Bella E.
Tour Guides and Humanities & Social Sciences Ambassador at Penn State Behrend
They/them/theirs
Class of 2026
Hometown: Erie, PA
Major: Political Science
Concentration: Crime & Law
Minor: English
Tour Guides and Humanities & Social Sciences Ambassador at Penn State Behrend
They/them/theirs
Class of 2026
Hometown: Erie, PA
Major: Political Science
Concentration: Crime & Law
Minor: English
I had always been interested in Penn State, and I am originally from Erie, but I also feel that Behrend offers more opportunities for its students to really have an impact on their community and form connections with the faculty when compared to its main campus. Also, the campus is absolutely stunning year-round.
The best advice I can give is 1) make it a priority to figure out the basics. Get a planner and write everything down, learn the tech you’re unfamiliar with, learn what resources are available to students, and talk with an academic advisor. 2) Put yourself out there! Join clubs, meet people, and try new things. Growth can be scary, but it is so worth it. 3) Feeling stressed or overwhelmed is normal, but don’t forget to give yourself time to exist and take the occasional deep breath.
I find myself in Bruno's practically every day I have classes. Even though I am a commuter, I go to hang out with my friends, get work done, or to grab a little snack.
During my sophomore year, I made the decision to try and resurrect all three political clubs at Behrend to have them all fully functional and active in time for the 2024 primary and general elections. This included our two partisan clubs and a nonpartisan general political society. Working with everyone who was interested in the executive board positions, communicating with campus faculty, and succeeding in having three active political clubs whilst being on the executive board of two of them while simultaneously working in state politics off campus was very difficult but also very fulfilling.