Deb Dreisbach<\/a>, assistant teaching professor and program coordinator of criminal justice, attended the March 29 performance after first connecting with Palminteri during a virtual campus visit in February. Following the show, students had the opportunity to meet Palminteri, present him with a framed Penn State Lion print signed by attendees and engage in a discussion about success, discipline and the importance of making meaningful choices.<\/p>\n\u201cExperiences like this are incredibly valuable for our students,\u201d Dreisbach said. \u201cThey bring course concepts to life by showing how individual decisions, environment and influence shape outcomes in the real world.\u201d<\/p>\n
For students, the performance offered both entertainment and reflection.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy overall experience was fantastic,\u201d said Pragti Handa. \u201cThe performance was incredibly engaging, but what stood out to me most was when Chazz called two kids up on stage to give them a card and make a promise. It was such a genuine, human moment that really broke the fourth wall and showed his character and kindness beyond just being a performer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Handa noted that the themes of the show extended beyond the stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message that has really stuck with me is his advice to make your parents proud, and his strong warning against wasting talent,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a student, it served as a great reminder to stay focused on my goals and to make the most of the opportunities I have right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carl Elias, a criminal justice student, said the performance highlighted the power of storytelling and personal accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat stood out to me the most was how Chazz Palminteri was able to play so many different characters by himself and still make each one feel real,\u201d Elias said. \u201cThe story had strong messages about respect, choices and growing up. It felt more personal and real, which made it more interesting to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias also reflected on a key lesson shared after the performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message that \u2018the saddest thing in life is wasted talent\u2019 really stuck with me,\u201d he said. \u201cHe explained that talent alone isn\u2019t enough. You have to be willing to grow, adapt and keep pushing yourself. It made me think about how easy it is to waste potential if you don\u2019t stay focused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students emphasized how experiences like this deepen their academic understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to learn concepts in class, but seeing them in real-life situations makes them easier to understand and connect with,\u201d Elias said. \u201cThis experience helped me see how decision-making, influence and personal responsibility play out, not just in theory.\u201d<\/p>\n
The visit reflects Penn State Lehigh Valley\u2019s commitment to experiential learning<\/a>, providing students with opportunities to engage beyond the classroom and connect their studies to real-world perspectives.<\/p>\nThrough performances like “A Bronx Tale” and direct engagement with industry professionals, students gain a deeper understanding of the human dimensions that shape the justice system, Dreisbach said, reinforcing the importance of critical thinking, ethical decision-making and personal responsibility in their future careers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CENTER VALLEY, Pa. \u2014 Criminal justice students from Penn State Lehigh Valley recently experienced the powerful intersection of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":191076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-191075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}