Sending a ‘We Are!’ to these Penn Staters

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize nine Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.   

This week, on behalf of the entire Penn State community, we’d like to say thank you to: 

• Kerrie Ferchalk, business intelligence team lead at University Park, whose nominator wrote: “Kerrie's knowledge is extensive and high-level, but she is always willing to bring it down to the user level when teaching. I needed to customize a report but was lost on how to do so. She immediately replied to my email with detailed step-by-step instructions. Customer service with a smile!”  
• Denine Greenwald, administrative support coordinator at Penn State Harrisburg, whose nominator wrote: “I'm a new employee and even though I'm in a different department, Denine has helped me on numerous occasions! She is always willing to listen, and her sage advice is always appreciated.” 
• Chasity King, procurement agent at University Park, whose nominator wrote: “Chastity is very helpful in getting shopping carts processed and she provides all the information one needs. Great attitude!” 
• Emily Lentz, administrative support assistant at Penn State Harrisburg, whose nominator wrote: “Emily is an amazing person and a hard worker. She is always incredibly helpful to the students, and she never fails to find a way to solve their problems. She is also incredibly supportive of the staff of the International Students Office. She is a teacher to the student workers in the office and a reference to the whole staff.” 
• Nikki Luth, events coordinator in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, whose nominator wrote: “Nikki always has a smiling face and is willing to tackle any challenge that comes up. She recently went above and beyond for the college's inaugural Order of the Sword and Shield Honor Society induction ceremony. It was such a wonderful event for all involved, in large part thanks to Nikki.” 
• Erica Pulaski, director of enrollment management at Penn State Berks, whose nominator wrote: “Erica is always very supportive of her team, and she is inclusive with our campus when promoting positive activities that raise morale. We did seven-minute workouts during the summer months to improve health and wellness, and we held ‘Fun Fridays’ in December to wear spirit clothing across our campus.” 
• Andrea Solinski, lab supervisor at Penn State Schuylkill, whose nominator wrote: “Andrea single-handedly coordinated a Carnival of Hope last fall. This event includes carnival games, basket raffles and a ‘who gets pied’ event. This particular event includes four teams: athletes, tutors, faculty and the chancellor. This year, the event raised $1,000 for local organizations committed to helping individuals with cancer.” 
• Jaime Vargas, administrative support assistant at Penn State Harrisburg, whose nominator wrote: “Jaime is friendly and easy to work with. She is positively student centered! In a very busy time of year, she helped a student with an important document on a strict timeline, which allowed the student to be promoted in the U.S. Army. She is a pleasure to work with and is an asset to Penn State!” 
• Samantha Walker, leadership coordinator in the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), whose nominator wrote: “Samantha has always gone above and beyond with her commitment to the ICDS team. She works tirelessly to support our leadership team and our strategic research initiatives. She epitomizes a servant's heart. Keep up the great work Samantha!” 

Thank you Kerrie, Denine, Chasity, Emily, Nikki, Erica, Andrea, Jaime and Samantha — and to everyone who helps make Penn State such an incredible community! 

Do you know someone who deserves a shout out? If you do, consider nominating that person by filling out a short online form.