From desert to Delco: Brandywine student comes to Penn State from Nevada

MEDIA, Pa. — Addison Stanton, a first-year aerospace engineering student, always knew she was going to attend Penn State — she said she’s “bled blue and white” her whole life. With both of her parents attending Penn State — her mom majoring in industrial relations and her dad majoring in turfgrass management — she’s known from an early age that she wanted to follow in her parents’ footsteps.

“People always told me that the college I wanted to go to at five years old might not be where I ended up going, but that wasn’t the case for me. I grew up bleeding blue and white,” she said.

Stanton comes to Brandywine from sunny Las Vegas, Nevada, where her parents moved after graduating from Penn State. She noted how her mother played a role in her decision to come to Penn State.

“The main reason I came to Penn State Brandywine was because of my mom. She’s working in the casino and entertainment industry out in Las Vegas. I figured she’s doing great and started her college journey at Brandywine, so I should do the same,” she said. “Also, I have so many relatives who live around here; my grandpa lives near here, and I have aunts and uncles who live close by, so I figured I could get close with them while I’m here.”

While Stanton always knew she wanted to attend Penn State, she did apply to and visit a few other schools closer to her on the West Coast. When her parents found out she committed to Penn State, they were thrilled.

“They were really excited to keep the Penn State blood going. Honestly, they were just proud Penn Staters,” she said.

Stanton said what she enjoys most about Penn State Brandywine is the environment — both physically and figuratively — as she likes feeling all four seasons and the small class sizes.

“I really enjoy the weather here, especially compared to Las Vegas. I enjoy getting to feel all four seasons rather than just hot and cold,” she said. “Brandywine has a really nice environment. Because the campus is smaller, the class sizes are also smaller, which is nice. I enjoy going to class and learning from people who are more educated than me.”

Stanton is a very involved student at Brandywine; she serves as the treasurer of the Math Club, is on the women’s soccer team and is in the U.S. Air Force ROTC. Her dream is to become a developmental engineer for the Air Force, so she’s hoping her experience in the ROTC and aerospace engineering program at Penn State will aid her in achieving it.

“I feel like it would be so cool to work on huge machines that fly so fast and go into orbit,” she said. “I’ve also always been into math, physics and astronomy, so this major combines all three of those. My favorite unit in physics was gravitation.”

Some of Stanton’s favorite memories at Brandywine revolve around her time in the Math Club and the soccer team.

“Right now, in the Math Club, we’re working on planning for Pi Day, and it’s been super fun. It makes my day to connect with all the officers of the club,” she said.

“Another favorite memory of mine was with the soccer team. We had just lost a game really badly, but everyone was still so upbeat. I came from a soccer team at home where we were Nevada State Champions, and even a 1-0 loss would make me upset. It was good to see everyone come together and just have fun after that loss.”

Stanton said that one of the most valuable lessons she’s learned during her time at Brandywine is to fully indulge yourself in the college experience.

“Go to your classes, get involved, and just fully indulge yourself in the college experience. Show up to class; it’ll be so much easier if you do. You’ll make friends that way, too,” she said. “Fully immerse yourself in the college experience because if you don’t, you’ll be miserable and you’re not going to want to do anything. Just dive in and stay open-minded to new opportunities.”