Richard Villanti to Represent Penn State's Eberly College of Science as Student Marshal at Fall Commencement 2012
Richard Villanti of Sayre, Pennsylvania will be honored as the student marshal for the Eberly College of Science during Penn State University's fall commencement ceremonies on 22 December, 2012, at the University Park campus. Villanti's faculty escort for the commencement exercises will be Diane Henderson, a professor of mathematics.
Villanti will graduate from Penn State with a 3.96 grade-point average and a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a minor in economics with additional coursework in chemistry. Villanti was the recipient of the President's Freshman Award in 2010 and the President Sparks Award in 2011.
During his years at Penn State, Villanti was a member of the Italian Student Society. In addition, he served as an on-site coordinator for the Student Red Cross. He is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. While a full-time Penn State student, he also has worked at a local State College business. He also enjoys playing pick-up games of any sport.
After graduation, Villanti plans to work for a business-intelligence or a software company and later to enter a graduate program to earn a business degree.
Villanti said that he was humbled by being asked to be the student marshal. "I have learned that dedication pays off in the end," he said. "The amount of time and effort that you invest in school or any aspect of your life is directly related to the payoff that you receive. I also have found that Penn State is unique in promoting diversity among the students. With hard work, anyone can excel in the field of his choice."
Villanti, a graduate of Sayre Area High School, will be accompanied at commencement by his parents Richard and Maureen Villanti, his grandmother Agnes Bedner, his brother Anthony Villanti who graduated from Penn State with a degree in electrical engineering, his brother Dominic Villanti who is currently a student at Penn State studying kinesiology, and his sister Kelly Villanti, a high-school student.