Congratulations to our Student of the Month, Emmanuel Kraft!
Emmanuel Kraft is a third year Schreyer scholar and Paterno Fellow majoring in political science and communication arts and sciences. His time at Penn State has been motivated by leadership, collaboration, and advocacy, which he sees as the core values of a political science degree. He is passionate about creating sustainable communities through responsible public policy — and he is not waiting until he graduates to strive for social change.
On campus, Emmanuel has sought to transform the university’s approach to leftover food and empower his peers to help refugees fleeing untenable situations. He is the co-founder and Community Relations Director of the Food Recovery Network, which has donated more than 10,000 meals from the campus dining halls to local residents and students in need. In addition to responding to food insecurity in our local community, the initiative is reducing food waste and its negative environmental impacts. As the founder and president of Global Brigades, Legal Empowerment, Emmanuel organized and led a week long trip to Athens, Greece for 25 volunteers, who shadowed asylum lawyers and provided educational workshops for refugee youths and other asylum seekers. Emmanuel is also the president of Pi Sigma Alpha, the Political Science Honor Society. Under his leadership the organization developed a mentorship program to help political science majors get the most from their Penn State education. The group participated in weekly voter registration drives and organized events to increase civic engagement on campus throughout the fall semester.
Emmanuel’s interest in public policy led him to complete internships with SAFE Project, the Small Business Administration and with the Congressional Hunger Center. These experiences confirmed his intent to pursue a career in public service. His work as the Zero Hunger Intern with the Congressional Hunger Center was supported by the Rose McManus Washington Internship Scholarship through Pi Sigma Alpha for his academic excellence and service to the organization.
Emmanuel has received numerous scholarships and enrichment grants from the Political Science Department to support his education and internships. He is a 2023 and 2024 recipient of the Anderson scholarship, which is awarded to political science students for the highest academic achievement. He was also the recipient of the Charles and Sharon Bell Scholarship for Citizenship and Leadership, the Pechter Family Scholarship in Communication Arts and Sciences; and the Schreyer Honors College Future Leaders Scholarship.
