Dean Brady Visits Penn State Harrisburg

The visit from Dr. Christian Brady to the Penn State Harrisburg Honors Program was an amazing experience for us students. Dr. Christian Brady is the Dean of the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University; it was heart warming that such a busy man would take the time to come down and talk to our Honors Program students. He welcomed the union of the Capital College Honors Program and Schreyer Honors, which I am personally very thrilled about.

Jyothi Kakuturu and Dr. Christian Brady

During the student discussion hour, I appreciated how Dr. Brady thoughtfully addressed several issues questioned by the students. Not only that, but he also allowed the students to reflect on the Honors Program, leading to a very open ended, comfortable discussion. I also had an opportunity to talk to him personally about my research interests and Honors thesis. After the discussion, I had the opportunity to attend the dinner with a few other students and had a very different experience. Many of those who attended the dinner were Penn State alumni, generous donors to the Honor’s college, Dr. Ansary (the Associate Dean), and Dr. Kulkarni (chancellor of Penn State Harrisburg), honors program staff from Capital College and the Schreyer College.

The dinner at Mount Hill Tavern was the most inspiring time of the day for me. The owner of the restaurant kicked off the speeches, noting that education is the best investment one can make, and I couldn’t agree more! Dr. Kulkarni, being a former investment banker at Wall Street, further elaborated that investing in present students is a lifelong investment, as we will then invest in the education of future students. Dr. Brady said that this builds a strong foundation for Penn State Main Campus and Penn State Harrisburg’s students to have an enriched educational environment and many research opportunities. He stressed that wherever the students end up after graduation, they should always cherish and thank those have helped us achieve so much.

The whole event inspired me because of how much faith and confidence the alumni donors had in undergraduate students. This compelled me to work harder, and give back to my Penn State family now and in the future. Like Dr. Kulkarni said, “Don’t take away from Penn State’s name; add to Penn State’s name.”  On behalf of all the Penn State faculty, staff and students, I generously thank all our donors for investing in our future.

Written by Jyothi Kakuturu

Photo Credits:  Marques Paige