“There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking.” -Brian Tracy
When you dream big, your reality and your dreams merge to create one big canvas. Dreams can only be manifested with the seeds you sow. The quote by Brian Tracy has driven Lauren Wellar, a fourth-year digital multimedia major, to keep moving toward her dreams.
Growing up in State College, Wellar was surrounded by “We Are” culture her entire life — from going to football games and homecoming parades, her time as a child at Penn State centered who she was.
“One of the big things that drew me in was the amount of student engagement and knowing that anywhere I go and yell ‘We Are’ wherever I live and even around the world that I understood how proud of that I felt,” she says.
After this, she knew she was destined for Penn State, and after being accepted, her journey into the culture was just beginning until life came to a halt in 2020 because of COVID-19. The pandemic didn’t stop Wellar from accomplishing her dreams — it just reworked them.
Wellar’s freshman year of college was moved online, and during this time, she realized that she enjoyed the flexibility of being online and staying home while still creating a life for herself post-grad.
Wellar’s college experience turned from in-person to virtual thanks to the Penn State World Campus. While she does live in State College, she gets to experience life off campus that most seniors do. Wellar is also able to participate in activities like homecoming and THON due to her status as a World Campus student. World Campus is the only branch campus that allows students to participate in University Park organizations.
“I really recognized my strengths; I was organized, driven and I had a path leading me to focus on my schoolwork and stay focused,” she says.
However, Wellar decided that she wanted to make an impact on World Campus instead of just University Park, and saw the opportunity to do so post-COVID. She dove into organizations on campus and wanted to use her major of digital multimedia design to make a real difference. Through her major, she is able to learn about the digital workings of any media spaces.
Using her creativity, energy and knowledge from her major, Wellar uses her skill set and connections with others in her involvements. From working as a Student Technology Advisory Representative, World Campus Homecoming Media & Marketing Director, 2022 homecoming court member and World Campus Benefitting THON PR Chair, she has found her place at World Campus, while also being fully engaged in all they have to offer.
Wellar says that one of her most cherished accomplishments is having a personal impact on THON. Being a World Campus THON PR chair, she got to see her work come to life during the weekend by making fun and interactive content for the World Campus’s two dancers that raised over $17,000.
In the media and entertainment industry, time management is a key component to having the life you want to live. Wellar’s ambitious mentality can be taxing, but it has pushed her to achieve her goals. Not only has she received accolades that have validated her hard work, but she has also seen personal growth.
I’ve done this since the beginning, this sort of balancing act, but you have to have some semblance of balance and control within your life, especially with so many things being thrown at you at all times. Moving forward with graduation and continuing to move farther along on my journey, no matter what career choice or what I have going on at the end of the day, I know that I need to take that time to take care of myself.
Lauren Wellar
Wellar will leave Penn State with a legacy of determination and of always striving for excellence. Whether it be making websites or taking advantage of artificial intelligence, she’s managed to change the course of her COVID-19 years at Penn State into a joyful and ambitious time in her life. Throughout her time here, she has managed to live by the quote of Tracy, and she will continue to do so after graduation.
