Standout students selected as Bellisario College marshals for commencement

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Seven standout students have been selected to serve as student marshals during spring 2026 commencement for the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State.

Commencement exercises are scheduled at 1:30 p.m. May 9 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus.

The marshals — one overall, one from each of the Bellisario College’s undergraduate in-residence majors and one from Penn State World Campus — were selected because of their combination of on- and off-campus success. The breadth and depth of their accomplishments represent a combination shared by many graduating seniors in the Bellisario College.

The student marshals are:

Overall — Kristen Jan

Kristen Jan, who earned a degree in advertising/public relations and completed a dual major in kinesiology, was selected as the overall marshal.

A Schreyer Scholar with a 4.0 grade-point average, Jan found many opportunities because of her combination of interests. Previously on a pre-medical track, she said she was drawn to advertising as a fusion of her interests in science, communications and creativity.

Last summer, she completed a marketing internship for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. On campus, she served as an undergraduate researcher in Penn State’s Public Health and Physical Activity Laboratory, where she wrote her honors thesis on how exercisers and non-exercisers perceive physical activity advertisements.

Jan was also the creative director of the Penn State Culinary Medicine Club and the creative project manager for the Nittany Group, the student team that competes in an annual nationwide challenge provided by the American Advertising Federation.

“A large reason why I enjoyed going to class or working with the American Advertising Federation team is because the people I was learning from had an undeniable love for their field of work,” said Jan, who is from Cresskill, New Jersey. “The best thing about the Bellisario College is how strong the community is. We strive to lift each other up as we collaborate because we love what we do, and we know that’s how the best work is created.”

Following graduation, Jan will join her family, including her parents, Linda Wang and Louis Jan, for a trip to Japan. After that, she will start work with Publicis Health as an engagement strategy intern this summer.

Advertising/Public Relations — Lucy Bickel

Lucy Bickel complemented her bachelor’s degree with two minors (entrepreneurship and digital media trends and analytics) and a long list of accomplishments, involvement and service.

She rounded out her consistent Dean’s List efforts in the classroom with four internships — a combination of on- and off-campus opportunities that offered a growing level of impact and responsibility during her career — and leadership roles, including her current role as executive director of The Nittany Group, the student team of the American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Competition.

Bickel also served as a Bellisario College Fellow and as a student representative to the Bellisario College Ad/PR Network Board. She was Penn State’s sole nominee and selected for the 2025 Stickell Fellows Program National Cohort, a designation that recognizes student excellence, integrity and creativity in the next generation of brand communicators.

Plus, she was a consistent connector and supporter of fellow students — finding ways to engage people across activities while consistently achieving success through collaboration.

“There have been so many faculty and staff members, alumni and student mentors who have shaped me into the person I am today, and I owe that all to Bellisario College,” Bickel said. “I truly feel like this is where I belong, and that is a feeling I absolutely won’t take for granted as I move forward in my professional career.”

Bickel, from Myerstown, Pennsylvania, is the daughter of Maria and Jonathan Bickel. After graduation, she plans to move to New York City and begin work with GALE Partners as an associate, emerging connections.

Film Production — Rachel Traub

Rachel Traub earned a bachelor’s degree in film production and completed minors in English and theatre.

She maintained a 4.0 grade-point average, earned numerous academic scholarships and completed three internships, including two as part of the Penn State Hollywood Program in Los Angeles — one with Amasia Entertainment and one with Warner Brothers. Traub, from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, also worked as a Warner Brothers College Ambassador on campus. In addition, she founded a YouTube channel focused on film projects that has amassed more than one million views.

She worked in the Bellisario College Equipment Room and served as a Peer Mentor and board member for Communications House, the Bellisario College Living Learning Community.

This past year, Traub was also the writer and director for her senior film, a large-scale production of a 20-plus page original script with a 30-member cast and crew. The film, “Muse,” made its debut earlier this month on campus.

“Filmmaking has been such an important part of my life for as long as I can remember, from creating ‘Hunger Games’ fan films in my backyard to now directing a senior thesis film alongside an incredibly talented cast and crew,” said Traub, the daughter of Michelle and Russell Traub. “This recognition means so much to me, especially because I’ve had the chance to collaborate with so many creative, inspiring people along the way. I feel truly humbled to be part of this community, and I’m excited to continue pursuing creative careers long after graduation.”

After graduation, she plans a career in publicity or talent relations for a film studio — while continuing to write and produce her own films.

Journalism — Amanda Vogt

Amanda Vogt earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism along with minors in sports studies and digital media trends and analytics.

A Dean’s List student and member of the Association for Women in Sports Media, where she ultimately served as president, Vogt made the most of many opportunities.

Her abundant hands-on experience included roles on campus — as a reporter for the Daily Collegian, as a host and analyst for Penn State Sports Night and as a football insider for CommRadio — and off. She completed internships with the Centre Daily Times and with the Carolinas Golf Association.

Her passion and storytelling skills also helped her secure opportunities covering the U.S. Open golf tournament, thanks to a scholarship form the Golf Writers Association of America, and covering both the Little League World Series and the 2024 Paralympics as part of a partnership with the Associated Press.

She also covered Penn State football for Penn State on SI.

“While I am super proud of my resume and the experiences I have, my resume doesn’t show how much people have impacted me here,” said Vogt, from Wayne, New Jersey, the daughter of Caryn and Darin Vogt. “I wouldn’t be in this position without my family and friends and the people that have carried me and lived this journey with me. Penn State truly is the best decision I ever made!”

After graduation, she’ll continue her career as a sportswriter and storyteller.

Media Studies — Emily Danczyk

Emily Danczyk earned a bachelor’s degree in media studies, a bachelor’s degree in political science and completed a minor in legal studies and a certificate program in diversity studies as she compiled a 4.0 grade-point average.

With her research interests on the intersection of American politics and media influences on political behavior, along with modern political satire and social justice and the Supreme Court, Danczyk found many ways to engage on campus and dig deeper into those issues.

She served as a research assistant in the Department of Political Science and as teaching assistant in the Department of Film Production and Media Studies. She also served as a project associate for the Center for Global Studies at Penn State and worked as an exit pollster for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy.

Danczyk was a member and secretary of the Penn State Concert Choir, helping the student organization that also operates as a course with its social media strategy and making vital personal connections along the way because students often remain with the organization throughout their undergraduate careers.

The group toured Italy, Slovenia and Croatia over 11 days with four concerts in 2024 and will be touring Greece later this month.

“Choirs, in general, stress the importance of listening to and learning from your peers, creating a community focused on utilizing growth mindset practices,” Danczyk said. “I really appreciated the opportunity to be able to foster educational experiences, make new memories and explore the world with people I could simultaneously consider as colleagues, classmates and friends.”

Danczyk, from York, Pennsylvania, will continue her academic career as she next pursues a doctoral degree in political science. She is the daughter of Jennifer and Matthew Danczyk.

Telecommunications and Media Industries — Ryan French

Ryan French earned his bachelor’s degree from the Bellisario College and a bachelor’s in finance from the Smeal College of Business.

A Dean’s List student, French combined classroom success with a variety of opportunities that spanned his areas of interest related to both his undergraduate degrees. He worked as a live production assistant for Penn State Athletics, serving as part of a 10-person team focused on varsity sporting events, and was a longtime member of the Penn State American Marketing Association, eventually serving as vice president of finance for the organization with 350 student members and an annual budget of $80,000.

French worked in the Penn State Cardiometabolic Research Lab and completed internships with Clark Associates Inc., focused on account management and business development, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, focused on global risk solutions strategy and corporate development.

“By far the most important lesson that I have absorbed in these past four years is the value of community. Whether it was in the classroom, in a student organization, meeting with alumni or day-to-day interactions, the community at Penn State is something that I will always cherish,” French said. “Penn State has taught me that with a strong community, anything is possible.”

After graduation, he’ll begin his professional career with PricewaterhouseCoopers as an associate in the firm’s Delivering Deal Value advisory practice In New York City.

French, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is the son of Deanna and David French.

World Campus — Renato De Leon

Renato De Leon earned his degree in strategic communications through the Penn State World Campus.

He’s the creative director of Leonis Works. The company, based in Los Angeles and Berlin, provides a variety of challenges and much of the reason for Renato’s pursuit of his Penn State degree.

After graduation, De Leon will continue to collaborate (choreography and dance) internationally, with the bachelor’s degree helping him to better articulate ideas, write proposals and pursue creative work with more clarity and strategy. By adding a degree to his early career experience, he envisions a stronger organizational approach that could lead to a better professional foundation and the chance to secure more funding and partnerships.

Renato’s company develops and produces original dance and immersive performance works in collaboration with international artists, musicians and cultural partners. It’s reliance on branding, strategy, partnerships and project development, made a Penn State degree on strategic communications and logical tool to boost Renato’s efforts.