Featured Ambassador

Introducing Brooke Hoard, HHD Ambassador

Senior Brooke Hoard came to Penn State because it felt like home. University Park provided a comfortable social environment and a close-knit community of peers that looked out for each other. Home for Brooke was originally McKenzie Tennessee, but now her family resides not far from State College on the outskirts of Philadelphia. She’s slated to graduate in 2021 with a degree in biobehavioral health, and along the way she’s had wonderful experiences with College Moxie, a student organization that empowers women, and Penn State Alternative Breaks. When she was nominated to become an HHD Ambassador, she seized the chance to welcome other Penn Staters into the family. We caught up with Brooke to ask her about the launch of the fall semester.

How has the fall 2020 semester been different from years past?

The stark difference is that we’re all wearing masks and socially distancing. And campus spaces, usually bustling, are quiet. The HUB is empty with no lines. Pollock Road is ghost town. And for me personally, all my classes are virtual, so it can feel isolating. Still, online classes can be just as compelling. When using Zoom, my professors try to give us the “in-person” feel by using interactive software to do live polls, annotation, and breakout rooms so we can have small discussions with our classmates. You also see professors interacting with their kids or their pets, which can be fun.

What’s campus like right now?

For the most part, people are adhering to the University policies around COVID-19. We kind of police each other. No one wants to be the reason that we are sent home early, so people are pretty compliant. I live on campus, but I live by myself, so I don’t have to worry about being safe in my own space. The dining experience has gotten better since the Penn State Go app added the mobile ordering feature, so you can pick up your order and never wait in line. I also live off iced coffee, so I’m always mobile ordering from Starbucks. But I have my own kitchen, so if I decide to go to the commons I just grab something prepackaged like a salad.

What’s changed about being an HHD Ambassador?

I miss the one-on-one in-person connections. The best part used to be seeing prospective students arrive on campus and interact for the first time. But we still connect on a fundamental level. I’ve found that the easiest way to build relationships is just to be genuine. We already have two things in common: we want to be at Penn State and we want to be in the College of HHD. From there it's just a free-flowing conversation student to student. If the prospective student leaves the session feeling comfortable and welcome, that’s a victory in my eyes. And honestly, I’ve never had an unenthusiastic response because we all love Penn State.