UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Anisha Tiwari, majoring in chemistry and biology at Penn State Behrend; Emma Duffy, majoring in recreation, park, and tourism management in the College of Health and Human Development; and Valeria Miraballes, majoring in global and international studies in the College of the Liberal Arts, have been named recipients of the 2026 Ralph Dorn Hetzel Memorial Award.
Named for Penn State’s 10th president, the Hetzel Award recognizes a combination of high scholastic attainment together with good citizenship, and participation and leadership in student activities.
Anisha Tiwari
Tiwari is actively involved in several academic clubs including the Chemistry Club, the Biology Club and the Psychology Club. She also contributes to the Science Ambassadors, where she assists with recruitment efforts and organizes events for the school.
She currently serves as the vice president of the Student Government Association, overseeing all cabinet activities. Tiwari is known for her dedication to helping her fellow students, nominators said.
Emma Duffy
In 2023, Duffy identified a gap and decided to create an LGBTQ+ focused service organization, Kaxom. Nominators said Duffy has taken this group from its early days of struggling as a new student organization to truly thriving. This organization is centered on inclusivity, community and service, which are values that Duffy models in her leadership.
She is also a leader with Penn State’s Crew Club and works as a peer educator in the Center for Social Change and Belonging. She is a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and has served as the diversity, equity and inclusion chair.
For three years, Duffy was a student programmer for Penn State’s Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, assisting with large events, planning and developing small events, and working directly with students.
Valeria Miraballes
Miraballes currently serves as the vice president for the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, a coalition student government committed to advocating on behalf of the thousands of students at Penn State campuses across the commonwealth.
As vice president for CCSG, she leads the internal activities of the organization and actively participates in the University's shared governance model. She is the representative of the organization with the University Faculty Senate, the Board of Trustees, senior student affairs leadership and the University administration.
Nominators said Miraballes is skilled at navigating campus and state politics, but she also successfully established a culture within the organization that prioritizes empathy, respect and a belief in the inherent value of all.