Advocate Penn State’s Post

There is no group more powerful than the youth and their voices. Last week, Lion Caucus at Penn State spearheaded and hosted its first campus engagement event since its founding in 2018. "Meet the Legislators" was an event focused on connecting the Penn State student body with the Representatives and Senators that represent them to the Pennsylvania State Legislature through questions, open dialogue, and the opportunity to connect on a personal level. With the success that this event had, I'm grateful to Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr., Senator Cris Dush, and Representative Paul Takac for not only their involvement, but their devoted and enthusiastic participation in an event that will set a precedent for conversation and connection between Penn State students and their elected representatives on a municipal, state, and federal level. I also want to pass along thanks to Andrew Jackson for helping to co-moderate this event, Velavan Shanmugasundaram and Isabelle Ems for representing the University Park Undergraduate Association and Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council as co-sponsors and key stakeholders, and Cristina Mac Cormac, Mark Brown, Jay Mattis, Ella Jones, Jimi Werner, and the entire Penn State Office of Government and Community Relations for serving as an incredible help and support throughout the entire planning and execution process. This event also wouldn't have been possible without the support of The McCourtney Institute of Democracy. Campus engagement, and ensuring that Penn State students have their voices heard in all levels, is essential to the success of Penn State and the fair representation of all of its students, and I'm excited to see this event continue on all levels of government in future semesters!