Penn State Scranton Chapter will honor local Academic Athletes at Annual Dinner
Dunmore, PA- The Greater Scranton Penn State Chapter will honor two student-athletes from the Penn State Scranton campus at its 41st Annual "Penn State Night" dinner at Fiorelli Catering in Peckville, PA on May 22, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. Jay Paterno, former Penn State Football Passing Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach will be the keynote speaker at this year's event which will also welcome newly hired Lady Lions Head Basketball Coach, Carolyn Kieger. The group will also honor its "Alumnus of the Year", Donnie Collins, a 1999 Penn State graduate in Journalism.
The Chapter recently named Lady Lion's softball second baseman Lauren Sciabbarrasi and Nittany Lions men's soccer defender Matthew Hayner the 2019 Male and Female Academic Athletic Award recipients. Sciabbarrasi, a 2017 graduate of Abington Heights High School, serves as a peer mentor and a Penn State Lion Ambassador, served as the Business senator for Penn State Scranton's Student Government Association, and is a member of the Information, Sciences and Technology (IST), Business and Honors Clubs. This semester she received the Evan Pugh Scholar Award, the Outstanding Scholar Award, and a second-year Honors Program Certificate. Lauren and her team from Penn State Scranton won the 2018 Collegiate Business Competition and she spent her last two spring breaks in Texas and North Carolina on Alternative Spring Break helping those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Florence. Sciabbarrasi is a two-time PSUAC Academic All-Conference Team member, a two-time USCAA National Academic All-American, and a member of the Dean's List.
Lauren attributes her motivation in and out of the classroom to how she can impact others in the future. "I try to always look at the big picture and how my actions will cause a positive ripple effect in my community and in other people's lives." She added, "Guided by my faith in the Lord and the support of my parents and little sister Leanna, I am constantly motivated to put all of myself into everything I do." Lauren majors in Business with a minor in Security Risk Analysis.
Matthew Hayner, four-year men's soccer starter, is a 2015 graduate of Abington Heights High School majoring in Nursing. During his time at Penn State, Matthew earned Dean's List all eight semesters in attendance, is a member of the campus Honors Program and is a Penn State Lion Ambassador. He served as Treasurer of the Student Nurses Association and received the President's Freshman Award. Matthew is a four-time PSUAC Academic All-Conference Team member and a three-time USCAA National Academic All-American. This spring, Matthew received a second-year Honors Program Certificate. Following graduation this weekend, Hayner has accepted a position at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. When asked what motivates him in the classroom and on the field, he stated, "My parents have always encouraged me to try my hardest no matter what I do, whether that's in the classroom, on the field or in life."
Tickets for the dinner are $50.00 with cash bar starting at 6:30 p.m. and program starting at 7:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the chapter's website at www.PSUScranton.org, or call Penn State Scranton at 570-963-2537.