UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Emily Shor, from Swarthmore, has been named the student marshal for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ (EMS) spring 2026 commencement ceremony, which will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, in the Pegula Ice Arena at Penn State University Park.
Shor, the daughter of Karen Pinsky-Shor and Craig Shor and a graduate of Strath Haven High School, will earn a bachelor of science degree in meteorology and atmospheric science and two minors, one in geographic information science and another in French.
A Penn State Schreyer Scholar, she was named to the dean’s list for all eight semesters and is graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade point average. Shor selected Melissa Gervais, an associate professor of meteorology and atmospheric science, as her faculty marshal.
Shor said that she felt very honored when learning that she was named the college’s marshal for the spring commencement ceremony.
“Being named a college marshal demonstrates the hard work that I’ve put into my academics and extracurriculars throughout my time at Penn State, so it’s affirming to see that effort come to fruition,” Shor said. “It also made me think about my last four years in EMS. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve nearly what I did without the support of the other diligent, intelligent and passionate students in this college. I hope that my experiences will highlight the power of the collaborative and friendly environment that the students, faculty and staff foster in EMS.”
Shor received numerous awards as an undergraduate student including Penn State’s President Sparks Award and President Walker Award. She also received the Usharani C. and C. Channa Reddy Mission Award from the Schreyer Honors College and was named as an EMSAGE Laureate by EMS.
Shor was recipient of many scholarships including the John and Elizabeth Holmes Teas Scholarship, the Don H. Cynthia Crago Scholarship and the Charles L. and Anna R. Hosler Scholarship in Meteorology. She was awarded an Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Shor gained research experience at Penn State and through an internship with the National Weather Service.
“I was involved in the PA Space Grant Undergraduate Research Program researching arctic river deltas with Dr. Anastasia Piliouras, assistant professor of geosciences. I also researched rain rate prediction in the Mid-Atlantic for my senior honors thesis with Dr. Yunji Zhang, assistant professor of meteorology and atmospheric science,” Shor said. “During the summer after my junior year, I had an internship at the Baltimore/Washington National Weather Service Forecasting Office, where I performed summer research and learned about office operations. This experience was possible through the NOAA Hollings Scholarship.”
Shor said she selected Gervais as her faculty marshal for being a great professor and project adviser, and for providing her with invaluable career advice.
“Dr. Melissa Gervais has been an incredible resource in helping me prepare for the next stage, after I graduate,” Shor said. “She shared her graduate school experiences, which I was then able to use to inform decisions about my own graduate education. By working with her on a climate communications project, I also reinforced my scientific communication skills, which will be helpful no matter where my career takes me.”
Shor was also very involved in extracurricular activities.
She served as the secretary of the Penn State Branch of the American Meteorological Society. She was a member of the Campus Weather Service and of Chi Epsilon Pi, a national meteorology honors society. She also served as secretary, vice president and president of Challah for Hope, formerly Challah for Hunger, which brings students together to bake and sell challah in effort to raise funds and awareness for student food insecurity. She also served as vice president and director of content for TEDxPSU.
“Working on the TEDxPSU team for the past two years taught me valuable lessons about leadership and connection,” Shor said. “I got to see the incredible results of a team I had worked for two years to build. Before this role, I wasn’t always confident in my leadership abilities, but seeing the happiness of the team members after our conference made me appreciate how far I’ve come.
Shor said that EMS is a great college because it prioritizes its students.
“I think that EMS is the best college at Penn State! As one of the smaller colleges, you have an opportunity here to form deep connections with faculty and staff,” Shor said. “From college leadership teaching first-year seminars to career counselors giving out fist-bumps to professors who always show up to student-run events, this college makes you feel like you matter as a student.”
After graduation, Shor plans on attending graduate school.
“I plan to attend the University of California, Irvine, for a Ph.D. in Earth system science with Dr. Jane Baldwin,” Shor said. “After finishing graduate school, I hope to be involved in educating people about their environment. That might mean working at the National Weather Service and helping individuals and municipalities understand their future weather conditions; or that might mean delving into the climate science side of things and helping companies understand the future climate risks and how they can adapt to those risks.”