Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

Breaking the Stereotype – Part II: Apology and Closing Thoughts for the Semester

by

Hello to all of our faithful Paterno Fellows Blog readers. I wanted to start this post with a sincere apology that my blog-posting timeline has been iffy at best. I spoke in my first post about getting involved on campus while retaining the academic standards which this program requires. On the one hand, I did just that (some may say too much) and branched out around campus. As it stands now I am the treasurer of an Israel group on campus, a General Board member of a campus Jewish life organization, and the secretary of my fraternity. On the other hand, I neglected my posting responsibilities, and for that I wanted to again, apologize.

However, this time off from blogging at my computer allowed me to get the full experience of First Semester Freshman year. I was able to go to all the fairs, rush a fraternity, solidify my national (both Israeli and American) identities as well as my Jewish identity in a place so inherently different than where I was before. It was one heck of a ride, and while stressful at times (like this past week, where I stayed up until about 6AM almost daily finishing the last of my work- YAY for the end of the semester!) it was an experience I believe I will keep forever. Whether good or bad, every experience over the past four months or so has come with a lesson behind it; those lessons which I (and, in fact, all freshmen) should carry for the rest of our collegiate careers and beyond.

And onto my final point of business: my next blog series (if you can call this one a series :D). Another great opportunity which the honors courses of the Schreyer Honors College and Paterno Fellows Program offered me was a special, one week course abroad in Egypt! And so tomorrow I depart to a place I have only read about. Hopefully, depending on internet conditions, I will be able to blog about my experiences while I am in Egypt. If not, then I hope to post one long post at the end of the trip so that, hopefully, this opportunity can continue in semesters to come and maybe even some blog-readers can go on the trip as well.

For now, that is all. Enjoy  your breaks and make sure to stay warm and safe. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Breaking the Stereotype – Part I: Introductions

by

I’m sure everyone reading this has heard the common stereotypes of an honors student: a ghostly-pale figure that never leaves the dorm room (or the general vicinity of their desk) for their entire four years in college. And, believe it or not, I was a huge believer in this before coming to Penn State. In fact, I knew of many people like that from my high school: those who would sit in the library during lunch, complain to teacher about an A-, or glare at you when you got a better grade than them. So, by now, you may be asking yourself: “Well, if this is what Mike thinks of honors students, why is he trying to get into Schreyer’s through the Paterno Fellows Program?” Because, while the people mentioned above may have gone on to continue doing that, and only that, we here at Penn State have something very hard to come by at those schools: Balance    

Over the semester, I plan on writing a column titled (well, as you can see above): Breaking the Stereotype which will follow me (a fellow like yourselves) in my journey to break the stereotype of the ‘typical’ honors student by getting super involved on campus while continuing the academic levels that are expected from a Fellow. Penn State, as I stated above, has all the advantages of a premiere University while boasting things those schools can’t claim: Division I Sports with the best student section in the country, over 160 clubs and groups, the second largest Greek system in the country… hopefully you’re starting to see a trend here (hint: we’re awesome).
And now, before I go ranting for too long, a little bit about your humble author:
Hi! My name is Mike Goldenberg and I am a freshman in the Paterno Fellows program with an intended double major in Psychology-Neuroscience and Jewish Studies (but hey, it’s college… so that’s probably gonna change). For the first ten years of my life, I was born and raised in Israel, calling the northern port city of Haifa my home. After moving to the States at age ten, my family settled in Baltimore, MD where I attended Beth Tfiloh, a private Jewish day school, until graduation. While I now split my time between Baltimore and Hershey, PA as my hometowns, Penn State is now my new home… as it is yours. And as our home, we’ve got to live in it to its full potential! Make sure to get involved on campus: tag along with your roommate to the meeting for the club they joined, go watch the Nittany Lions beat the Illinois Fighting Illini this Saturday, or even just go play some pick-up football with your floor. “We are… Penn State” doesn’t mean just the academics, people, it means making sure to make the most of your college career, inside the classroom and out.

Also, make sure to let me know (either via e-mail or just by commenting below) about what YOU’VE been doing around campus so we can share it with all the other Fellows who want to get involved!
Skip to toolbar