Sending a 'We Are!' to these Penn Staters Oct. 22

As part of our regular "We Are!" feature, we recognize 15 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what's asked of them in their work at the University.

This week, on behalf of the entire Penn State community, we'd like to say thank you to:

• Heather Atkinson, undergraduate studies adviser in the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), whose nominator wrote: "Thanks to Heather, DUS students connect with disability accommodations sooner, advisers have a network to share strategies on academic recovery, and Starfish is always growing to support advisers and students in new ways. Thank you, Heather, for being such an inventive, driven and caring colleague!"
• Michael Brahosky, marketing communications specialist in the Office of Educational Equity, who received multiple nominations. One nominator wrote: "Michael is an amazing asset to the educational equity team. He is amazing at his job, a great communicator and always available to get things done. He is very creative, informative and an overall great person." A second nominator wrote: "Big thanks to Mike for the amazing work he does in creating flyers and other recruitment materials that are visually stimulating and interesting to the middle and high school students across the state. He has a great 'can-do' attitude!"
• Tara Campbell, enterprise research planning analyst for Penn State IT, whose nominator wrote: "Tara has been a key player in representing SIMBA IT, skillfully managing tight schedules and fast-paced demands to keep the project on track. Her dedication and efficiency have made a significant impact on our progress with the Ariba Project."
• Audrey Chambers, academic program coordinator for the graduate program in the Department of Anthropology, College of the Liberal Arts, whose nominator wrote: "Audrey always brings a noteworthy level of professionalism and positive vibes to her work. Audrey has taken on leadership responsibilities in recent months during an unexpected staff absence, and she's done very well keeping the team on track while taking on new tasks in addition to her own job."
• Sean Costella, director of application infrastructure for Penn State IT, whose nominator wrote: "I truly appreciate Sean's willingness to lend his wealth of knowledge to help elevate ideas and possible solutions even when he's not an official project resource. This sort of extreme collaboration is exactly what we always talk about in IT. It's great to see it in action!"
• Danielle Discher, assistant director of financial aid at Penn State Abington, whose nominator wrote: "Thank you to Danielle for going above and beyond to support our students in need. She is thorough, responsive and a problem solver. Her collaboration to get the best results for our students is appreciated!"
• Molly Diviney, accountant in Auxiliary and Business Services, whose nominator wrote: "Molly is always responsive and goes above and beyond to find solutions for payroll and other issues. She is a pleasure to work with and maintains a positive outlook regardless of the challenges that she faces. Molly exemplifies teamwork and collaboration every day!"
• Jason Driscoll, administrative assistant at Penn State Abington, whose nominator wrote: "Jason's professionalism, attention to detail, patience and kindness are impressive. Our faculty in particular are very grateful for the many ways in which he supports their activities. Moreover, he never hesitates to go the extra mile to help others. We are very fortunate to have Jason on our staff!"
• Carla Glisan, senior coordinator of Penn State Community Service Federal Work-Study in the Office of Student Aid, whose nominator wrote: "Carla deserves a shoutout for her tireless support and advocacy of our Federal Work Study students across the University. Carla has given presentations to hundreds of students and families to help students maximize their financial aid packages and to raise awareness about FWS opportunities. Thank you, Carla!"
• Ben Hammel, instructional technology specialist at Penn State Lehigh Valley, whose nominator wrote: "Ben is an awesome collaborator who is more than willing to share his expertise and experiences of technology and learning with other campuses. He is an innovative problem-solver who thinks deeply about the student and the instructor experience in shared courses and the technologies needed."
• Kellie Karaky, undergraduate program coordinator for the Department of Sociology and Criminology in the College of the Liberal Arts, whose nominator wrote: "Thank you to Kellie, who always goes the extra mile to support our team and, most importantly, our undergraduate students. She shows up every day with a desire to do more, as she finds it most meaningful to make connections with our students."
• Sarah Kettell, education applications developer at Penn State Harrisburg, whose nominator wrote: "Sarah always steps up to do what is needed and to support faculty and staff in any way that she can. Her knowledge and application of technology to assist others and to solve problems is exceptional. She is a true team player, and she is an asset to the Harrisburg campus."
• Al Raju, systems administrator at Penn State Abington, whose nominator wrote: "Al has been instrumental in helping all campuses navigate new tools and processes for device management. He has shared his knowledge freely with other IT peers, showing dedication to collaboration and teamwork. His guidance is much appreciated!"
• Ashley Stauffer, analyst in the Office of Research Information Systems, whose nominator wrote: "Ashley has done a tremendous job managing the complex efforts of a team of faculty, staff and administrators charged with developing recommendations to improve the processes that support our ever-expanding research enterprise. She's knowledgeable, engaging, organized, persistent and resilient."
• Bing Zhu, finance coordinator in the College of Education, whose nominator wrote: "Bing took on an entire department's finance responsibilities for two months after a colleague left their position. Bing never once complained about the added workload, and she helped everyone with such kindness and grace. Bing, you are my hero."

Thank you to Heather, Michael, Tara, Audrey, Sean, Danielle, Molly, Jason, Carla, Ben, Kellie, Sarah, Al, Ashley and Bing - and to everyone who helps make Penn State such an incredible community!

Do you know someone who deserves a shout out? If you do, consider nominating that person by filling out a short online form.