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| Alex Hartzler speaking with student |
It was a pleasure to have Alex Hartzler visit our campus and
talk to Honors students on October 25th. I had heard a great deal
about “the Alex Hartzler” before meeting him; he is the man who generously
supports our honors program at Penn State Harrisburg, which we are all grateful
for. I honestly expected him to be boring and lacking in sense of humor. Oh boy
was I proved wrong. Mr. Hartzler is actually an amazing, witty, and altruistic
man, who wants nothing but for our generation to get international experience like
he did when he was a student.
Mr. Hartzler is the donor of the Hartzler Travel Award for
the Honors Program. He visited our campus to share his travel experiences and
how they have shaped him as a person. The conversation also provided me with
the opportunity to learn about how he became involved in the Capital College
Honors Program.
A 1990 Penn State Harrisburg graduate himself, Mr. Hartzler
has strived for success since graduating. He was an Executive Vice President
and partner of Webclients.net, and started the Harrisburg Young Professionals
group in our capital city. He is
currently a partner at WCI Partners, LP, concentrating on "a
He used his travel experiences to help him build his magnificent
career. During the session, he shared
his fond memories of Germany and how making connections internationally helped
him in later life. His traveling also
helped him with his communication skills in different languages.
Being from a different country, I was curious to know if that held any advantages compared to those who were born in America. He told me that students who were born in a
different country can sometimes have more opportunities than others. They already have a basic knowledge of a
different culture, and they can use that to their advantage.
Mr. Hartzler was adamant that students should take the
opportunity to travel, whether in school or when they graduate. Having traveled
to many countries himself, he expressed that he learned something new and
different from each country he visited. I couldn’t agree more, because even
though I was also brought up in India and the US, I think there is much more
for me to discover in the world.
With his travel award, Mr. Hartzler has afforded honors
students an opportunity that other students do not have. His generous donation gives us the financial
support that we need to travel. But he
did more than just give us money; he also took the time out of his day to come
and share his inspiring story with us.
It was a worthwhile conversation for curious students in the Honors
Program!
Written by Jyothi Kakuturu
