UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State World Campus will celebrate its online learners this academic year with stories of their success and is inviting the University community to participate.
Monday, Sept. 15, is National Online Learning Day, and World Campus is using this observance to launch two series to spotlight its community of online learners.
A series called “This is Success: Online learners show what’s possible” will spotlight the achievements that Penn State World Campus students make as they progress their educational journeys and graduate. The stories will appear as news and feature articles on Penn State News, the Penn State World Campus website, and through videos and photos on World Campus social media.
A second series will mark an important milestone, as more than 40,000 Penn Staters have graduated with a degree they earned online through Penn State World Campus since its launch in 1998. The series, “40K: 40 stories celebrating 40,000 graduates,” will spotlight the Penn Staters who have used an online education to advance their careers and achieve their goals. The stories will appear as articles on Penn State News, the World Campus Alumni and Friends website, and through photos and videos on social media.
“Online learning has fundamentally reshaped Penn State’s ability to deliver on its land-grant mission, expanding access to a world-class education for learners anywhere and everywhere,” said Karen Pollack, acting vice provost for Online Education. “The result is a thriving community of students and graduates whose stories reflect the power and possibility of a Penn State degree. We look forward to celebrating their perseverance and achievements and the ways they are making a difference in their communities and professions.”
Students and alumni who would like to share their success story can email Mike Dawson at mdawson@psu.edu.
The following stories are part of the two series.
This is Success: Anna McGovern
Anna McGovern’s Penn State journey began in 2019. She was fresh out of high school and inspired by family tradition and the electric atmosphere of a football game at Beaver Stadium.
But the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was the first of several setbacks that interrupted McGovern’s progress and led her to pursue her Penn State degree online.
McGovern ultimately realized that learning online suited her needs, and this switch fueled a time of self-discovery for her in which she thrived and succeeded. She discovered new interests, completed a confidence-building internship, and made progress on a schedule that fit her goals.
Always resilient, she finished her journey in August, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies she completed online through Penn State World Campus.
“Graduating was the most satisfying moment of my life,” McGovern said. “The journey was really tough — it honestly made school feel like an uphill battle most of the time. Walking across that stage felt unreal, like all the hard nights and setbacks finally paid off.”
Read more about how McGovern found success as an online learner on the Penn State World Campus website.
This is Success: Adalice Burgos
Adalice Burgos vowed it would never happen again: She had been looking to go into the IT field, but she missed out on a job because she didn’t have a college education.
Raising twin boys and working, Burgos, like many adults, chose to go back to school online so she could progress at her pace. She began her pursuit of an associate degree through World Campus in 2015.
Burgos reached her first marker of success in 2019 when she graduated with an associate degree in information science and technology. She continued with her schooling, seeking a bachelor’s degree, and in 2020, she got a job in the IT field, as a system administrator associate with Penn State Health.
Burgos just finished her journey in August, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in security and risk analysis. The success she has experienced along the way has translated into a profound sense of confidence.