UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Rock Ethics Institute (REI) has announced its call for nominations for the institute’s 2025 Stand Up Awards.
The Stand Up Awards, established in 2008, recognize and celebrate Penn State undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional ethical leadership by standing up for a cause, idea or belief. Each year, these awards honor students whose courageous actions inspire others across the Penn State community to become ethical leaders.
“Many Penn State students are positively impacting their campuses and local communities through their ethical leadership, often without significant recognition. The Stand Up Awards present an opportunity to celebrate and encourage such service,” said Ben Jones, assistant director of the REI. “I urge faculty, staff, students and community members to nominate students who have demonstrated remarkable ethical leadership.”
The 2024 Stand Up Award winners, who represent three different campuses and three different colleges, are shining examples of the impact Penn State students make when leading with integrity and purpose:
- Triniti Freeman, a nursing major at Penn State Schuylkill, revived the campus Black Student Union and fostered connections with local NAACP chapters, creating a bridge between campus and community in the pursuit of racial equity. Driven to help address health disparities, she also launched the campus's first Health Science Conference, raising awareness about inequities in healthcare.
- Vancie Peacock, a biological engineering major, led food accessibility initiatives at the University Park Campus by founding the Pocket Garden to provide fresh produce to students in need. As executive director of the Student Farm Club, she secured funding for food security programs that have inspired similar initiatives statewide.
- Jenna Seigworth, an English major at Penn State Behrend, focused her efforts on addressing food insecurity in her campus community. She developed partnerships with local farmers and distributed produce from the Sustainable Food Systems Program through pay-what-you-can markets, extending access to fresh food in the Erie area.
Any Penn State undergraduate student from any major and any campus is eligible for nomination provided they were enrolled full-time for at least one semester during the 2024-25 academic year. Community members, staff, students and faculty all can nominate students they feel are deserving of Stand Up Award consideration.
Each winner of a Stand Up Award will receive $1,000 and be honored during the awards ceremony on April 8, 2025, at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.
Nominations must be submitted online no later than Jan. 31, 2025.
Additional information about the Rock Ethics Institute Stand Up Awards, including nomination criteria and profiles of previous honorees, can be found at StandUpPSU.com. For further inquiries, please contact Ben Jones at btj7@psu.edu.
The Rock Ethics Institute was established in 2001 through the support of Doug and Julie Rock. The institute promotes engaged ethics research and ethical leadership from its home in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts.