Oh, moms. Where would we be without them? They are a shoulder to cry on, the biggest supporters, and the people who will be brutally honest just when we need it. Most importantly, behind every Nittany Lion is a Penn State mom.
Moms deserve praise
every day, but especially on Mother’s Day. To capture the holiday’s spirit, some of our staffers reflected on what their Penn State moms mean to them.
Alysa Rubin
Mom, I would not be the woman I am today if it were not for you. You’ve shown me what it means to be patient, kind, selfless, and ambitious. You are my role model in every way and I couldn’t be more grateful for all that you do. Thank you for helping to move me in and out of two apartments this year, spoiling me with your cooking (I will never get enough of it), going on hiking and road trips with me, sharing my photos, supporting me in whatever I do, reminding me that I won’t die from a minor illness, and providing me with some unparalleled life advice. Also, thank
To say that this year has been unconventional is a bit of an understatement.
However, it has brought many highs and lows and created a ton of memories (both good and bad) for Penn State students. Virtual classes and all, it’s safe to say it’s been a weird one in Happy Valley.
Some of our staffers wanted to take the time to reflect back on the year and think about some of the silver linings and lessons they may have learned during these ~unprecedented~ times.
Mackenzie Cullen
It’s no surprise that this school year was not it, folks. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, I’d rather focus on what I learned about myself through this shitshow of a school year. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is how to roll with the punches. On top of dealing with the constant changes that have been caused by the pandemic, I’ve had a lot of other unexpected things thrown my way this last year that have taken a toll on me. I like to believe that I’ve become a more resilient person
From online learning to mask-wearing, this year has held a lot of firsts for everyone.
On top of that, this past weekend brought everyone’s first virtual THON, after all. Naturally, we wanted to hear from our newest staffers freshmen and those new to University Park and learn what they took away from their first-ever THON.
Charles Reinert
It was definitely an interesting first THON, to say the least. I’m a 2+2 student, and I have been looking forward to coming to my first THON since I was small.
At Penn State Abington, there was a big involvement with the event, but only a few people would come up for THON itself. I always figured I’d get more involved in THON when my two years at Abington were up, but fate had different plans.
As the last round of college applications flow in and decisions begin to roll out, the toughest part of the admissions process lies ahead: actually picking a school.
With that in mind, our youngest staffers offered up their thoughts on what ultimately led them to Happy Valley. While the list of reasons to pick Penn State is seemingly endless, it’ll always be a tough decision. Perhaps their experiences will point you in Dear Old State’s direction.
Abby Han
Making the decision to come to Penn State was both the easiest and hardest thing I’ve ever done.
On one hand, I grew up spending what felt like more time in Happy Valley than at home, and I ate way more Creamery ice cream and grilled stickies than I could ever dream of (and it’s probably why I was so hyper all the time). And while Penn State always felt like home, I sometimes wondered if I was taking the easy route and choosing a school just because everyone had always expected me to go there, mostly because I had neve