The BAR 2012 weekend was truly meaningful for me to be able to meet so many of Penn State’s Black Alumni and hear from their own past experiences here at Penn State.  That Friday, I attended a luncheon where I began meeting many of Penn State’s alum and heard a great keynote speaker. The next morning, I attended the BAR Breakfast Panel Discussion which was definitely my favorite event.  A group of ten males from various colleges of Penn State formed a panel to give advice to the current students today and also speak on their own experiences while they were students here.  Hearing them speak was enlightening and made me not only appreciate the opportunities that I have been offered today, but also work harder to achieve my goals and give back to future generations to come.  I only wish that more students were present, especially other black males, so that they could witness this event because empowering events like this do not come very often.  I finished the weekend off that night by attending the BAR Gala, where alum and current Penn State faculty were honored for their achievements.  I know that the people I met, and networks I made will continue to do great things, and I will use all the knowledge I received that weekend to continue my journey to one day become a black alumni as well.

This summer, I also had the opportunity to participate in study abroad in Costa Rica.  While in Central America, I learned of the many different agriculture products used to support the country’s economy, such as bananas, pineapples, coffee and sugar cane, in addition to increasing my Spanish vocabulary. I am concluding my summer by preparing for the GRE, catching up with friends and offsetting some of my time as a summer enrichment teacher. This is the first summer of my college career that I am spending back home with my family in the Garden State.

This Blue-White weekend, I was able to take a break in my studies and participate in Blue-White activities, one of which, was the BAR 2012 Sunday Brunch held on Earth Day.  Current students, including myself, both undergraduates and graduates were able to share their Penn State experience with the alumni and key figures of our university. The highlight for me was definitely having the opportunity to eat breakfast with Dean McPheron, College of Agricultural Sciences. This was my first Black Alumni Reunion and certainly not my last. After May 2013, I too will be a proud alum of Penn State University.

With the Summer Olympics 2012 in London fast approaching, please be on the lookout for current and past Penn Staters who will be representing their home country. The list is quite impressive with athletes competing from, of course, my sport – Fencing and including the following:

FENCING

Miles Chamley-Watson will be competing on the men’s fencing team in his home city of London, representing the United States in Foil.

Doris Willette qualified as an alternate in Women’s Foil representing the United States. This will be her second Olympics.

Daniel Gomez-Tanamachi will compete on the Men’s Foil Team for Mexico. Daniel qualified for the Olympics while competing for NCAA.

GYMASTICS

Felic Aronovich will represent Israel Men’s Gymnastics.

Tommy Ramos will represent Puerto Rico at the Olympics for Men’s Gymnastics.

SOCCER

Erica Walsh the head coach for Penn state Women’s Soccer is coaching the United States Woman’s Soccer Team.

CYCLING

Bobby Lea will attend his second Olympics with the United States Team.

VOLLEYBALL

Penn State Alum, Matt Anderson, will be competing for the United States Men’s Volleyball Team and

Max Holt as an alternate for the United States Men’s Volleyball Team

TRACK AND FIELD

Shana Cox will compete in the 400m Sprint representing Great Britain.

Assistant Coach Ryan Whiting will compete in shot put for the United States.

Bridget Franek will compete for the United States in the 3000m Steeplechase.

ROWING

Natalie Dell will compete for the United States Olympic Rowing Team.

For more information about the PSU Olympians, check out:  http://live.psu.edu/story/60465

 “I must say that it was an honor for me to receive the inaugural David Alston “Triple A” Award for Academics, Athletics, and Achievement. It is even more special to me because of David Alston being the first African-American to don Blue and White for the Penn State football team. More often times than not, it is a challenge to be the first person to do something in any field. I believe that you don’t know what difficulties lay ahead, but you are willing to make the sacrifice so that others will be able to reap the benefits of your struggle. David Alston was that person for all other African-American young men to be educated at and have the opportunity to play football for Penn State.  I continue to be proud of my experiences at Penn State as a student-athlete and my career since I have left the university.  My experiences in State College have positively impacted me.  In my opinion, I received a Top 10 education from and competed on teams that had one of the most successful stretches in football at Penn State.  Being an alumnus of Penn State seems to always carry a certain air of respect and for that I will continue to be indebted to my alma mater. Choosing Penn State to attend college was one of the best decisions I made in my life.  Again, I was and still am humbled to be the recipient of the David Alston Award.  I hope that my accomplishments will encourage other young men and women to strive to reach the goals they have for themselves.” – Wally Richardson

 

More to come.  Stay tuned!