UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sydney Gibbard, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Eric A. Walker Award.
The award is presented annually to the student who has contributed most to enhancing the reputation of the University through extracurricular activities. Walker was president of Penn State from 1956 to 1970.
Gibbard, a member of the Schreyer Honors College, is involved in several activities on and off campus.
Gibbard is University Park Undergraduate Association student body president, representing the views of more than 45,000 students. In that role, she routinely meets with Penn State’s Board of Trustees, president and provost. Nominators said Gibbard implemented new academic policies and practices, advocated for marginalized voices and developed media campaigns.
Gibbard also oversaw 100 members of student government, keeping various tasks, budgets and projects on time. She’s also a member of the Student Fee Board that oversees more than $26 million in annual student fees.
“Sydney has no interest in being recognized for any of her work,” a nominator said. “She is shy and prefers to get things done rather than having attention drawn to her. She has a quiet confidence that allows her to keep going when facing difficult circumstances. Being the student government president is hard. Aside from the work and demand on her time, Sydney is a public figure and has to manage everything that comes with it. Nothing deters her. She keeps doing the work that she was elected to do because she knows it will better the lives of Penn State students.”
In 2018, Gibbard founded Girls Code the World, a nonprofit organization to improve diversity in STEM fields by providing resources, opportunities and role models for young girls interested in STEM-related fields to build confidence and a support network. She raised more than $70,000 in funding from groups such as Invent Penn State, Drexel University College of Computing & Informatics, National Science Foundation and Johnson & Johnson, and built an internship program for employees to grow technical teaching, curriculum development and mentorship skills. The organization has helped more than 250 girls.