Major: Communication
Certificate: Public Relations
Hometown: I was born in Erie, but lived in State College for my entire childhood.
On choosing Behrend: Growing up in State College, I was familiar with the Penn State community. I wanted to move and make a big change for myself. Choosing Behrend allowed me to make this transition while still staying in an area that is familiar to me and near my family. It also seemed like a better option for me as I perform better academically in a smaller environment.
On choosing her major: I was fairly late to the game in deciding to pursue higher education. I knew I wanted to do more with my future but was not entirely sure what that would look like. During high school, I took multiple video production classes, journalism, and graphic design type courses. I began looking into majoring in business or advertising, but after reading through descriptions of each major, communication seemed to fit me best and aligned with the previous work I had done and enjoyed.
Putting her education to work: My proudest accomplishment was applying what I learned at Behrend during my summer internship with strategic communications for Ferguson Township near State College. I was able to take the things I’d learned and studied and see how they were used in the real world.
Awards and recognition: I will be receiving the Outstanding Achievement in Communication Award at the Honors and Awards Convocation.
Her definition of living a good life: Being able to live comfortably has always been my definition of a good life. I’ve never had the goal of making an outrageous amount of money, but rather to have the ability to be financially stable to balance my life between work and leisure.
Proud Swiftie: I am incredibly passionate about Taylor Swift and her music. I will take any chance I get to discuss her journey throughout the music industry. I have been listening to her music since she released her sophomore album Fearless in 2008, so in a way, I have grown up with her. It’s inspiring to see a woman achieve the things that she does and her continuing to outperform not only others, but herself as well.
Advice for first-year students: When I started at Behrend, it was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was fully online and did not step foot onto campus until my second year. I was already fairly introverted, so not being able to fully immerse myself into the Behrend community made it difficult to meet new people right away. For first-year students, I would say take advantage of being on campus and allow yourself to meet new people. Whether it’s other students or professors, people have some interesting stories to tell, and they can give you different perspectives on life. Also, creating relationships with people during college really has great potential to open new doors for your future.
Jenna plans to start her career in Erie, where she hopes to obtain a public relations position with a media company or within the entertainment and music industry.