Career Outcomes

Frank Amabile, Jr.

Marketing Manager, Innovation & Strategic Digital Media at Walmart

• Class of 2016
• Bachelor of Science in Business, Management/Marketing Option
• Minor in Entrepreneurship

A proud Sheetz Fellows alum, Frank has had the opportunity to work/live in Chicago, Washington DC, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia thus far in his career. He credits his time at Penn State Altoona for giving him a broad scope of exposure through various internships, co-ops, and job opportunities. In his current role at Walmart, Frank is responsible for all digital/paid social marketing programs focusing on member acquisition and retention for the W+, Walmart In-Home, and Walmart Go Local businesses.

Matt Wagner

Sales Onboarding Program Manager at Motive

• Class of 2014
• Bachelor of Science in Business, Management/Marketing Option
• Minor in Entrepreneurship

Matt joined Motive in San Francisco in 2016 when the company had fewer than 100 employees. Today, he has helped the company grow to over 4,000 employees and is responsible, along with his team, for designing the onboarding that new sales team members experience when they join the company. Being a member of the Sheetz Fellows Program helped to prepare Matt for the real world and provided a clear perspective on what a strong business looks like and what he wanted out of his career.

Arabia Woolfolk (Iman)

Account Executive at Aflac

• Class of 2015
• Bachelor of Science in Business, Entrepreneurship Option
• Minor in Dance Studies

Originally from Washington, DC, Arabia loves business and the arts. Her professional career as an Account Executive for Aflac is enhanced by her “passion careers” in the dance & modeling industry and volunteering to serve youth. She serves as Executive Director at We Genius, is the Founder & CEO of DMV Greenbook, and is an active advocate with DC Action. According to Arabia, her time with her Sheetz Fellows mentor provided the skills necessary to pursue both her profession and her passion. Fun Fact: Arabia is also a former Miss DC beauty queen, a retired NFL cheerleader, and a published model on the NYC Billboard at Times Square.

Jonathan Ambrosino

Railroad Technologist with an engineering firm that specializes in accident investigations and reconstruction

• Class of 2021
• Bachelor of Science in Rail Transportation Engineering
• Minor in Mathematics Applications
• Pursuing a graduate degree in Civil-Geotechnical Engineering from Penn State

Jonathan Ambrosino believes that the Rail Transportation Engineering (RTE) coursework prepared him for both the industry and his further education. Still, he finds himself using lessons learned in MATH 230: Vector and Multivariable Calculus most frequently in his day-to-day tasks.

Before gaining employment as a Railroad Technologist, Ambrosino worked for the North Shore Railroad as a track worker. Additionally, he also interned at his current company. He credits both of these experiences to connections he made while attending conferences as a student representative of the RTE program. When asked for advice he’d give an incoming RTE student, Jonathan said that it’s important to put in the work and strive to become book-smart and field-smart.

Angel Beverly

System Protection Technician, Dominion Energy of Virginia

• Class of 2021
• Bachelor of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology

In her time as a student, Angel Beverly was the president of Lion Ambassadors, an Adler Student Supervisor, an Orientation Leader, part of the Career Services Engineering Envoy, and the Caribbean Student Association secretary. Beverly obtained an internship with Westinghouse Electric company in the summer after her third year and credits Career Services with helping her to build the skills that landed her this position.

Beverly feels that the experiences, lessons, and skills she developed in the engineering labs at Penn State Altoona help her to succeed every day in her current role. She specifically finds herself using the skills learned in EET 114, EMET 225, and EET 275. Angel recommends that any student interested in engineering consider the wide array of careers and experiences that can be had with an EMET degree from Penn State Altoona.

Gary Babcoke

Project Engineer for the West Lake Corridor Capital Project, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD)

• Class of 2022
• Bachelor of Science in Rail Transportation Engineering, Certificate in AutoCAD
• Interned at Hesston Steam Museum in LaPorte, Indiana, and NICTD in Michigan City, Indiana.

Gary Babcoke credits much of his current success to his time spent on campus as a student. By joining student organizations on campus, he was able to find friends with similar hobbies and interests quickly. Additionally, his experiences in his AutoCAD classes directly benefit him in his current role. Babcoke also found that the civil engineering courses within the RTE program, particularly those taught by Dr. Faeze Ghofrani, were instrumental in his understanding of the real-world situations he faces daily.

Josh Hollingshead

Rocket Test Engineer, Aerojet Rocketdyne

• Class of 2022
• Bachelor of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology

In his time as a student, Joh Hollingshead interned as a Propulsion Flight Test Engineer with Sikorsky Aircraft as part of a team responsible for flight-testing the turbojet engines that power the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter. This internship took place at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, and Hollingshead credits Penn State’s strong alumni presence there with helping him to secure the internship.

Prior to graduation, Hollingshead was hired for his current position as a Rocket Test Engineer for Aerojet Rocketdyne, where he is responsible for performing static hot-fire tests of rocket engines. He believes that his seven semesters of research at Penn State Altoona helped him stand out in the job hunt and narrow down what it was he wanted to do as a career. When asked if he had advice for incoming students, he recommends that they push beyond their comfort levels to find classes and experiences that challenge them.

Lauren Everett

Library Access and Collections Coordinator, Juniata College

• Class of 2021
• Bachelor of Arts in English

"When I first entered Penn State Altoona, I started out as undecided because I wasn't sure what my interest and skills in writing would amount to when it comes to life outside academia. However, pursuing an English major had quelled my anxieties for my future after working under the guidance of wonderful professors whose expertise sharpened my writing and communications skills.

"I often utilize many of these skills in my current job working at Juniata College's library, for I constantly have to be clear and precise in my language when interacting with the student workers I oversee and the faculty I interact with. I also find my creative skills an asset to my job, which was also something I valued using in my English degree.

"English courses always provided room for free-spirited exploration into personal interests and passions--something I always valued highly when completing writing assignments and projects. Truthfully, I am forever indebted to all my learning as an English major; I look upon all my memories at Penn State Altoona with joyous satisfaction because of the classes, professors, and friends I had along the way.

"I really couldn't have had a better college experience, all thanks to the English program."

Amy Mallory-Kani

Product Communication Manager, Paperpile

• Class of 2007
• Bachelor of Arts in English, Penn State Altoona, 2007
• Doctorate (Ph.D.) in English, University at Albany (SUNY), 2014
• Certificate in UX/UI Design, Eleven Fifty Academy, 2020

"I can’t stress this enough: an English major provides you with the critical thinking and communication skills that are seriously valued in many fields. I have heard from several of my employers that my writing and research skills, creative problem-solving ability, and capacity for observing patterns and connecting those to ‘the bigger picture’ (learned through a lot of close reading in literature classes) made me a stand-out employee."

Heather Myers

Ph.D. Candidate in Creative Writing, University of North Texas

• Class of 2016
• Bachelor of Arts in English, minor in Women's Studies, Penn State Altoona
• Master of Fine Arts (Creative Writing [Poetry]), graduate certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies, West Virginia University

"I wouldn't be a student going towards a Ph.D. in Creative Writing if it weren't for the English program at Penn State Altoona, which taught me how to look at my work critically, how to revise, and how to keep pushing forward."

Jarrett Imler

Application Security analyst, Sheetz Corporation; Penetration Tester, Appalachia Technologies

• Class of 2021
• Bachelor of Science in Security and Risk Analysis

Jarrett Imler ties his success finding employment to the research he conducted as a student at Penn State Altoona. Working alongside Professor Syed Rizvi, Imler published two research papers, which caught the eyes of employers and helped him to land his current position. These experiences, in addition to classes taught by Professor David Barnes, are what Imler feels best prepared him for success in the industry. Additionally, he says that his time in the SRA club on campus provided him with valuable insights and practices that proved valuable in his career.

Imler’s advice for incoming students is to continue learning when they leave the classroom and to get involved early on campus. Do research, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Imler feels that there is a place for everyone within cyber security, and he believes that his experiences at Penn State Altoona helped him to find his place.

Olivia Ronan

Blended Case Manager, CenClear, Blair County

• Class of 2021
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

In addition to working full-time, Ronan is completing her Master’s Degree in Community Counseling at Mount Aloysius College to prepare for licensure as a professional counselor. As part of her undergraduate research experience in psychology, Olivia was invited to contribute to a paper that was recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

Madeleine “Maddie” Quinn

Emerging Artist-in-Residence, Penn State Altoona

• Class of 2018
• Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art Studies

Maddie Quinn graduated top of her class in Visual Art Studies (VAST) having earned several programmatic awards. She then earned admission to the MFA program at Penn State, University Park. She graduated with her MFA in 2022, focusing her MFA work mostly on photography. Quinn began teaching as a part-time instructor in art at Penn State Altoona in the fall of 2022 and was recently named the 2023 Emerging Artist-in-Residence at Penn State Altoona—a tremendous honor and our first VAST graduate student to earn this position.

Emily Beam

AmeriCorps worker, Penn State Altoona and Altoona Family Physicians

• Class of 2021
• Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art Studies

Emily Beam graduated top of her class in VAST, having each of the three art merit awards we grant in the program throughout her career. She double-majored in VAST and biology and intends to enter medical school in order to be a physician. Since graduation, Emily has been working for AmeriCorps both on campus in Community-Based Studies projects through our internship office and also at Altoona Family Physicians. In her medical school application essay, Emily makes it clear that her experience as a trained artist, though VAST, has served her future potential as a doctor in several ways through the ability to think creatively and observe carefully.

Kylea Myers

Theatre and Gallery Coordinator, Penn State Altoona

• Class of 2017
• Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art Studies

Kylea Myers moved quickly through the ranks of several museum-based employment opportunities post-graduation at Penn State Altoona as the assistant to the Theatre and Gallery Manager and also with various positions within the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. She is now serving as Penn State Altoona’s Theatre and Gallery Coordinator and overseeing all aspects of theatre and gallery productions, installations, artist and performer communications, and public relations. Myers also serves as the safety officer for the Misciagna Center for the Performing Arts.

Gary Josh Weyandt

Pursuing an MFA in Illustration, Savannah College of Art and Design

• Class of 2020
• Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art Studies

Gary Weyandt graduated from VAST during COVID when our campus art galleries were closed. This impacted our fourth-year students’ abilities to install their capstone exhibitions. Weyandt elected to gut an abandoned school bus on some land owned by his family to convert it into an art gallery so that he could properly show his capstone artwork. The result was likely more impressive than what would have occurred in a traditional gallery setting.