University Park, Pa. -- Arica Rudnick, a senior marketing major in Penn State's Smeal College of Business, has translated the marketing expertise that landed her a summer internship into a burgeoning handbag business that is now benefiting Penn State's annual Dance Marathon (THON).

Calling herself the PSU Bag Lady -- visit http://www.psubaglady.com for more information -- Rudnick markets the trendy purses and cosmetic handbags created by New York City-based Loop Designs to sororities, clubs and other organizations at Penn State. She interned with the boutique fashion house during summer 2003, assisting in sales, marketing and publicity efforts.

Supporting Rudnick in her venture is a network of friends and family to offer encouragement; her father, who serves as business advisor; and various Penn State professors, who have been instrumental in helping her to navigate the legal aspects of business.

"My friends kept asking me where they could buy the bags I was using," Rudnick said. "I knew that Loop Designs didn't offer an online ordering system at the time and didn't have a measurable presence in college towns. It was obviously a ready-made distribution opportunity to gain a foothold at one of the largest university's in the nation."

Rudnick's foothold acquired a philanthropic bent when she decided to donate 20 percent of the proceeds from the fledgling business to THON, an event that supports the Four Diamonds Fund to help children with cancer and their families at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The 48-hour 2004 THON starts Friday, Feb. 20 and ends Sunday, Feb. 22, at University Park.

Currently, Rudnick is in the process of meeting with students from other universities interested in selling the purses to benefit their local charities.

"This isn't something that I set out to do, but more of something that I ran into," said Rudnick. "I feel incredibly fortunate that this hobby can benefit a cause like THON for which I have a great deal of passion."