UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Chapter of the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society inducted a cohort of 21 students from the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at a ceremony on Nov. 19. The event was held at the Marriott Foundation Building in State College.
Also known as Omicron Sigma Sigman, the Order of the Sword & Shield is an academic and professional honor society that recognizes academic excellence in the fields of homeland security, intelligence, emergency management, cyber and information security and all protective studies, according to the organization’s website. The Penn State Chapter was installed in 2023.
In what has become an IST tradition, each inductee was knighted by Andrea Tapia, dean of the College of IST, who donned a suit of armor — complete with sword and shield — for the ceremony.
“This distinguished honor recognizes academic excellence and commitment to the principles of cybersecurity and information sciences,” Tapia said. “It is always a privilege to participate in this important event.”
IST Advisory Board member Rod Murchison presented each student with a custom-designed pin he created as a meaningful keepsake unique to the Penn State Chapter of the Order of the Sword & Shield.
Inductees:
- Fahim Alfahim
- Jeff Barlett
- Aaron Braucher
- Bella Cardinali
- Matt Cleary
- Brooke Connelly
- Haidyn DiPaolo
- Owen Dransfield
- Fernanda Garza Martinez
- Jesslyn Geevarghese
- Cynthia Goldstein
- Emily Jao
- Colin Kooney
- Jacob Lahetta
- Cameron Lantz
- Isabella Masso
- Bailey Milanovich
- Shaila Ramirez Vientos
- Abigail Reese
- Haidah Saad
- Prithvi Sudhakar
To qualify for membership, undergraduate students must have completed 50% of their security-related program and have a minimum grade point average of 3.25.