-: So without Penn State,
so I think of my graduate work here,
and then my graduate work had me working in the LGBT center
as a grad student,
then stayed on as assistant director.
Then, you know, I left,
but I needed to leave Penn State
to know what Penn State offers.
So Penn State as an institution
offers profound amount of resources
in terms of supporting the student experience
that I would never of understood unless I left.
And so I left, and coming back,
and recognizing the change in the impact
that Penn State has on the globe, the world,
the professions that I'm in and connected to.
Penn State provided the challenge and the opportunity
to navigate other challenges and opportunities
where there wasn't resources.
And the network of folks
that I could reach out to for support.
So there was leading researchers here
in sex and gender work during my graduate program
that really propelled me into experiences
that I was uncomfortable in
because I wasn't ready to be in those conversations.
But they knew that if they put me in those spaces
I could go further.
And so again,
I don't ever underestimate the power of mentors
across the Penn State network.
I am still in awe at how big Penn State's impact is
across the globe, across the US,
and I think that's, you can meet a Penn Stater anywhere,
but you can connect on common ground.