UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Elise Mitchell, daughter of Erik and Brenda Mitchell of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, will serve as the college marshal for the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State’s summer 2026 commencement ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 15.
Mitchell will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences. She was a member of the Food Recovery Network at Penn State, the Penn State Outing Club and worked as an undergraduate researcher in the Stress Psychophysiology Lab and Singh Lab. Her experience in research as an undergraduate student allowed her to investigate interests in nutrition, health promotion, and the concept of food as medicine, along with exploring how culture and environmental factors influence health outcomes and help shape eating behavior.
She also received the Presidential Walker Award, the President Sparks Award, the Evan Pugh Scholar Award, the Ready to Succeed Scholarship, the Vandyke Scholarship in Nutrition, and the Ray and Charlote Warnock Scholarship.
After graduation, Mitchell will be working as a research coordinator at Penn State’s Learn to Flourish Design Hub.