As seasons in Pennsylvania change, some have grown to despise the transition from a warm summer into the chill of fall. Others, like Owen Haddad, embrace the vibrant foliage and East Coast palette he has always longed for as a Californian.
Haddad, a fourth-year student studying public relations, has created a home of his own here at Penn State. Living in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania is not everyone’s first choice. However, Haddad felt drawn to the campus and what it had to offer: a strong campus spirit with an endless supply of opportunities.
When Haddad was deciding on where to spend his next four years of college, his advisor mentioned that Haddad’s personality would fit well with a Big 10 school. More importantly, the unified student body atmosphere.
“This is a student body that rallies behind everything, not just football,” Haddad says.
Leaving California beaches, warmer weather and cookie-cutter homes, Haddad arrived at Penn State with an eager spirit to become involved on campus. Haddad became involved with the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) as a first-year student. UPUA is the student government for University Park (UP) students who strive to represent and advocate for Penn State undergrads.
“I built a base around UPUA and it became part of my identity as a student,” Haddad says.
His involvement in the first-year council led him to become a voting representative and vice chair of one of the advocacy committees. By his second year, Haddad led the Academic Affairs committee, which dealt with educational policy and resources for UP students.
I led a project … that essentially made it recommended that professors move classes to be asynchronous on November election days.
Owen Haddad
Haddad and other members of the advocacy committee focused on increasing voting awareness among students and providing the option to vote with either asynchronous classes or no class at all. As a second-year student, Haddad devoted himself to the project and presented it to the Faculty Senate, resulting in the policy being passed. So, if you had a class canceled or moved online on Nov. 4, thank Owen Haddad and his committee in UPUA.
Already achieving a monumental accomplishment two years into college, Haddad decided to also join the Lion Ambassadors during his sophomore year. Lion Ambassadors requires students to participate as second-semester sophomores, ensuring that everyone involved has had ample experience at Penn State. Haddad instantly fell in love with the organization because of how he was able to complement his knowledge of policy and governance with UPUA’s mission of preserving tradition.
[Lion Ambassadors] is about communicating Penn State’s history. I learned that it’s really important to understand your past in order to shape the future.Owen Haddad
Haddad wanted to leave his Penn State career behind with a long-lasting impact and a legacy in his name. Through dedicated work and a passion for the school, Haddad worked to become the current president of the Lion Ambassadors during his senior year.
Becoming president challenged Haddad to cultivate a culture and widen his outlook overall.
“I have to continue to seek other perspectives and learn more from people. I don’t have all the answers. I’m just one person and I’ve never done this before,” says Haddad.
The various organizations Haddad has been involved with represent Penn State’s diverse community. He has learned the value of putting himself in new environments and atmospheres, thereby creating a better understanding of the people around him.
One of many examples Haddad shared about seeing a different point of view was his time at UPUA and understanding the faculty’s perspective. Although it feels easier to advocate for students and blame faculty, Haddad learned to be empathetic to the university administrators and their passion for teaching.
Haddad acknowledges that every person who works at Penn State does so to positively impact students. With so many other industries people could pursue, by choosing to teach in higher education, he believes that one must have a genuine passion for it. Haddad gained insight into their perspective on various policies and established an authentic relationship with the faculty.
Haddad has cultivated a life of his own here at Penn State, detached from his old life in California. From meeting his best friends in Lion Ambassadors to his significant involvement in UPUA, he was able to shape his Penn State identity and experience overall growth as an individual.
“I almost feel like I kind of built a new home here. I’m a very different person than I was in high school and I almost feel like part of my Penn State journey was leaving that behind and building a new life and a new identity here,” says Haddad.
Everything is meant to work out the way it should. Haddad felt it was fate to end up at Penn State and experience different leadership roles through UPUA and Lion Ambassadors.
Being able to finally step into leadership roles and having the opportunity to problem solve and be innovative, it’s given me a greater understanding of my childhood. You know, this is why I am the way that I am.
Owen Haddad
From a young age, Haddad aspired to forge his own path through creativity and innovation. Instead of listening to his parents to pick up a book and start reading, Haddad tapped into his imagination to cultivate his own story.
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