Name: Kenna Markel

 

Hometown: Moon Township, PA

 

High School: Moon Area High School

 

Activities Outside of WEPO: S:PACE, SWE, THON, USGBC, SSAE

 

Internship/Co-Op Experience: DPR Construction, Summer 2014, James G. Davis Construction, Summer 2013

 

Why did you choose to come to Penn State? Because there is no place like Happy Valley :)

 

What has been your best memory as an engineering student? At my first career fair as a freshman, I was walking around at the lower level of the BJC and a recruiter saw that my nametag said engineering. He called me over immediately just because I was a Penn State engineering student and that was the moment I knew I was going to receive world class engineering degree.

 

What has been your best memory as a Penn State student? My best memory at Penn State was the final moments of what turned out to be Joe Paterno's last game. It was the snowiest game I have ever been to and throughout the game most of the student section cleared out due to the weather. In the final seconds, the other team was kicking for a field goal to win the game. In that moment, everyone left in the student section took off running in towards the center of the stands so we could all be right in front of the goal post. We won that game because the ball hit right off the left post!

 

What advice would you give a first-year engineer? For the first few months of my freshman year, I couldn't find my place. I had made friends, but I didn't know if Penn State was the right fit for me. I changed my major from Civil Engineering to Biomedical Engineering, to Aerospace Engineering and back to Biomedical, then to Biological Engineering, back to Civil Engineering, to Marketing, before finally choosing Architectural Engineering. I couldn't be happier. It took me a while to decide on Architectural. I appearantly had to try out everything first, but now I'm obsessed. My advice would be hang in there-- you'll find your passion!

 

Give me one fun fact about yourself. I just went sky diving for the second time!

 

 

Kenna is a fourth year studying Architectural Engineering.