When you picture an online learner, you might think of someone sitting at their kitchen table working at their laptop or writing an essay late at night.
That’s not the whole picture. Far from it.
This year, Penn State World Campus students built communities, crossed the finish line, and advanced their careers because of their studies. One student who'd been learning online since middle school looked around, noticed others felt left out, and built something to fix it. Others published research, raised more than $20,000 for children with cancer, and walked the halls of the Pennsylvania State Capitol to advocate for higher education.
Here, a Penn State education isn't something that happens to our students. It's something they do.
They made an impact
An online learner since middle school, Alyssa Dumond has figured out how to find community in digital spaces. But when she realized that not every online learner knows how to do that, she created a solution.
Dumond, who is 20 and majoring in business, heard concerns from a student she was mentoring about feeling left out. Dumond took a leap, organizing Interconnected, the first social club at Penn State World Campus to address the loneliness that online learners may experience.
Dumond had no blueprint and no guarantee that anyone would show up to the first virtual meeting. By the second meeting, members had their cameras on, the conversations started rolling, and the friendships began, she said.
Today, Interconnected has close to 90 members and its GroupMe chats are so active that you’ll get a response within 15 minutes, Dumond said. Meeting activities take all shapes, from games and trivia to one in the spring called “Spring Cleaning Your Mind” to pair a discussion with writing in a mental health journal the club mailed to members. Members come from all backgrounds, which was the point: working adults, parents, military members, traditional-age college students, and undergraduate and graduate students have a way to connect.
When a 20-year-old, a working parent, and an active-duty service member are all in the same Zoom room talking about why they chose an online program, something shifts, she said.
Dumond’s efforts are being recognized outside of the organization. Interconnected received the Membership Engagement Award from World Campus Student Affairs, which recognizes organizations that have turned membership into genuine community. She wants Interconnected to become a model for how universities everywhere support their online learners, not just academically but as whole people.
Valeriia Dolhodush began a community-building effort, too. She founded the International and Transfer Students Association (ITSA) to create a supportive, inclusive community for students navigating the challenges of adapting to a new academic and cultural environment.
Through ITSA, she also launched Penn Talk, a monthly speaker series that connects students with faculty and staff, helping bridge the gap between World Campus learners and University resources. Her work has fostered meaningful connections among students across the globe, providing guidance on academics, student life, and personal well-being while encouraging a strong sense of belonging.
Dolhodush said the ITSA community has expanded into a global student community of almost 100 members from various Penn State campuses and academic levels, from bachelor’s degree–seeking students to those enrolled in Ph.D. programs.
Tanja Jefferson and Lauren Shevchek turned their personal experiences with disability into meaningful advocacy for online learners. Jefferson, who has an invisible disability, and Shevchek, who was paralyzed after an accident, have worked together to create community, expand disability representation in student government, and lead initiatives such as an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) anniversary celebration and a new affinity group for students with disabilities. Through surveys, events, and leadership roles, they’re ensuring that students with disabilities have a lasting voice and greater access to resources, helping shape a more inclusive future for Penn State’s online community.
Online learners can study abroad
Online learning didn't keep these students behind a computer screen. Some went abroad because certain lessons can only be learned in person.
Online business students in MGMT 345: Cultural Intelligence in Leadership and Management visited Denmark and Sweden to see firsthand how the culture of a country shapes the workplace. Alongside Penn State Schuylkill and University Park classmates, they toured a waste-to-energy plant that doubles as a ski slope, explored a 17th-century fortress, and visited Freetown Christiania — a neighborhood that sparked real conversations about governance, identity, and how societies organize themselves.
Nursing student Brandon Smith joined classmates from Penn State Altoona and University Park for a spring break in Athens, Greece, not to sightsee, but to deliver health education to refugee teens at urban clinics. Through Global Brigades Kambia, students ran presentations on nutrition, exercise, and smoking cessation for young people who had fled war, crossed borders, and landed in a city that wasn't theirs.
Students traveled to Tarragona, Spain, for an immersive experience to learn about human resources and employment relations in that country. Each year since 2017, students in the course LHR 499: Comparative Labor and Employment Relations have been travelling abroad to spend a week observing how employment practices compare to the American model.
Penn Staters all the way
Our students showed off their school pride by taking part in quintessential Penn State experiences both virtually and in person.
The student group World Campus Benefitting THON raised more than $20,000 for Four Diamonds during Penn State’s 46-hour dance marathon, THON™, and contributed to the University-wide total of more than $18.8 million to support pediatric cancer patients and research. The World Campus THON organization sent two dancers, Jenna Baker and Robert Billings, to represent online learners, marking the fourth year that World Campus has had representation at this Penn State student-led event. Their $20,604.99 total set a new fundraising record for the group and earned them a spot in the top 10 campuses for fundraising for the first time, at No. 9.
Penn State World Campus honored its 2025 Homecoming Court in a special ceremony in the fall to celebrate the achievements and spirit of online learners, alumni, faculty, and staff. The court included 14 members across undergraduate, graduate, and professional roles, with Lisa Berfield and Tanja Jefferson receiving the “For the Glory” award for exceptional leadership and dedication to Penn State values. Organized by World Campus Student Affairs, the event was held both in person and online and accompanied a week of Homecoming activities designed to help online students connect with the broader University community.
Penn State World Campus students also participated in Advocate Penn State’s annual Capital Day in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, joining peers from across Pennsylvania to meet with legislators and advocate for state funding. Students spent the day in meetings, networking, and attending a rally to highlight Penn State’s impact. Jeremy Griffith spoke with lawmakers about how online education allows students to pursue a Penn State degree without disrupting their lives, while Morgan Sattesahn and Muhammad Ahmer Khan discussed student financial challenges and the broader economic value of funding. Their involvement was supported by World Campus Student Affairs, contributing to the University-wide effort to share student experiences and strengthen advocacy for Penn State’s mission.
Sixteen Penn State World Campus students joined more than 200 peers at Penn State’s 2025 Summer Leadership Conference, a three‑day event focused on leadership development, networking, and community-building. For the first time, World Campus hosted the conference, which demonstrates how integrated online learners have become in Penn State’s broader community.
They did the work
Penn State World Campus students aren't just earning degrees — they’re producing research, earning national recognition, and taking their skills into the real world.
Amanda Peterson made history as the first graduate of the online Doctor of Education program offered by Penn State’s College of Education. A licensed clinical counselor and higher education administrator in Chanhassen, Minnesota, Peterson returned to school with a clear mission: to become a better advocate for her family and community after a personal experience with racism directed at her child shifted her focus toward racialized trauma and serving marginalized and neurodiverse populations. She defended her capstone, "Pedagogies of Wholeness: Interrogating the Gap Between Institutional Rhetoric and Faculty Preparedness for Justice," and graduated in May at Penn State’s J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School commencement ceremony. What surprised her most along the way wasn’t the rigor — it was the people.
"Community had a lot to do with my ability to finish," she said. "Any time things would get confusing, it would be really great to have a space to go to."
Jessica Urquiza didn’t just complete her Master of Public Health course work; she helped make the program better. Urquiza worked with faculty outside the classroom to improve the curriculum and delivery of a cross-cultural exchange global health course. She’s also the first author on multiple accepted conference abstract submissions, with a peer-reviewed manuscript pending publication.
Criminal justice students Adam Eglinger and Hope Samuel traveled to Chicago to present original research at a national conference, gaining hands-on experience and contributing to conversations on policy and reform. The opportunity sharpened their research and public speaking skills while highlighting what’s possible when faculty mentorship meets real-world academic engagement.
Finance students competing in the CFA Institute Research Challenge collaborated remotely to analyze a real company and develop a professional investment recommendation. Online learners Ana Jacomini, Coty Dolan, William Falquez, and Cayson Woodley were part of the Penn State Behrend campus team that advanced through multiple rounds of competition, finishing among the top 35 teams in the world, demonstrating that online students can excel in high-stakes, real-world challenges.
Cindy Burgess, an HR professional, became a published researcher. She enrolled in the master's in human resources and employment relations for practical reasons — she had spent 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry and needed an advanced degree to break through to management. She did her course work on nights, weekends, and lunch breaks while raising a toddler and working full-time. What she didn't anticipate was that an assignment would turn into a peer-reviewed publication in the International Journal of Human Resource Management. In December, she landed the management role she had been working toward.
Daniel Corredor didn’t have to look far for a research problem. A software engineer by day and an endurance sports coach on the side, he saw a gap at the intersection of his two worlds and built something to fill it. For his capstone in data analytics, he developed an AI-driven tool that lets endurance athletes have natural language conversations with their own training data. What started as an early prototype at Penn State's LionCage pitch competition and the Nittany AI Challenge grew into something he’s now working to patent.
Finance student Sarah Smith came back to college with a clear sense of purpose: build a career helping others better understand their finances. Balancing course work with running her own business and raising a family, she pursued a finance degree through Penn State World Campus and found her way to the prestigious FINSERV Fellowship — a program that provides mentorship, professional coaching, and access to industry leaders.
They served
One in five Penn State World Campus students has a military connection, whether it’s being a veteran, serving on active duty, or being a Reservist or military spouse.
This year, as always, we honored graduating students who are serving or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces with an honor cord they can wear during their commencement ceremony. The students received the red, white, and blue cord during a recognition ceremony at the University Park campus.
Martin Ingraham is an Army staff sergeant with the National Guard and a single dad. Going to school in person was not an option — deployments made that clear. That is why he chose an online program with Penn State World Campus, did his military duties, put the kids to bed, and sat down to study. He earned his associate degree in criminal justice and is already planning his next move: a bachelor’s in law and society and, eventually, an internship with a law firm.
The Military Service Organization (MSO) was named the 2026 Outstanding Student Organization of the Year by World Campus Student Affairs, the highest honor given to our student organizations. Through monthly meetings, advising sessions, career panels, and a Teams channel that functions as an around-the-clock hub for its members, MSO has built a community that meets military-connected students navigating deployments, time zones, full-time work, and family responsibilities all at once. Their partnerships extend beyond World Campus to the Penn State’s veteran center, strengthening support for military-connected students across the Penn State system. Dane Sorensen, MSO’s president, accepted the award on the organization’s behalf.
They crossed the finish line
For so many of our students, graduation is the culmination of years of balancing school with careers, families, caregiving, and life’s unexpected turns. More than 3,500 students graduated in the 2025–26 academic year.
Cassie Williams started college after high school, then came home when life made that impossible. When she decided to return, her father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. She chose to go back to school online so she could stay close to him and keep a promise she made to herself that she wouldn’t stop her education. What followed was a second year of college spent managing a household, caring for her younger brother through his senior year of high school, and studying while her father underwent a double lung and liver transplant four hours away from home. She finished that year with a 4.0.
Williams, who graduated with a psychology degree and the highest academic distinction Penn State awards, became the first in her family to earn a college degree. Plus, her dad was in the stands to see her graduate. She also won the best overall presentation at the 2026 Psi Chi Research Conference for work on health and transplant psychology, a field she came to through lived experience. She’s heading to Northwestern University for graduate school in counseling psychology.
Emily Laurer’s graduation this May marked something even bigger than a degree — it was a family milestone. When Laurer’s son started college at Penn State’s University Park campus, she decided it was time for her to go back to school, too. She was studying online through World Campus and majoring in digital multimedia design. Laurer and her son graduated together this spring.
Rosalinda Hernandez once doubted whether college was possible for someone like her, a first-generation college student. When she graduated in December with a bachelor’s in human development and family studies, her achievement was proof of something bigger than a degree: for her younger siblings and her Spanish-speaking community, that the path is possible.
Adalice Burgos knew exactly what motivated her: she had once missed out on a job in IT because she didn't have a college degree, and she vowed it wouldn’t happen again. Raising twin boys and working full-time, she enrolled in World Campus in 2015, earned her associate degree in information sciences and technology in 2019, and landed a job as a systems administrator associate at Penn State Health in 2020. This August, she finished what she started — graduating with a bachelor’s degree in security and risk analysis after a decade-long journey she said has given her a profound sense of confidence.
Anna McGovern didn’t find her path to graduation in a straight line, and it turns out that made her better at the work she’s going into. After stepping away from Penn State to focus on her mental health following an ADHD diagnosis, she found her footing working on a farm and as a special education paraprofessional — experiences that clarified exactly why she’d chosen to study human development and family studies in the first place. An internship with a nonprofit brought her back to herself academically, and in August, she crossed the finish line. She already knows what comes next.
They see their degrees working
For many World Campus students, the decision to return to school is itself an act of courage. These students prove that it’s never too late, and that life experience can be an asset, not a liability.
Khalid Nawab, a physician at Penn State Health, used his graduate studies through the master’s in artificial intelligence to bring AI to the front lines of health care. His capstone work explored how AI tools can support clinical decision-making — the kind of applied, mission-driven scholarship that reflects why working professionals choose online learning through Penn State World Campus.
Jaisauna Houser was working in corporate strategy in Pittsburgh when she recognized a shift happening around her: data-driven decision-making was becoming essential, and she wanted to stay ahead of it. She earned her master’s in data analytics through Penn State World Campus by studying during breaks, fitting course work into a full-time schedule, and advancing her career without putting the rest of her life on hold. Before she even graduated, she had already secured a major role applying her new skills at her company. The degree didn’t just open a door. It put her ahead of the curve.
Aja Cramer spent 15 years in the restaurant industry before she was ready for a change that honored her creativity without requiring her to uproot her life. After transitioning to a role with a tourism organization in Pennsylvania, she enrolled in the digital multimedia design program, rebuilding her design skills for a field that had changed significantly since she first studied it. She finished her degree in about three years, fitting course work around her job and her life, and said the degree made going back to school feel realistic and attainable. Today, she puts those skills to work as membership manager for the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board, using design and digital communication to support Pennsylvania’s hospitality industry.
A Penn State education online and on your terms
These are some of the things Penn State World Campus students accomplished this year. Every one of them started by deciding to begin.
Penn State World Campus has been delivering a Penn State education online for more than 25 years to fit the lives of working adults, parents, military members, and anyone ready to take the next step.
Ready to start your story? Penn State World Campus offers more than 200 degrees and certificates designed to fit your life. Explore your options.
