission to prepare students for success.
“As students who were part of the first cohort to participate in Summer Discovery are now ready to graduate from Penn State, it marks a full-circle moment for the program and for the Readiness Institute, which was conceived on a promise to expand access, build confidence and prepare students for future success,” said Aglio. “Summer Discovery provided these soon-to-be graduates with early exposure to campus life, academics and community, and better prepared them by enabling them to create personalized roadmaps to advancement. I could not be prouder of each one of them.”
The Readiness Institute, part of Penn State Outreach, was founded on a mission to unite education, industry and community to foster transformative collaborations and create innovative experiences for Pennsylvanians to thrive through readiness for their communities and the future.
Explore the Readiness Institute website to learn more about Summer Discovery and other future-ready programs.