UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa .– Michala E. Zembas has been selected as the College of Education Student Marshal for Penn State’s Fall 2021 Launch Ceremony, which will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 18 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Stephanie Hopkins was his academic advisor.

From Schuylkill County, Zembas has been on the Dean’s List every semester. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA, a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, and a minor in Educational Policy Studies. She is also a Schreyer Honors College Fellow.

Attending Penn State was a lifelong dream for Zembas, and she considers being selected as a Field Marshal a great honor that she will keep in her heart forever.

“I couldn’t have done it alone. I am very grateful to all the teachers and the support I had in College of Education as none of them ever settled on me or let me settle down on my own, ” she declared. “I was challenged and pushed to think outside of the box and try different things to become the best version of myself possible. Every teacher I have had the privilege of learning with has impacted my life in one way or another; Thanks to Penn State, I grew up as a learner, educator, Penn Stater and human being, and I will be forever grateful.

During her academic career, Zembas won the President’s Freshman Award in 2018 and the Sparks Award in 2019. She has received several scholarships, including the Provost Award and the Academic Excellence Scholarship. She was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society in 2019, as well as the Penn State Section of the Honor Society Alpha Iota and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, both in 2020.

She has been active in several organizations, including the Student Pennsylvania State Education Association, the International Literacy Association, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Children’s Literature Association, the OHANA General Organization for THON, The Navigators, Club Tennis and Disney Club.

Her experience includes working as a substitute paraprofessional with Education Staffing Solution in the Saint Clair area school district in Schuylkill County, and as an assistant teacher with Child Development Inc. in Pottsville.

After graduation, she plans to pursue a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Teaching with a specialization in Children’s Literature at Penn State and begin her career as an elementary school teacher in her hometown.

Zembas’ parents, James and Michele Zembas, along with his brother, grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins, plan to attend the ceremony.