LifeLink PSU

Story posted December 11, 2014 in News by Victoria Burdo

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LifeLink PSU is a program that gives SCASD special-needs students ages 18-21 the chance to spend time inside and outside the classroom with people their own age. The program aims to help these students prepare for life after school and it does this in a variety of ways.

The program, which was founded in 2002, has about 250 mentors, which are Penn State students that choose to help the special-needs students in ways life-changing ways.

LifeLink PSU is a program created to help students in five particular areas to reach success as an individual. These goals include Academic Skills, Enrichment, Vocational, Social and Leisure.

When it comes to the academics, the LifeLink students have the opportunity to sit in on Penn State classes with their mentors. The program also offers classes and quizzes in their classroom, located in the HUB-Robeson center on Penn State’s campus. The students typically bond with one individual, who is usually the person they attend class with. In this case, the pair usually keeps in touch outside of the classroom and they do things such as seeing movies, texting, connecting on social media, and simply hanging out outside of the classroom.

Additionally, the program offers activities such as swimming, cheerleading, photography, and more.

Not only is this program a life-changing experience for the special-needs students, but the Penn State student mentors have also gained a new outlook on life, throughout their experience with the program.

 

About the Contributors

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Victoria Burdo

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Victoria Burdo is a senior at Penn State University, graduating in Spring 2015 with a major in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Business and Liberal Arts. Throughout her education, Burdo has taken a variety of classes that have greatly increased her love for broadcasting, as well as expanded her knowledge in the field by providing the tools and resources to kick start a career in broadcast journalism. She has experience interviewing, writing, editing and working in the studio.

Victoria started out working as a sales representative at Specialty Answering Service. She also has experience working as a content creator for Spotted Frog Web Design, as a compliance intern at Philadelphia Insurance Companies, and most recently, as a programming intern at 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Burdo has been part of Penn State Network Television’s PSN News, where she worked as a reporter, writer and editor.

Burdo is working towards her goals of becoming a news reporter in the Philadelphia area. She hopes to take advantage of as many opportunities she has while at Penn State before jumping into the fast-paced world of journalism. She also hopes to have the opportunity to branch into the entertainment industry and work as a local photographer in her free time.