Chapel Internships lead economics graduate to career in New York City

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Sunday, Kayla Lynch will join Penn State’s 800,000-plus alumni network, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in economics and a Smeal College business fundamentals certificate. She also received certificates in macroeconomics, money, and banking, and economics of business and law through the Department of Economics in the College of the Liberal Arts.

In January, Lynch will move to New York City to work full-time for financial services company Marex as a junior environmental commodities broker working in the renewable energy credit market. She said she's excited to be “a part of a generation and a team that is putting their best foot forward every day to help our future become a greener and better place for ourselves now and also the future generations to come.”

Originally from Middletown, New Jersey, Lynch began pursuing her degree at Penn State Harrisburg, where she learned to live independently and take charge of her actions. In the fall of her second year, she transitioned to the University Park campus.

“Changing campuses was a big transition, but the College of the Liberal Arts was incredibly supportive,” Lynch said. “From the start, I felt welcomed at University Park and encouraged to get involved.”

Joining organizations and clubs proved vital to adjusting to the new campus. Among other activities, the change-of-campus student has been an active member of the Women in Economics Society and Penn State Snowboard Club, as well as a dedicated Liberal Arts peer adviser.

As a peer adviser, Lynch guided her fellow students on how to best succeed in their academic careers. Alongside her colleagues, she was charged with advising students on class changes, scheduling options, selecting professors and other concerns that may arise.

Those skills proved essential, she said, while she served as a teaching assistant in LA 083 First-Year Seminar in the Liberal Arts. In this setting, Lynch found joy in making personal connections and impacts with those facing the same obstacles she did, like relocating, living independently and finding resources on campus.

Lynch’s helping nature extended far outside Sparks Building. Over the past three years, she said she has relished being a member of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity at Penn State that focuses on professional leadership and development. Among other roles, she served as a member of the fraternity’s New Member Professional Development Committee and THON Donor and Alumni Relations Committee.

Lynch said she found immense fulfillment serving as a mentor to younger members and credited the fraternity with “shaping me into the professional student that I am today.”

Resources within the College of the Liberal Arts nurtured Lynch’s growth as well. She said her most utilized and favorite Student Services office was the Career Enrichment Network located in 101 Sparks Building, where she received help with resume building and interviewing skills, attended LinkedIn workshops, and learned to advocate for herself in the workplace.

“The Career Enrichment Network is filled with kind and intellectual people who push you to be the best person you can be here at Penn State and set yourself up for success post-grad,” Lynch said.  

Through the office, Lynch received enrichment funding as part of the Chapel Executive Internship Program, which, she said, allowed and gave her the confidence to say “yes” to internship opportunities that weren’t otherwise possible. The funds helped cover the costs of relocating, building her professional wardrobe and ultimately investing in her longtime dream to work in New York City.

Lynch was a participant in the Chapel Executive Internship Program the last two years, which gave her the opportunity to work at future employer Marex. In 2024, she served as a risk management intern, where she worked under senior leadership at the world's largest privately owned nonbank futures commission merchant and monitored and analyzed the risk of large portfolios while producing daily risk reports of each portfolio.

In 2025, Lynch returned to Marex as an environmental commodity analyst intern, where she monitored, analyzed and summarized market activity related to environmental commodities for the monthly report; tracked, summarized and provided regulatory updates on relevant legislation regarding states’ renewable portfolio standards; and assisted senior brokers on requests for proposal submissions and virtual power purchase agreement projects. These roles, she said, taught her to perform to the best of her ability and prepared her well for her upcoming role at the company.

As Lynch ends her undergraduate journey at Penn State, she advises students to make the most of their opportunities.

“It goes by so fast. Don’t wait until tomorrow to get involved with things,” she said. “Do it today because Penn State has 42,000-plus undergraduate students at University Park. You have to find your community within that 42,000, and you do that by joining organizations and getting involved. Work hard, study harder, have fun, find your people and be yourself.”