Major: Biology, Health Professions option
Minor: Psychological Science
Hometown: Pittsburgh
Scholarships: Penn State Behrend Leadership Scholarship and Chancellor’s Scholarship.
Why she chose Behrend: I chose Behrend because of its close-knit academic environment. The smaller student-to-faculty ratio provides a more personalized learning experience. From my very first visit, I knew Behrend would be a place where faculty and staff would support my ambitions and help me achieve my goals.
Why she chose her major: From as early as I can remember, I was always following my mom, who is a nurse practitioner, around the hospital, dreaming about that being me one day. I chose to pursue my undergraduate degree in Biology at Behrend as a stepping stone toward becoming a physician. One quote that I live by is: “To be the mediator between someone’s fear of today and hope for tomorrow is the greatest responsibility one can have.” I would be incredibly proud to do that as my work one day.
Student involvement: I have had the honor of serving as president for Biology Club, Scrubs Club, and Lion Ambassadors; vice president for Science Ambassadors, director of site development for Alternative Spring Break, and a Welcome Week leader during my final academic year. I was also involved in Behrend Benefiting THON.
Pride in Lion leadership: One of my proudest accomplishments at Behrend has been serving as president of Lion Ambassadors, an organization that holds a special place in my heart. Leading such a dedicated group of students has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I was honored to receive the Irvin H. Kochel Lion Ambassador Award for my work with the group.
Mind over matter: The biggest challenge I have had to overcome is believing in myself and trusting that I have the abilities needed to succeed, both over the past four years and in the future. I started with small affirmations every day to be confident and have trust in my abilities.
What you’d be surprised to know about her: I have a twin sister. She is a built-in best friend and my biggest supporter in life.
Advice for first-year students: This is probably something they have heard multiple times before, but the reason is because it is so important—get involved. If I could go back in time, this is the one thing I would start earlier on. You never know what you will discover about yourself through extracurricular activities while at Behrend.
Haley plans to earn a Master of Business Administration degree at Behrend while preparing for, and applying to, medical school to become a pediatric physician.
From my very first visit, I knew Behrend would be a place where faculty and staff would support my ambitions and help me achieve my goals.
—Haley Allen