MONACA, Pa. — Jennifer Piltz didn’t expect to work in a variety of fields after she earned her business degree at Penn State Beaver. Piltz, a 2013 graduate, said she “bounced around a bit” after graduation before settling into a role with NOVA Chemicals that combines her education and her diverse work experience.
After graduation, Piltz said, she worked in the travel industry and then for a cyber charter school. She then worked in customer support for Google Shopping Express where she learned to juggle different platforms and gained experience in communications and forward-facing customer service.
Nine years ago, she was hired at NOVA Chemicals working as an administrator for customer support and on the customer service team.
“That position set me up for so much success,” she said.
After working in those roles, she moved into a full-time customer service position where she managed her own accounts. She then shifted into working as a supply chain planner in inventory. From there, she moved into an information technology role before moving back to the supply chain side of the company. Piltz is now the recycled polyethylene planner, where she works with NOVA’s SYNDIGOTM recycled polyethylene product portfolio.
In 2022 she was named a Rising Star in the plastics industry by Plastics News.
“I didn’t even know what polyethene was when I graduated. Now I love what I do, and I love the company,” Piltz said.
She credited her business degree as the reason she was able to gain a variety of experience and find a role she loves.
“What I learned [at Penn State Beaver] was valuable. The business degree itself is fantastic,” Piltz said. “I think business is the best thing you can go for, and it sets you up for so many opportunities in the workforce.”
She said she was happy to have the option to commute to a Penn State campus.
“Penn State is so well-known. You hear people nationwide talk about Penn State and ‘We are!’ It’s a conversation starter, essentially,” she said. “I was so excited to have a campus that was close to home.”
Piltz said even though Penn State Beaver is a small campus she had a full university experience; it also offered her flexibility that allowed her to work while going to school.
“I have absolutely zero regrets,” she said. “Going to a local campus I got a more personalized experience that you might not get at other colleges and universities. I remember some of my professors. Their classes were memorable and taught me a lot. I made friends who I’m still in touch with. It felt more like a community than just a school experience.”