Aja Cramer has been named the fall 2025 student marshal for Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture.
Originally from Dallas, Texas, but currently a Downingtown, Pennsylvania, resident, Cramer is a Penn State World Campus learner. She will graduate with a Bachelor of Design in Digital Multimedia Design.
“To me, [representing the college] represents dedication, passion, and always doing your best. It represents being innovative and finding ways to use your skills or your craft that you’ve worked all this time on learning, through all these different courses, and translating it into passion,” Cramer said.
While pursuing her degree, Cramer has worked full-time as the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board’s member manager. At Penn State, she is a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society and the Digital Multimedia Design Club. Her course projects have included the development of an app prototype, a satirical interactive website, and a storefront management web application.
“I work full-time, I balance family and social life, and I wasn’t sure what this journey was going to look like — how hard it was going to be, if it was something I was going to be able to see through,” Cramer said. “I guess I surprised myself that I really dug in, and I was doing this for myself, and I did it.”
Cramer said that while her creative spark has always been there, it was reignited during this academic experience. She said she was able to find a passion she “kind of lost” after pushing it to the “back burner” for her adult life.
Cramer said juggling both her academic and professional responsibilities taught her how to be adaptable when it came to challenges.
“At the end of the day, it’s okay to be a little selfish and do something for yourself, too,” Cramer said. “It’s just about prioritizing, about being really diligent, not letting yourself slack, and holding yourself accountable.”
Cramer said those thinking about going back to school should “not think twice about it.” She advised taking it “one day at a time, one course at a time."
“I’m super excited to finish this journey and move on to the next,” Cramer said.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Design in Digital Multimedia Design offered online through Penn State World Campus.
