Congratulations to our November Student of the Month, Sebastian Bedoya!
The Political Science Department is proud to recognize Sebastian Bedoya as our November Student of the Month. Sebastian is a fourth-year international politics major with a minor in history. He exemplifies excellence in academics, civic engagement and public service.
This past summer Sebastian served as a Government Affairs Intern with Everytown for Gun Safety in New York City, a nonprofit political action fund that advocates for gun violence prevention policies at the federal, state, and local level. In this capacity, he contributed to outreach efforts to build bipartisan support for key legislation. He attended meetings with lawmakers and coalition partners, monitored legislative hearings, and analyzed developments relevant to the organization’s priorities to determine advocacy initiatives and strategies. Notably, he designed coalition-tracking and power-mapping tools that improved coordination across multiple legislative campaigns. He attended conferences in New York City on Community Violence Intervention, and he represented Everytown at the National Conference of State Legislators in Boston, Massachusetts. He says the experience showed him what lobbying for specific issue areas looks like and gave him great insight into how policymaking works.
Sebastian’s commitment to civic engagement extends across multiple initiatives. He serves as a student advocate for the Lion Caucus, which supports Penn State’s Office of Government and Community Relations in pursuing university priorities, including increased funding for student financial aid program. He is also a student leader with the NextGen America Leadership Lab, which provides training in grassroots organizing, event planning, and public speaking. Sebastian continued his work with Everytown for Gun Safety as a student organizer with Students Demand Action, a national network of students advocating for gun violence prevention and safer communities, this fall helping to organize a “Back to School Summit” in collaboration with student organizations that hosted state representatives. During the 2024 election cycle, Sebastian volunteered with the Harris-Walz Centre County Coordinated Democratic Campaign. His work processing voter data and constituent interactions enabled him to refine his skills in data collection and management.
Beyond his academic and advocacy work, Sebastian has contributed to his communities through athletics and care work. He played soccer for Penn State York, for which he earned the PSUAC Academic All-Conference Award in 2023. Additionally, he served as a home health aide, which gave him a valuable perspective on the workings of the healthcare system while improving the day to day lives of those in his care.
Sebastian is multilingual, with native fluency in English and Spanish and acquired proficiency in French, which will serve him well in his intended career in international affairs.
Sebastian Bedoya represents the best of Penn State: academic excellence, civic engagement, and a genuine commitment to making a positive difference in his community and beyond. We are proud to recognize him as Student of the Month.
