CENTER VALLEY, Pa.\u2014 For IT major George Mamary, a lifelong passion for technology isn\u2019t just an interest\u2014it\u2019s the foundation of his future career.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up, I was always fascinated with new technology, software \u2014 all of it. In high school, my senior graduation project was holding a technology course for underclassmen. I taught them how to code and how to apply those different IT skills in future careers. That\u2019s where my interest really grew,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In May, Mamary, an information technology major from Whitehall, will lead the graduate procession as student marshal during Penn State Lehigh Valley\u2019s spring 2026 commencement ceremony. A first generation college student, Mamary says this honor is a testament to his various life experiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honored to have been selected,\u201d he said. \u201cThrough my experience at Penn State, I\u2019ve been able to grow both academically and personally. It\u2019s also a testament to the faculty and students I\u2019ve been able to work with. I\u2019ve been able to gain a lot of practical experience and help make an impact on future generations. I think that really encapsulates what the student marshal title represents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mamary chose Maung K. Min, teaching professor of business and director of business programs at Penn State Lehigh Valley, as the faculty marshal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a few management classes with Dr. Min, and he really expanded my understanding of different leadership and management practices,\u201d Mamary said. \u201cThrough class discussions and conversations with Dr. Min, I\u2019ve been able to grow as a leader. He\u2019s inspired and motivated me to reach for the stars and pursue my career interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary Kotch, lecturer in cybersecurity analytics and operations, is another professor who\u2019s made a positive impact on Mamary\u2019s Penn State experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cMary was my professor for a few courses, but she was more than a professor \u2014 she was a CIO of an insurance holdings company and I completed an IT risk internship at her company, Core Specialty Insurance Holdings Inc.,” said Mamary.<\/p>\n
During his internship, Mamary learned how the insurance industry operates in the areas of IT compliance and cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really allowed me to develop new technical skills and learn more about the legal field while I was still in college,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mentoring and guiding underclassmen has been important to Mamary, who was very active with Penn State Lehigh Valley’s chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha) honor society for first generation college students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent a lot of time talking to first-generation students and recruiting them for participation in the honor society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mamary was also a student worker in PSU-LV\u2019s Strategic Communications department where he was able to put his IT skills to work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI enhanced the website, helped edit articles and sharpen the message of some of the stories and refined technical practices to enhance communication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Post-graduation, Mamary said he plans to gain some work experience in the IT field while studying for the law school admission test (LSAT), with the intention of starting law school in the next academic year. His long-term goal is to blend his interests of technology and the legal field. <\/p>\n
PSU-LV has left a deep and profound impact on Mamary, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s meant a lot to me personally. I went to a small high school, so the transition to Penn State Lehigh Valley was seamless. The transition allowed me to comfortably pursue my next level of education,” Mamary said. “I\u2019ve been able to build a lot of positive relationships with professors and learned how I can apply my skills to both my education and professional career.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he encourages underclassmen to work hard and form the types of strong relationships he\u2019s been able to build with faculty and peers: \u201cPut in a lot of effort and get involved on campus. This journey has allowed me to grow. Stay committed, work hard, and it will pay off in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CENTER VALLEY, Pa.\u2014 For IT major George Mamary, a lifelong passion for technology isn\u2019t just an interest\u2014it\u2019s the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161657,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-161656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161656\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}