MONACA — Penn State wasn’t in Andrea Kirkham’s plans when she graduated from high school.
But plans often change, and such was the case for Kirkham who not only became a Penn State alum but is now Penn State Beaver’s 2024 Outstanding Alumnus.
Kirkham grew up just miles from the Beaver campus and staying in the area was not what she had in mind. “I had big dreams of moving far away and never coming back,” she remembered.
After high school she initially went to a small college in Ohio for a year, but realized it wasn’t the right fit. Her childhood friend, Brandon Stewart, was attending Penn State Beaver, so, she said, she decided to transfer.
After spending several semesters at Beaver campus, Kirkham and Stewart both transferred to University Park to finish their degrees. While there, she got to know Stewart's roommate, Patrick Kirkham.
She graduated with a journalism degree in 1997. Patrick graduated the year prior with a degree in environmental resources management. The pair got engaged a month after her graduation, and they settled in Beaver County.
More recently, Andrea Kirkham — who now is the owner of Sangha Center for Yoga and Wellness — was an instrumental part of helping Penn State Beaver spearhead a community initiative to create the B-HIVE (Beaver Valley Hub for Innovation, Venture and Entrepreneurship) in Beaver Falls.
The B-HIVE is a hub to advance entrepreneurialism and small businesses that houses Penn State’s Beaver Valley LaunchBox, Flourish Beaver County, a community office of Geneva College, Riverside Center for Innovation and Sangha Center.
Kirkham was a part of the steering committee which worked to bring the project to fruition with Penn State Beaver, as well as Community College of Beaver County, Geneva College, the city of Beaver Falls, the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce and the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development. She played a key role in being the first community partner to place her small business in the hub. It was this early and ongoing commitment to the project that led to Kirkham’s award.
Investing in the local communities is something Kirkham said is important to her.
“Organizations need to put that effort back into towns,” she said. “Money and power are limited, so we have to do what we can do.”
Kirkham is also a member of the Penn State Alumni Association Beaver Alumni Society and has supported the campus over the years by attending fundraisers.
“Each year the committee selects a deserving Penn State Alumni who attended the Beaver campus,” said Andrew DiPietrantonio, director of campus development. “This year we want to recognize Andrea for her work helping with the B-HIVE from its inception to design to coming to fruition. She is a Penn Stater, an entrepreneur, and a bridge with the community that helped us in our efforts.”
Kirkham said she was overwhelmed when she learned she had been named Alumnus of the Year.
“I’m honored by it,” she said. “I feel like for me it personally enhances my appreciate for the Beaver campus and Penn State. What a good resource we have right here in Beaver County. It is a great school.”
Kirkham said her Penn State degree was valuable when she entered the workforce in part because of the University’s alumni network. She said that network helped her jumpstart her professional career.
“I think it was meant to be that I went [to Penn State],” she said.