Arts and Architecture Alumni Society Scholarship Recipients Announced

Arts and Architecture Alumni Society Scholarship Recipients Announced

Penn State's College of Arts and Architecture has announced the recipients of the 2018 Alumni Society Scholarship. The award, which honors up to seven students annually for leadership or service, was established by the society in 1998 with the belief that Penn State's strength lies in its student body. In the years since, college alumni and friends have reaffirmed this commitment by generously donating to grow the endowment, increasing both the number and size of the awards. This year's recipients are listed below.

Architecture: Klarysa Forczyk is in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) and has served as a candidate platoon sergeant. Her goal is to commission as a U.S. Marine Corps Officer and to later become a licensed architect working for the Department of Defense. She supplements her architectural education with a variety of extracurricular activities through the Penn State NROTC, which has allowed her to gain extensive leadership experience. She also participates in volunteer events hosted by the NROTC unit, such as Toys for Tots, and engages in NROTC-sponsored activities, including World in Conversations, where a small group of midshipmen talk about social issues with students in Afghanistan. In addition, Klarysa is active in Penn State's French and Polish clubs.

Landscape Architecture: Victoria Frydrych is a member of Arts Ambassadors and has held leadership positions in LABash 2018 and the Landscape Architecture Student Society. She is also active in THON, having served as a captain the past two years. After graduation in December 2018, she hopes to obtain a job at a multidisciplinary landscape architecture firm where she can work on a multitude of projects. Thanks to hard work and efficient juggling of responsibilities, she will graduate a semester early in what is typically a five-year program.

Music: Ryan Czekaj, a clarinetist, is a member of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Marching Blue Band. He is the Region III representative for the Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association and coordinator of the 2017 Region III Music Educators Workshop at Penn State. Ryan says that realizing what an impact music can have on the general public, regardless of their personal musical involvement, was an eye-opening moment. Through smaller chamber ensembles, he has come to learn the symbiosis of communication and effective music-making.

Theatre: Wilson Leibering, a senior majoring in Theatre with an emphasis in Costume Design/Construction, has been involved in every School of Theatre production since his arrival at Penn State, gradually taking on more leadership positions, including wardrobe supervisor for Be More Chill. He recently designed The Laramie Project. For Argonautika, he was responsible for the construction of three skeleton soldiers, including budgeting and purchasing of materials. A part-time employee in the Zoller Gallery, his responsibilities include hanging and focusing lights for most exhibitions. In summer 2017, he worked as a stitcher/wardrobe member at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He hopes to pursue a career in theatrical wardrobe and crafts work.

Visual Arts: Michele Lake, a senior double-majoring in Drawing and Painting (BFA candidate) and Advertising, is active in the Penn State Cycling Club, Outing Club, and Painting Club. She currently works with CommAgency, an on-campus video production agency within the College of Communications, in addition to a part-time job in West dining commons. She recently had a painting accepted in the Cooperstown Art Association 2017 National Juried Exhibition, had three of her paintings included in Penn State's Hump Day Gallery in January 2018, and had a painting accepted in Penn State's Undergraduate Juried Exhibition in Zoller Gallery in February 2018. She plans to graduate in December 2018 and pursue a career as an art director or graphic designer, while also maintaining a career as a painter.