To be considered for the Social Impact Fellows Program, projects and experiences should go beyond participation and reflect intentional design, purpose alignment, skill development, and measurable impact. These elements are especially powerful for path makers (students exploring direction) and future makers (students refining and applying their purpose toward impact).
All Impact Fellows projects/experiences must:
- be formally affiliated with a Penn State program, office, department, or entity,
- have a designated faculty, staff, or supervisor sponsor,
- receive formal approval and a letter of support prior to student application submission, and
- demonstrate clear learning outcomes and project goals.
All Impact Fellows projects/experiences must connect to:
- NACE Career Readiness Competencies—projects should support the development of competencies such as career and self-development, communication, critical thinking, equity and inclusion, leadership, professionalism, teamwork, and technology
- Penn State Outreach Commonwealth Commitments—projects must align with at least one of the these: Inspiring Discovery, Preparing Students, Serving Pennsylvania
- University Strategic Plan Goals—projects must directly contribute to institutional priorities such as student success, career readiness, workforce preparation, civic and community engagement, experiential learning integration
Project/Experience Examples
1. Partnering with a local organization to identify a community challenge and then co-developing a solution such as improving food access, designing youth programs, and addressing local sustainability issues.
- Example project: Researching and testing Pittsburgh river system water quality with local engineers and municipalities, in collaboration with The Penn State Franco Harris Center at Pittsburgh.
2. Engaging in research that evolves into applied outcomes, such as presenting findings to stakeholders, influencing policy, or creating educational resources.
- Example project: Interning at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center studying and creating Klingsberg Aviary policies for eco-friendly educational programs based on a faculty-driven research question.
3. Serving in a leadership role within a student organization or initiative focused on social impact, advocacy, or community engagement, with responsibility for planning, decision-making, and team development.
- Example project: Interning in Harrisburg in collaboration with the Penn State College of Education Social Justice Initiative to advance real educational policy and strategy.