“There were a lot of references to the future. The final letter she read came from Timmy Donovan ’13, her boyfriend, whom she first met five years earlier during a trip to Germany while they were both students at Penn State Behrend. Hennon had no idea she was about to receive the biggest pick-me-up imaginable. This is all par for the course with THON, Penn State’s 46-hour dance marathon designed to raise money to support children and families as they combat pediatric cancer.īut then came Mail Call, an event during THON weekend in which dancers receive letters and packages from friends, family and supporters to inspire and motivate them to continue dancing. It was hour 32 of THON, and Taylor Hennon ’13 had hit the wall.

Tags Behrend, Carrie Egnosak, Center for Service and Civic Leadership, Paul Lukasik, Penn State Erie, Reality Check, THON, Triangle Fraternity, William Staniszewski THON proposal reflects couple’s commitment.

No matter how busy you are, there’s always something you can do, and I think it’s our civic duty to give back.” Categories Around campus, Community Service, Fun stuff, Honors and Awards, School of Business, Standout Seniors

It’s mutually beneficial and so rewarding. I’ve had internships, gone on service trips and had leadership positions,” he said. “Behrend as a whole has given me so many opportunities. Lukasik said he is grateful for all of the opportunities he’s received at Behrend, and he hopes new students will continue to pursue service work. After graduation, he plans to do volunteer work through GE Transportation, where he has accepted a position in the Commercial Leadership Program, and also hopes to make a service trip to David’s Home, an orphanage founded in Haiti by Fair Haven’s Church. He contends his commitment to service won’t be changing anytime soon. Lukasik said his commitment to service dates back to childhood, helping out at Fair Haven’s Church, founded in North Tonawanda, N.Y., by his grandparents. Since arriving at Behrend, Lukasik has performed services projects through Reality Check, Behrend’s community service-oriented club Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society Relay for Life and Alternative Spring Break and has served as a resident assistant. Everybody who knows him loves him because he would do anything for anyone.” “He’s one of the few students who has participated in every Alternative Spring Break trip since he’s been here, and he tends to take on a leadership role with any club or organization that he becomes involved with. “Paul has just been so involved with service from the very first moment he stepped onto campus,” Egnosak said. Naming an award after a current student is an unconventional practice, but according to Carrie Egnosak, an academic adviser and a member of the Service Awards Committee that created the award, Lukasik is especially deserving of the honor. “My hope, though, is that people will look beyond the name of the award and see its intention.”

Presenting the award hammered home to me that this is something that will stay even after I’m gone,” said Lukasik, a senior project and supply chain management major. “When I heard that I was the recipient, it helped to reaffirm my commitment to leading by example.”įor Lukasik, having an award named in his honor has been a humbling experience. It really means a lot to me, especially as one of the leaders of Behrend Benefitting THON,” Staniszewski said. “Being honored with this award was the highlight of my semester. This year’s honoree was Bill Staniszewski, a junior mechanical engineering major who has completed numerous service projects with THON and Triangle Fraternity. The award, created and presented to Lukasik in 2014 and subsequently named in his honor, recognizes a Penn State Behrend junior who, through leadership in a student organization or class, encourages others to engage in service and civic engagement. “Just so you know, my face gets red when I get nervous,” said Lukasik, displaying humility that’s fitting in light of the award he was about to present: The Paul Lukasik Servant Leadership Award. Paul Lukasik unassumingly walked to the podium, flashing an abashed smile at the crowd of more than 50 people in attendance at Penn State Behrend’s Center for Service and Civic Leadership’s Service Awards. Marketing Communications Specialist, Penn State Behrend Bill Staniszewski (left) was the recipient of the Paul Lukasik Servant Leadership Award at this year’s Center for Service and Civic Leadership’s Service Awards.

Thon mail call