Then & Now: Jonathan Adrien

When deciding where to attend college, Jonathan Adrien feared that the financial stress of higher education would be too much to take. But he’s never backed down from a challenge—and he found the support and confidence he needed to get started through the academic and financial support from Penn State’s Open Doors programs. “When I enrolled at Penn State, I expected to receive a world-class education that would help to prepare me for success in my career,” he said. “What I didn’t expect was for the University to become my second home—and looking back on it now, I can confidently say that it was one of the best surprises of my life.” Through the Pathway to Success: Summer Start program, Jon found the community and financial support he needed to build a strong foundation at Penn State Brandywine from day one. He embraced the Student Transitional Experiences Program as he acclimated to the “big school” culture of University Park in his third year, and he credits the support of these Open Doors programs as key to his ability to seek out academic and extracurricular opportunities that both interested and challenged him. Upon graduating from the College of Information Sciences and Technology in 2020, Jon secured a research associate position at Moody’s Analytics CRE, a role he’s balancing today with his pursuit of a graduate degree from Penn State in Leadership Development. “There aren’t words that can properly describe how much the power of the Penn State community has changed my life. Their decision to support my educational journey motivated me to explore every opportunity to learn about myself, and I am who I am today because of it.”

​