Continuing her passion for journalism, North Penn alum Steph Krane from the Class of 2016 is currently furthering her education at Penn State University, with a major in print journalism and a minor in political science. The former Editor in Chief of the Knight Crier aspires to venture into the communications field, because it proves to be very broad and have a variety of opportunities.

Krane attributes her success at college to the education and preparation she received from the NPSD.

“NPHS taught me how to succeed as a small fish in a big pond, which is especially useful as a student at a big university like Penn State. Taking AP classes also taught me how to think at a deeper level and read through long essays in a short period of time,” explained Krane.

Tell me about your involvement at NPHS.

“At North Penn, I was on the Knight Crier for two years and was co editor-in-chief my senior year. Of course, my claim to fame is that I was on the Knight Crier Update senior year. I was also very involved in the theater program, doing stage crew for five NPHS productions, four of which I was an assistant stage manager for. I was Backstage Coordinator for the Thespian Troupe my senior year and did stage crew for various school events (Talent Shows and the BC/EFA fundraiser) in addition to the typical Thespian Troupe Cabinet responsibilities of attending the PA State Thespian Conference and helping to plan and run Troupe events throughout the year. Though it wasn’t directly involved with NPHS, through NPHS stage crew I was given the opportunity to volunteer as the stage manager for Pennfield’s spring musical Zombie Prom my senior year. I was also a yearbook staff member during senior year.”

What are some unforgettable moments that you’ve had so far at college?

“There’s a few moments that stand out: hanging out in friend’s rooms late at night, almost getting hypothermia and leaving the Ohio State game early and later hearing the stadium erupt from my dorm room halfway across campus when Penn State came from behind to win, looking out my window and watching thousands of people running downtown to riot (note: this happened three times last semester), interviewing somebody from the Penn State College Republicans live on the radio the day before the US presidential election and being super nervous about it, staying up until 3am the night of the election watching the results in my dorm’s common room with people I had just met, and every time the dining commons had death by chocolate ice cream.”

What’s the most significant thing you have learned at college so far?

“The most significant thing I’ve learned is the importance of standing up for yourself and putting your needs first. In college, there’s always something going on and it’s important to know when you need to say no to plans and stay in to study or sleep. It’s also important to know how to start and keep relationships with people; it’s not like high school where you would walk into class on the first day and know almost everybody there and start talking to people. In college, very few of your friendships will be kept out of convenience, and you will have to put in the effort to talk to a complete stranger in class, go to a club meeting even though you know nobody there, and ask people if they want to get dinner or study for a test with you; you won’t be friends with somebody just because you’re sitting next to them in class for 180 days.”

What impact did NPSD have on you?

“I cannot overstate the impact that NPSD had on me. My whole life, I was always shy and had trouble breaking out of my shell. I remember moving to the district in fifth grade and feeling like a complete outsider on the first day. Almost eight years later, I was sitting in Crawford stadium on graduation day feeling a deep and complete sense of belonging. Throughout my years in the district, I joined lots of clubs- some I liked and stuck with, others I didn’t; I made a lot of new friends, some who I will be friends with forever and some whom I wanted nothing to do with years later; I learned lessons, some in the classroom but most outside of a syllabus.”

What do you miss the most about NPHS?

“I miss seeing my friends everyday and having the opportunity to have leadership positions in so many clubs. But most of all, I miss having the support system of dozens of teachers who knew me personally from my years in their classes.”

What do you enjoy most about college?

“I enjoy being able to take classes with professors who are at the top of their fields. Last semester, I took a geography class with a professor who has devoted his entire life to studying American geography, and it showed in his lectures. I enjoy all the events and clubs I have the opportunity to take advantage of. I enjoy meeting people from all over the state, country, and world and learning about what life is like outside of suburban Philadelphia. I also love living in the mountains, which has been my dream ever since I was eight years old. My dorm room has a beautiful view of the mountains and I’m not ashamed of how much time I’ve spent looking out my window at the beautiful view. Also, creamery ice cream is proof that the more fat a food has, the better it tastes.”

What advice would you give to high school students?

“There’s a reason they tell you a million times from sophomore orientation on to get involved. If you spend three years just going to class and going home at 2:12, you are missing out on so many amazing opportunities that are going to fulfill your life in innumerable ways. Also, start your college search early! Starting in tenth grade, I spent hours on the College Board’s Big Future website researching colleges and it really gave me time to think about what I wanted and didn’t want in a college. When researching colleges, pay attention to cost; even though everybody will tell you to not pay attention to price and that you never know what will happen with financial aid, the reality is that if the college is too expensive after you run financial aid calculators, you probably cannot afford the school and will be left with an acceptance letter to a dream school that you can’t go to. That being said, if you go to a school that you don’t want to attend just because it’s cheap you will be miserable, and life is too short to be miserable for four years.”

Any last thoughts?

“Keep an open mind about schools; before I visited Penn State for the first time, I had no interest in attending and was only visiting because my mom told me I needed an affordable in-state option. Even though I didn’t (and still don’t) understand the cult of Penn State, I loved the campus and the Communications program; however, I had my heart set on going to UMass Amherst. To be honest, I really did not want to attend Penn State: the day I got a letter in the mail telling me I got a scholarship I cried for almost an hour because I knew it meant I would not be going to UMass. A few weeks later, I visited Penn State for a second time and met with an advisor in the College of Communications, and I knew that the program would offer me so many opportunities that I couldn’t pass up going to Penn State. I sent in my deposit the next day and spent the next few months exited to start at Penn State in the fall. The fall semester certainly had its share of struggles for me, and at times I seriously thought that I had chosen to attend the wrong school. But coming back for the spring semester this past week has really felt like coming home, and I realized that the opportunities and friends I have at Penn State would not be available to me anywhere else. Today in my literature class, we talked about culture and what it means to belong somewhere, and I realized that there’s really no set definition to describe the feeling of knowing that you’re in the right place. You might not fully feel as if you chose the right school when you send in your deposit, or even after you’ve been going to there for a few months, but if you make the effort to get involved and make relationships, you can feel at home anywhere. Life is all about choices, and even if it’s difficult, taking steps towards your happiness is worth all of the effort you put in.”