First-generation student finds path at Penn State Smeal as student marshal

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — During her first year at Penn State, Abigail Guevara learned that Smeal student marshals receive a Nittany Lion statue.

She decided she wanted one.

“Being student marshal was a goal of mine since freshman year when I realized that the grand prize was this most amazing statue of the Nittany Lion,” Guevara said.

This summer, Guevara will achieve that goal as she represents the Penn State Smeal College of Business as its summer 2026 student marshal. For Guevara, an actuarial science major and Spanish minor from Silver Spring, Maryland, the honor represents more than the statue she set her sights on years ago. It marks the culmination of a Penn State experience in which she learned to navigate college as a first-generation student, found communities that supported her and eventually became a mentor to others.

Guevara will graduate with a 3.97 GPA after making the dean’s list in each of her seven semesters at Penn State. Still, she said, she remembers arriving at college without always knowing how to navigate the experience.

“There’s just the overwhelming feeling of knowing where I want to get to but not being exactly sure of what the steps are to actually get there,” Guevara said.

Financing her education was one challenge. Understanding college applications, financial aid and other unwritten parts of the college experience was another. Guevara said she had to become comfortable asking questions and seeking help, even when doing so felt awkward.

"You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable," she said.

She soon found herself putting that lesson into practice academically as well. After struggling on her first midterm in STAT 414 during her first year, Guevara changed her study habits, began attending office hours and learned to ask for help. She said turning her performance around became an early lesson in personal growth.

Community also played a vital role, she said.

Guevara was part of the first cohort of FIRST@Smeal, an initiative supporting first-generation students at Smeal. Her first-year seminar brought together students who shared the experience of being the first in their families to attend college.

“I was very fortunate to be part of the first cohort of FIRST@Smeal,” Guevara said. “That was such a core part of me feeling welcome.”

Years later, that experience came full circle when Guevara and several of those students were inducted into Tri-Alpha, the national honor society for first-generation college students.

"Not only did we have support, but that support actually managed to push us forward to where we are now and support us every step of the way," she said.

Kelly Swigert, the director of FIRST@Smeal, described Guevara as a “trailblazer” whose experience demonstrates that first-generation students can create their own paths.

“Being the first in your family to go to college doesn't mean that you’re not going to excel the way that she did,” Swigert said. “It doesn't mean that you have to follow any one particular path. You make your own path, and she really did that.”

Guevara also found a community through the Gates Scholarship. The scholarship was one of several she received during her time at Penn State. While the Gates Scholarship helped alleviate the financial burden of college, Guevara said its value extended beyond funding. Through the program, she gained access to mentors, interview preparation, summer gatherings and a network of fellow Gates Scholars.

“I never felt like they were just handing me a blank check and saying, ’Go to school,’” Guevara said. “It was a community that just so happened to provide funding.”

As Guevara found support, she also began providing it to others.

She worked as a peer math tutor through Penn State Learning during her first year, tutoring students in subjects ranging from algebra to calculus. The role included training in mindful language and methods for creating a welcoming environment for students.

She later became a teaching assistant for Risk Management 410: Financial Mathematics for Actuaries, holding office hours and supporting students in one of the introductory courses in the actuarial science program.

Amanda Hammell, professor of practice in risk management and program chair of the Actuarial Science Program, taught Guevara and later worked with her as a teaching assistant for two years. Hammell became her mentor and said Guevara’s willingness to support others distinguished her.

“Sometimes the top students who work really hard, they’re just focused on maintaining their own grades,” Hammell said. “But she was also a really supportive mentor to her peers.”

Hammell recalled Guevara making herself available when students needed last-minute assistance, including helping proctor rescheduled exams. To Hammell, those smaller moments revealed something that Guevara’s list of academic accomplishments could not.

“The thing that is probably harder to discern from a résumé is just the kindness and caring that she demonstrates,” Hammell said.

Guevara’s involvement in the Actuarial Science Club followed a similar trajectory of growth. She joined as an associate working with career fairs and information sessions, became assistant director of corporate outreach and eventually rose to vice president.

At the same time, she continued progressing toward her professional goals. Guevara has passed multiple actuarial exams and requirements including P, FM, FAM, ALTAM and the PAF module.

She also completed actuarial internships with Milliman’s Philadelphia Health practice in 2025 and 2026, where her work included Medicare bid projects and developing tools to analyze and verify actuarial data. Those experiences align with Guevara’s long-term interest in health care. She said she is drawn to the analytical work behind the industry and wants a career that will continue challenging her intellectually.

After graduation, Guevara said she plans to begin working full time as an actuarial analyst and hopes to earn her Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) designation within two years. Her ambitions extend beyond actuarial science. Guevara said her Spanish studies strengthened her interest in reducing language barriers in health care. She hopes to become a certified translator and has considered eventually creating a nonprofit or scholarship program for students from underserved communities.

Those goals reflect a definition of success that Guevara said evolved during her time at Penn State. Success, she once thought, was largely about income. Her college experience taught her to think beyond what she could accomplish for herself.

“Success to me is being in a stable position in your personal life and then having the courage to take it one step further and trying to help the community around you,” Guevara said. “The community that held you up when you were in a position to be on your own.”

When Guevara walks into commencement as Smeal's student marshal, she said, the Nittany Lion statue she wanted as a first-year student will now represent something different than it did when she first set the goal.