UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Joshua Mathew, a senior majoring in electrical engineering in the College of Engineering, has been awarded the 2026 Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Award for undergraduates.
The award recognizes undergraduate students who have contributed significantly to furthering international understanding. The student’s contributions could consist of academic, athletic or extracurricular campus activity and/or community involvement in school or civic group programs or service projects.
Nominators said Mathew, an international student from India, is an exceptional and dedicated mentor who is active in groups that elevate his peers, his community and Penn State at large.
As a Global Lion Mentor and Global Ambassador, he mentored and assisted dozens of incoming international student mentees from several countries including Malaysia, China and India.
“For Joshua, helping others is truly a way of life,” a nominator said. “As a Global Ambassador, Joshua offered his time to collaborate with internationally focused clubs to plan and execute several cultural events on campus.”
He also served as an International Student Welcome Leader and Admissions Representative, where he led group tours and orientation sessions for incoming students. In Harrisburg, he created databases of incoming students so they would get the support they needed, nominators said.
“As an Admissions Representative, Joshua was a friendly presence and resource to introduce prospective students to Penn State while also representing our international student population as he highlighted the diversity of our campus,” a nominator said.
Additionally, Mathew is a longtime residential assistant at both Harrisburg and University Park campuses. He’s also an active community member, participating in groups that support food security, after-school programs for youths and ESL (English as a Second Language) classes for adult learners.
“Joshua is precisely the type of holistic student that is worthy of consideration for this award,” a nominator said. “Through his sense of belonging to the world as a global citizen, combined with his deep appreciation of where he comes from and his deep sense of purpose, he helps connect people, social issues and education. He does all he can to help people and communities flourish in the world.”