Lenape Tech Grad Becomes Model of Scholarship
Lenape Tech Graduate Lynsie Headley, from Ford City, was a keynote speaker at this semester’s Fall Scholarship Reception for Penn State New Kensington. (submitted photo)
More than 140 students and donors were recognized for their outstanding achievements this semester at Penn State New Kensington’s Fall Scholarship Reception
Held at Hill Crest Country Club in Lower Burrell, Sophomore Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology Major Lynsie Headly (from Ford City) and Associate Professor of Engineering Robert “Doc” Muller were the keynote speakers.
This year, the campus awarded $538,000 in scholarships to campus students for the fall semester. Nearly 250 students received an average of $2,000 per award.
The scholarships are supported by more than $300,000 in private donations, and more than $230,000 in University funds.
Headley earned an Alle-Kiski Society Endowed Scholarship, which funds yearly awards to campus undergraduates. She was joined by Society President Vera Spina Greenwald and the other society recipients at the reception. Greenwald is a 2003 Penn State graduate and former campus student.
“Lynsie is a fantastic student, and I am thrilled she received the AKS scholarship,” Greenwald said. “It makes me so proud to be able to give back to these students. Helping the students of Penn State New Kensington is the primary focus of the Alle-Kiski Society and it makes me feel exceptionally proud of our group of directors who give so much of themselves to help students.”
A pair of Lower Burrell students – Alissa Dolensky and Carley Carnahan - was also awarded scholarships based on their academic status, GPA, county residence and essay response.
“The New Kensington campus shows a sense of unity, pride, and community,”
Headley wrote in her essay. “Staff and students work like a well-oiled machine to create an experience that helps students thrive. Students have the ability to get involved while still working on classes and getting help when needed. Without that kind of support system, some would not succeed during their time at college or enjoy their time as much.”
When she is not on campus, Headley has a paid internship at Siemens in the Westmoreland County Business and Research Park. Under the supervision of Manuel Vega, an engineering manager, she works on modeling and drafting to make drives.
Headley worked 40 hours a week during the summer, but scaled it back to 10 hours after the start of fall classes. Her work schedule complements her class schedule.
The Lenape Tech graduate merited her position through the campus’ GREAT (Growing Regional Excellence through Experience, Academics and Training) program.
The GREAT program, now in its fifth year, is a partnership between the New Kensington campus, the Penn State Electro-Optics Center and industries within the greater Pittsburgh region that matches engineering and Information Sciences and Technology students with local internship opportunities.
This year, a record 15 freshmen were accepted into GREAT.
Mueller and his wife, Linda, recently established the Doc and Linda Mueller Trustee Scholarship at the campus. The $50,000 endowment is a need-based scholarship, and new and current students are eligible to receive the annual awards. First preference will be given to students in the four-year Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology (EMET) program.
“Our motivation was that scholarships allowed me to attend college,” Mueller said, who was born and raised on a small farm in Kansas. “It is an appropriate way to repay the opportunities that were given to me because I had a degree.”
Mueller, of Freeport, joined the campus faculty in 1998 and teaches upper-level courses in electro-mechanical engineering and lower-level courses in computer engineering technology.
Prior to Penn State New Kensington, Mueller spent more than 30 years in the private industry working with industrial control systems. A registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, he is a consultant regarding industrial automation and serves as an expert witness in product liability and wrongful-death lawsuits.
He also served for 21 years in the military and retired as a colonel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Linda is founder and president of a personal care home in Butler, Pa. The 40-bed facility serves disabled veterans. After becoming a registered nurse, she enrolled in the new bachelor’s degree in nursing program. She was a member of Penn State New Kensington’s first class of nursing graduates.
Local News | KP NewsDesk December 28, 2015
