Master of Ceremonies
Sarah Grosch
Sarah Grosch is a third-year Broadcast Journalism student. Here at Penn State, she is a Residence Assistant, a Lion Ambassador, and a member of VALLEY Magazine and Volé. Additionally, she has interned for the Penn Stater Magazine and Penn State Athletics, and currently is a reporter for Centre County Report.
Our Speakers
Alana Nesmith
Alana Nesmith is a fourth-year student from Rock Hill, South Carolina studying Political Science and Communication Arts and Sciences. Currently, she is involved as President of the Multicultural Undergraduate Law Assocation and Mentor for the National Council of Negro Women. Additionally, Alana works a Peer Adviser for the College of the Liberal Arts and is a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the CAS honors society.
Alana will be speaking about the importance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, ad belonging, and the climate of being a black woman at a predominantly white institution. She looks forward to exploring the potential of Penn State students and the State College community!
Tyler Hoppe
Tyler Hoppe is a fourth-year student from Mount Savage, Maryland, studying political science with a minor in psychology. Transferring to University Park from Altoona via the 2+2 program, Tyler has been involved in The Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, currently serving as their President. In service to the organization, Tyler has worked to ensure that all Penn State students receive an equal opportunity for a successful collegiate education, no matter their location in the Commonwealth. Additionally, Tyler is an active member of the blind community, participating in initiatives by The National Federation of the Blind, The American Council of the Blind, and Team See Possibilities. Heading into law school, Tyler intends on pursuing a career in politics, with the end goal of becoming a United States Senator, advocating for the American people.
Bringing in the unique perspective of entering Penn State as a blind student, Tyler will be speaking on the power of advocacy and using your voice to create a successful environment. Given the historic changes occurring in the university, Tyler wishes to showcase how the simple act of speech can unite individuals together towards a shared common good. He highly anticipates the chance to speak to the Penn State community and hopes his speech can inspire the greatness that exists within the student body.
Sydney Ferriera-Hamilton
Sydney Ferriera-Hamilton is a fourth-year student from Palm Beach County, Florida, pursuing a Biobehavioral Health degree on a Pre-Med track at Penn State University. She currently serves as the President of the Penn State chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an organization dedicated to advocating for racial equality and social justice. Additionally, Sydney holds the position of Women in NAACP Chair for the Pennsylvania State Conference for NAACP Youth and Collegiate Chapters, where
she serves as a resource for every youth and college chapter in the state of Pennsylvania. She has also contributed to the university community through her service as the Event Coordinator for Eminence Modeling Troupe, Evening Celebration Co-Coordinator for the MLK Day of Service, previous
Co-Experience Chair for the Caribbean Student Association, and former Juvenile Justice Chair and Second Vice President for the NAACP.
Beyond her extracurricular involvement, Sydney works as a Mental Health Technician at Meadows Psychiatric Center, providing care for children and adolescents. She is also a research assistant at Penn State’s Center for Childhood Obesity Research, where she contributes to
important work addressing childhood obesity.
Sydney will be speaking about bridging the gap between white and Black organizations, as well as addressing issues of self-segregation. She looks forward to sharing her lived experiences and engaging with the community she has worked to serve throughout her college career.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson is a fourth-year student from Greencastle, Pennsylvania studying Political Science. He is in his third year as a member of Penn State Lion Caucus and concluding his first year as Vice President of the organization. Lion Caucus serves as the student arm of the Penn State Office of Government and Community Relations, focused on maintain and building the universities relationships with elected leaders at the local, state, and federal level. The organization works year-round to put on an annual event called, “Capital Day” that occurs both in Harrisburg and on campus. During that event, the organization and their members have the chance to meet with legislators and convey the impact that Penn State students and alumni have on the Commonwealth and the country at large, with the overarching goal to increase state funding for the university and alleviate higher education cost burdens placed on students.
In addition, as Vice President of Lion Caucus, Andrew spent much of the last two years working to build civic engagement and student participation in the political process on campus. Civic Engagement and student awareness surrounding the political process plays an integral role in the success of achieving Lion Caucus’ goals.
Additionally, Andrew served as a twice elected At-Large Representative with University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) and acted as the Vice Chair of the Committee of Government & Community Relations throughout his two-year term. In this role, Andrew put on debate forums, hosted voter registration and voter education events.
Andrew will be speaking about the importance of civic engagement and student involvement in the democratic process at Penn State and how the university can work to enhance this important work. He looks forward to exploring the potential that exists within Penn State students and the State College community.
Ryan Klein
Ryan Klein is a fourth-year student from Reading, Pennsylvania, studying Political Science and History. He is currently serving his second term as the President of Penn State College Republicans, where he leads the organization’s efforts to elect Republican candidates, communicate the party’s message to Penn State students, and advocate for conservative principles. Additionally, Ryan had the privilege to dance in THON 2023 and has served on a Dancer Relations and Communications Committee in previous years.
Ryan will be speaking about the importance of Penn State students getting politically engaged and working together to foster healthy political discourse on campus and across the United States.
Mike Fowler
Mike Fowler is a third-year student from Sparta, New Jersey studying political science with minors in politics & public policy and media studies. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the University Park Fee Board (UPFB), which helps to fund essential services such as CAPS, UHS, Campus Recreation, student government, and more through the Student Initiated Fee. Additionally, he serves as the President of Lion Caucus, the student arm of the Office of Government and Community Relations. In this role, he works directly with the Office of Government and Community Relations, as well as extensively with state and federal legislators, to advocate on behalf of the student body to state government in Harrisburg, as well as the federal government in Washington. He also collaborates with local legislative offices of all levels to provide programming and civic education to University Park.
Mike will be speaking about student-led lobbying and advocacy, and how each student at University Park has the power to make their voices heard to policymakers at all levels of government, as well as effective strategies to do so. With his experience in student lobbying and advocacy at Penn State, he looks forward to educating students on how they can be a key part in increasing education accessibility, and furthering a strong governmental investment in Penn State.
Rusham Katoch
Rusham Katoch is a third-year student from Mechanicsburg, PA studying Finance with a minor in entrepreneurship. She is the President of the Blue & White Society, the student arm of the Penn State Alumni Association, where she has worked to build professional development and networking opportunities for students. Rusham is also a graduate of the Wall Street Bootcamp program at Penn State, run by Robin Stevens. Rusham also serves as the recruitment chair of Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity, and has gained hands-on experience in venture capital and wealth management through various internships.
Rusham will be speaking about the importance of building relationships and networking in college—how Penn State provides the largest alumni network in the world, but students often lack the skills to utilize it effectively. She will explore how the university can better equip students with practical networking tools to ensure they are prepared for their professional futures.
Cierra Chandler
Cierra Chandler is a Ph.D. candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State. She is deeply involved in fostering engagement across multiple levels of the university. She co-founded the Graduate Engagement Network to strengthen connections and build a sense of community among graduate students in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. At the university level, she has served as a member and now Chair of the University Park Fee Board, ensuring that student-initiated fees enhance the out-of-class experience. Additionally, she serves as a faculty senator in the Graduate and Professional Student Association, where she participates in shared governance and advocates for improvements to the graduate student experience.
Cierra will be speaking about the power of engagement and how even the smallest acts of involvement can lead to and are necessary for meaningful change within the Penn State community. She looks forward to highlighting opportunities for students to take actionable steps in strengthening community engagement and accountability, inspiring others to take an active role in shaping their campus experience.
Danil Rose
Daniil Rose is a third-year student from New Holland, Pennsylvania studying computer engineering and German with an integrated master’s in international affairs. He is in his fifth semester serving as the president of the Association of Residence Hall Students (ARHS), the governing council for the residence hall governments that advocates for the 14,000+ students living on-campus. Additionally, Daniil serves as the School of International Affairs delegate for the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA), a member of the Academic Portfolio and Program Review (APPR) Communications and Engagement Team, and the Leadership Committee Chair for the Civic Engagement Alliance (CEA).
Daniil will be speaking about engaging students at Penn State who historically are not involved and how the university and student leaders can engage with everyone. He looks forward to inspiring the Penn State students and administration to collaborate on the future of student engagement!