Elena Piel, That Family Feel
Elena Piel is all about family. When she talks about her Penn State experience, her internship experience, and where she wants to go in the future, her focus is on family and connections.
“I am very family oriented,” said Elena. “My first interactions with the programs and people at Penn State Greater Allegheny gave me my first sense of family. And attending Abington Campus has allowed me to build meaningful relationships with faculty like adviser Dr. Jake Benfield (Program Chair and Professor, RPTM and Psychological and Social Sciences at Penn State Abington) and Dr. Katrina Black Reed (Assistant Professor, RPTM at Penn State Abington).”
For summer semester 2024, Elena is completing her internship at the Greater Philadelphia YMCA – Ambler to complete her degree in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management. One of her favorite things about her internship? The family environment.
Elena’s path to Penn State took her across state from her home in Pittsburgh where, as she says, “You can see Kennywood Park from the windows of my high school.” A standout basketball player in high school, Elena was surprised to be recruited to play for the Penn State team at Greater Allegheny. Elena stands at 5’ 2” and thought her basketball playing days were over after high school until she was contacted by then Coach Chrissy Robison who played for Duquesne and who is also short-statured. “I never thought I would play basketball at college, but she showed me I could do it,” said Elena.
The original plan was a degree in Civil Engineering. As a first-generation college student, Elena set goals for what she wanted to do and how much she wanted to be paid. Her original goal was the 2+2 program where she would spend two years at Greater Allegheny and then two years at University Park. Returning to school after COVID and some personal challenges provided an opportunity to look at a new path. “I hit kind of a rough spot after my sophomore year. I had a conversation with the Athletic Director who suggested I look into RPTM. I had done the Alternate Spring break to Puerto Rico and found that working with people was more up my alley.” Elena decided to take advantage of the fact that Abington campus offers the RPTM curriculum, tuition at Commonwealth campuses is cheaper than at University Park, and she could still play basketball.
So, she made the move from Penn State’s Greater Allegheny campus to Abington campus.
A coach at Abington got an email from the local YMCA asking if any of their athletes were interested in coaching basketball. Elena said yes. From coaching 10 to 12-year-olds, Elena soon became involved in the Greater Philadelphia YMCA – Ambler’s BASE program. BASE stands for Before and After School Enrichment. Elena’s supervisor and mentor within the program is also a life coach and met with Elena as she was figuring out what she wanted to do for her internship and after graduation. Elena then approached the YMCA about a summer internship. She finished up her classes and the basketball season and was ready to go in the role of support for the summer camps. The Greater Philadelphia YMCA has numerous branches spread over the Philadelphia area, but the Ambler location has the biggest summer camp program.
“Before the camps started, I was doing a lot of prep. Organizing the folders for that many kids takes a lot of people and a lot of organization. We worked on planning field trips and other programs for the camps as well as organizing the camper registrations.” With the camps fully under way, Elena is now in the role of both intern and Unit Leader which is a step above counselor. She also is facilitating sports programs such as archery and pickleball and is gaining experience with administrative tasks like payroll and scheduling.
After graduation, Elena is hoping to work into a position with the YMCA. She likes the connections and contacts she has made in Ambler and likes the family focus and environment of the YMCA. Starting in Pittsburgh and ending in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Elena reflects on her education. “What I really like about the Commonwealth campuses is that there is room for everyone,” said Elena. “It feels like family.”