Good evening everyone Deans Welsh, Brady, Long, Upneja; parents and guests; faculty and advisors; members

of the Paterno family; other supporters; and especially my fellows students. I am honored to be making this speech tonight, representing all of the Paterno Fellows gathered here First off, my warmest congratulations to those of you who will officially be called Paterno Fellows this evening. Your hard work in these past semesters should indeed be commended. The hard part is not behind you though. The pressures and responsibilities of the Schreyer Honors College come calling tonight, and will not let up. If you need any evidence of that, come ask what my thesis is about. If you get any answer that doesnt start off with a Well. then I have had some amazing revelations in the past days or so. All of us can remember the moments when we decided that we were going to be a Paterno Fellow. Mine was on FTCAP day, which all of us students know as a day where you are overwhelmed with a bunch of information that definitely dont remember right now. The one thing I do remember, though, was the Paterno Fellows part of the day. Jack Selzer gave a very informative talk about everything the program could offer me as a Liberal Arts student and it all seemed as good as one could imagine. Then he sealed the deal by taking a page right out of Joe Paternos playbook: he won over my parents. After the talk he came over and talked to my parents and I, and relayed to us how beautiful and historic he found my home town of Hyde Park, New York to be. From that point on, I was going to be a member of the Paterno Fellows program whether I liked it or not. As I came into my freshman year, I understood that I must perform like an honors student to achieve entrance into the fellowship. What I didnt know was how close to the program I

could truly get. Early in the semester, there was a call for parties interested in being members of the Paterno Fellows Student Advisory Board. I jumped at the opportunity and came face to face with what the program really meant. I was now making recommendations on programming, Fellows functions, and any issues plaguing the program. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but ultimately it has become an experience that changed my life. Not only have I met many members of the Paterno Family, but Ive also gotten to interact with some of the top academics at our University. Ever meet Sue and Joe Paterno? I escorted them to the first Recognition event two years ago? Ever had lunch with the President of the Pittsburgh Pirates? A few months ago, I had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Frank Coonelly about anything and everything about our program at a luncheon exclusive to a select group of Paterno Fellows. But maybe the most important advantage of the Paterno Fellows Program is the research and travel grants that the program provides. Aside from this, Ive also been thrust into the world of the honors thesis. Though I joked about it before, doing research has been an unbelievably enriching experience. I have been thrust into the world of research journals and statistical analysis, while at the same time meeting with staff members the world over. As a Crime, Law, and Justice major, Ive had the privilege of working with people like Darrell Steffensmeier, known the world over for his work on organized crime, racketeering, white collar crime, and hundreds of other subjects. And the Paterno Fellows Program continues to work for me in other ways. A class that is required for Paterno Fellows is English 137/138 known to us elder statesmen LA101H, which at this point, all of you should have taken. This was probably the most formative and important class I took in college, and has allowed me to network myself efficiently and appropriately. Not only am I in talks with the Pirates about potential internship

opportunities, but two Fridays ago, I traveled to Boston to interview with WilmerHale, one of the top law firms in the country. This is the law firm that worked on the Apple vs. Samsung case that had the entire world watching what would happen. [Insert witty beard quip here] .Without the connections and skills I have developed, I can guarantee that neither of these opportunities would have come my way. So what now? What does the future hold? For me, Im hoping to become a corporate or transactional lawyer. My fascination with the rules that govern our economy has only grown at Penn State, and I know that the program has helped me develop the skills that I need to get my foot in the door of law schools and firms. In the mean time, Ill continue my thesis research, hopefully concentrating on corporate and economic crimes, and beating the drums as a member of the Blue Band. For all of you, I hope the future holds all of the opportunities I have had. I hope you all get to do important research with important people. I hope you all get to interview and talk to the companies of your dreams. I hope you all get to meet the generous, friendly, and legendary Paterno family. I hope you all get to represent our program, the Honors College, the College of the Liberal Arts, and most importantly, our fine and unmatched University outside of these walls as well. By being here tonight, you are already well on your way to doing these, and other things that I cannot even imagine. Last year, when Danielle Mackintosh gave this speech, she talked about her month in the Netherlands. For your sake I hope you get to experience something like that, which Im assuming would be the craziest months of your life. Let me close by thanking our incredible Liberal Arts and Honors College Faculty, the Paterno family, and all parents, family, and other visitors that are attending tonight. I would also

like to thank two people individually. The first is Dean Christian Brady. His leadership and composure through difficult times that I cannot even fathom have been inspiring to all around the University. The second is the Barry Director of the Paterno Fellows Program, Jack Selzer. Many students in the program have no idea the amount of work he does to make sure the resources they need are available, and that everything behind the scenes is running smoothly. Look around you now, his handiwork is everywhere in this room. Congratulations again, and for now, lets take a little time to celebrate.