Penn State Smeal students leveraged friendship to help lead Blue Band

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Even after more than three years as the Blue Band’s featured twirler, Mackenzie Bronk still would get nervous every time she ran onto the field in Beaver Stadium to perform her first baton toss of the day. This past fall, that nervousness extended to her friend Ellie Sheehan, who was in her first year as the band’s drum major, and to Sheehan’s customary forward flip.

“As soon as I caught my toss, my mind went to Ellie,” Bronk said. “I was like, ‘Is Ellie going to be OK?’ Watching her nail her flip every single time was so special to me.”

The 2025 season, the last for both seniors, was memorable for Bronk and Sheehan, a pair of Smeal College of Business students who developed their leadership skills in both the Blue Band and other organizations on campus.

Sheehan, of Hollidaysburg, said she applied to Penn State because of the Blue Band. After leading the piccolo section for three years, she became the first female drum major in the band’s 125-year history in the spring of 2025. When she realized during the team arrival for the season’s first game that fans knew her name, Sheehan said, “it made it very apparent to me how big this position was.”

“It's been my goal to be the drum major of the Blue Band, and that in itself was just amazing to me,” she said. “And then to become the first female (drum major), it's so much more historic and has made this year very special.”

Bronk, of Owings, Maryland, started twirling competitively at age 6, was named Juvenile Miss Majorette of America at age 9, and a few years later was inspired by her meeting with Rachel Reiss, who was the Blue Sapphire from 2014-2018 and was in the same twirling program as Bronk.

“She was such a hard worker, and so I always looked up to her before she went to college,” Bronk said of Reiss, with whom she continued to touch base for feedback throughout the season. “Then I heard she was trying out at Penn State, and this is where I really figured out that I wanted to go to Penn State.”

Bronk was initially a biobehavioral health major but switched to finance after learning about Smeal’s program from members of her Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity. She held internships as a management consultant at RKL LLP and PwC and has a full-time position with PwC awaiting her after she graduates in May. Inspired by her older sister, Serena — a former twirler at Virginia Tech — who works as a key account manager for PepsiCo, Bronk is interested in consumer behavior.

“What do the customers want to see? That's something that I want to really end up doing, is something that relates to the everyday customer,” she said. “Figure out how to help benefit them and benefit the business.”

Sheehan, a marketing major who worked with CeraVe and Assembly Global through the Penn State Prime marketing organization’s practicum course, landed an internship with Wieland Small Tube Products in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, where she will start a full-time position upon graduation in May. As part of her role with the Penn State American Marketing Association, Sheehan helped TDAY Sports, a sports media startup founded by Penn State student Justin Leusner, with its branding efforts. While her experiences in the Blue Band carried over to Smeal, she said she believes her time in the college has prepared her well for after Penn State.

“I would not be where I am today without Smeal,” Sheehan said. “I've learned a lot through my courses, through the clubs that I've been involved in … it's honestly just been incredible.”

Bronk, who served as public relations chair and recruitment chair for Alpha Kappa Psi, is one of the Blue Band’s most well-known members, and although she is quick to point out that she wasn’t a section leader, tried to use that position to have a positive influence on the band.

“I think what I learned is that you can be a leader in a different way,” Bronk said. “You don't have to be up there leading stretches. You don't have to be the person leading fundamentals. Sometimes it’s just doing the right thing at the right time, whether it’s practicing my routine, choreographing, and really showing how serious that this is, while it is fun and amazing, that we are there to perform for the people in the stadium.”

Sheehan said she has received numerous reminders that fans in the stadium and elsewhere admire the Blue Band, some in the form of emails or TikTok messages from young girls or their parents about how she has been a role model to them. She joined the club gymnastics team last year to help prepare her for her flipping responsibilities and has sought advice from former Penn State drum majors, but said that having Bronk offer support and friendship throughout the year made perhaps the greatest impact on her transition to the role.

“She has been the best mentor and, honestly, best friend to me this entire season, and really helped me navigate my position,” Sheehan said. “I could not be more thankful for her.”

Similarly, Sheehan helped make Bronk’s final season in the Blue Band a memorable one.

“She is my best friend, and I just wanted to see her succeed,” Bronk said, “and seeing that and seeing what we were able to do for the Blue Band together was really special.”