Penn State Federal understands the importance of higher education and encouraging academic excellence in our youth. By offering this scholarship, we aim to help ease the financial burden, allowing recipients to focus fully on their future goals and aspirations. We want our members to live our mission of "Members helping Members every day in the ordinary and extraordinary moments of their lives".
CONGRATULATIONS to our 2026 Scholarship Winners.
The recipients of the ten $2,000 Penn State Federal Credit Union Scholarships are:
Nick Edwards is a 2026 graduate of the State College Area School District, where he attended both Delta High and State High. Nick participated in the SCASD Culinary Arts Program for four years under the guidance of Chef Lorber, where he volunteered for numerous school dinners, teacher luncheons, and community events while developing both culinary and hospitality skills. He also volunteered over the years through Delta’s School Advisory and school community activities.
Nick attended the 2025 Penn State COYHL (Creating Opportunities for Young Hospitality Leaders) Summer Camp, where his passion for hospitality management was solidified. After the experience, he said he was ready to start college that very day. This summer, Nick will begin his journey through Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management, where he hopes to one day own and operate his own resort.
In addition to earning his ServSafe Manager Certification, Nick currently works as a barista at 7 Brew, where he enjoys the fast-paced environment and connecting with customers. Outside of work and school, Nick enjoys music, event planning, and spending time with family, friends and his two dogs. He is excited to continue building a career centered around hospitality, leadership, and creating memorable experiences for others.
Nick is incredibly grateful to Penn State Federal Credit Union for this scholarship and the opportunity to continue pursuing his goals at Penn State.
Stephen Fowler is a 2025 graduate of the State College Area High School and a rising Sophomore at Dartmouth College. In high school, he served as the student representative to the School Board and the Borough Council, as well as an XC captain, debate captain, and the Bob Turner Fellow at the Borough of State College. In college, he is double majoring in Quantitative Social Science and Government. In his free time, he's a leader in the Dartmouth Outing Club, runs the Contra Dancing Club, plays Ultimate Frisbee, works for the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, and works for the Dartmouth Organic Farm. The support from this scholarship will allow him to continue his journey towards becoming a Public Defender and he is grateful for the support of the PSFCU.
Garrett Hubbard is a 2026 graduate of Chestnut Ridge High School in Bedford County, PA. His greatest passion in life is sports. In high school, Garrett played football, basketball, ran track, and was a senior captain for the District Champion football team. Outside of sports, his high school activities included National Honor Society, Announcements club, powder puff coach, volunteer referee, reader at Lions Tale Literacy night, and 4-H. Through 4-H, Garrett has attended multiple state events, two national events, served as a summer camp counselor, and earned his PA 4-H Diamond Clover award - the highest honor in PA 4-H, by running a successful service learning project called “Sports 4 Kids.” His project was a sports equipment donation drive that benefitted local youth in his community. Garrett is equally passionate about giving back to his community and volunteers at his local elementary school, where he takes great pride in helping to shape the next generation. Garrett plans on attending Penn State University this fall to major in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, with minors in sports studies and Kinesiology. He hopes to further his passion for sports by becoming successful in the sports industry and plans on continuing to give back to his community.
Madison Martin is a class of 2026 senior at State College Area High School. She will be attending Penn State University in the fall in the Smeal College of Business, majoring in Marketing with a minor in Sports Studies. In her free time, she likes working out, watching sports, doing crafts, and hanging out with friends. Madison is involved with Young Life, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and State College Area Rowing. In addition to rowing, Madison has always been an athlete, having previously danced with Nittany Ballet for 14 years. She has worked as a Production Assistant and Media Specialist for the State College Spikes and Penn State Athletics throughout her high school years, and feels that it has helped prepare her to work towards her goal of working in sports one day. Throughout her time with Young Life, Madison has had the opportunity to serve at camps, teaching her valuable skills such as leadership and collaboration. This has made her want to continue and hopefully become a leader for high schoolers when she is in college.
Dylan McGonigal is a 2026 graduate of West Branch Area High School. While attending West Branch, Dylan has been active in the National Honor Society, Student Government and Prom Committee. He has also been active in his church's youth group at St. Agnes Church in Morrisdale, doing community service and helping out his church community. Dylan spent all 4 years of his high school career playing both varsity baseball and basketball. He is the most recent student at West Branch to achieve 1,000 career points on the basketball court. During his junior year basketball season, Dylan suffered a season ending injury that required surgery and months of physical therapy. Due to this incident, Dylan has decided to become a Physical Therapist. He has been accepted into the 3+3 Pre-Physical Therapy program at Slippery Rock where he will major in Exercise Science starting in the fall. He is extremely thankful for this scholarship from PSFCU and the support to reach his goals.
Kelly Steel is a rising senior at Penn State University majoring in Geography with minors in Climatology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She is looking forward to her final year of her undergraduate studies by participating in several clubs, serving as the vice president of the GIS Coalition, vice president of Book Club, and treasurer of Geography Club. Kelly is also excited to complete her research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Connection (UROC) program in the Department of Geography. This research involves studying the use of thematic maps in news stories. Kelly attended State College Area High School, where she was a varsity member of the girls’ tennis team. Her experiences within athletics, leadership roles in professional societies, and undergraduate research have prepared her to apply her skills to real-world experiences and pursue continued professional and academic growth. Outside of school, Kelly enjoys spending time playing sports, traveling, and being with friends and family. Kelly is extremely grateful for this scholarship and the opportunities it will provide as she finishes her undergraduate degree strong and prepares for her future career.
Tim Tan is a 2026 graduate from State College Area High School and will attend the University of Pennsylvania for Nursing. He loves to work out, play tennis and pickleball, and eat good food with friends. As a certified EMT and Lifeguard, Tim has been committed to healthcare throughout high school and will continue this pursuit in college. He is thankful to Penn State Federal Credit Union for supporting his education.
Josephine Varrassa is a senior at State College Area High School and will be attending Penn State for Animal Science. She is in the top-ten percent of her class and an honor roll student, along with being in NHS, NAHS, and Tri-M. She participates in softball, dance, Girl Scouts, having earned her Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards, and marching band as a rank leader. She volunteers regularly for the American Legion and Shaver's Creek Summer Camp. She also is in her school's advanced band on clarinet and sings in the advanced choir. Josephine participated in PMEA for band and choir from sophomore year to senior year and was accepted to sing at ACDA in her senior year. Along with the music classes, she also participates in extracurricular music ensembles such as Chamber Singers, Pit Orchestra, and Clarinet Choir. Outside of school, she enjoys art, reading and hiking. Josephine is thankful for this scholarship because it will help her achieve her dream of going to vet school.
I am Sadie Watson. I am a compassionate and determined 21-year-old currently attending Penn West University for my Bachelor's Degree and am scheduled to graduate in May 2027. Social work is a field that reflects my deep commitment to helping others and advocating for mental health and social justice. Upon completing my Bachelor's degree, I will be pursuing my masters right away and hope to move toward becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker so I can offer therapy and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. I am so excited to build a career where I can continue to support individuals and communities with compassion and strength. I am deeply grateful for this gift from the Credit Union members and staff.
My name is Jocelyn Weaver, and I am a 2023 graduate of Central Mountain High School. I attend South Hills School of Business & Technology for Medical Imaging and will be graduating in June 2026. I come from a small town and have always enjoyed spending time outdoors, especially to stay active. Family is an important part of my life—I grew up with two brothers in a close-knit family and value the experiences that have shaped me, including recently becoming an aunt. I am currently completing my internship in Sayre, Pa, where I am gaining hands-on experience and strengthening my professional skills. Through that, I learned the importance of teamwork, responsibility, and adaptability when facing new challenges. Overall, I would describe myself as dependable, motivated, and committed to both personal growth and contributing positively to those around me.