UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Emmanuel Kraft, who is earning consecutive undergraduate degrees in political science and communication arts and sciences, as well as a master’s degree in public policy at Penn State, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Eric A. Walker Award.
The award is presented annually to the student who has contributed most to enhancing the reputation of the University through extracurricular activities. Walker was president of Penn State from 1956 to 1970.
Kraft is a cofounder, member and executive director of the Food Recovery Network (FRN) at Penn State and previously served as the community relations director for the FRN for two years, where he was responsible for establishing partnerships with local organizations like homeless shelters and food banks that receive meals from campus dining halls that would otherwise go to waste.
Nominators said he has greatly contributed to the sustainable food community at Penn State, both in the direct mitigation of food waste, but also in his efforts to educate Penn State students, staff and administrators about these issues and how they can help.
Kraft also balances the work with the Food Recovery Network with academic success in two different areas of study, leadership in two other student organizations, and membership in two Honors College leadership programs.
Kraft, who is a Presidential Scholar and Schreyer Honors Scholar, has advocated for others at Penn State, including:
- those who experience hunger, in his roles at FRN and as a Zero Hunger Intern with the Congressional Hunger Center.
- those seeking asylum, as founder and president of Global Brigades Legal Empowerment Chapter at Penn State.
- those recovering from substance use, as a research assistant for the SAFE Project.
- those lacking access to clean water, as a member of the Global Brigades Engineering Chapter at Penn State.
- those starting their own businesses, as an intern for Halcyon and the Small Business Administration.
- those entering the Penn State community, as president of the PLSC Honors Society, an honors orientation peer mentor and public-speaking tutor.