Come Here, Go Anywhere Your Journey Awaits
Journey with Us
Wherever you come from—your city, your culture, your identity, your point of view—IUP can help you get where you’re going. IUP is a special place. It’s where you can come to learn and have fun, to feel comfortable and thrive, to find your people and find yourself, to carry out your plan or create a new one—and to become your best you. IUP is also a place where you will feel supported on every step of your academic journey. Whether you need help in or out of the classroom, at IUP you will find a community of people who want to help you achieve your goals so that when you graduate, you are equipped to go confidently toward your future. But don’t take it from me. Hear it from our students and recent graduates, who know the journey better than anyone.
Michael A. Driscoll IUP President
Background photos by Iya Nealy
Choosing Wisely
Iya’s goal was to have her college education fully funded by scholarships. To improve her chances, she worked hard throughout high school, got involved, and took on leadership roles. Initially, she wanted to go to a historically Black university, like her mother did. But IUP offered the best financial package, and she knew from an overnight visit that she would feel comfortable here. Many friends, connections, and opportunities later, she’s pleased with her choice.
“IUP was the best decision that I never knew I should make. If I would have just stuck to whatever I thought I was supposed to do, I wouldn’t have been introduced to this new world of possibilities.”
At IUP, 78 percent of first-year students received renewable, merit-based scholarships in 2024-25.
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Iya Nealy Graduation Year: 2027 Major: Communications Media/Media Production Hometown: Lake City, SC; Philadelphia, PA Activities: Collegiate Women in Progress (president), Cook Honors College, Crimson Scholars Circle (mentor), Promising Scholars Program, URBN Dance Group (treasurer), Pan-African Student Association (vice president), IUP Ambassadors
Fast Track to Friendships Twins Michael and Gabriel are both Cook Honors College students and track athletes. But they have differences, too. Eight minutes older, Michael is the more outgoing of the two, they agree. He wants to go into pediatric medical imaging, while Gabriel aspires to be a jack-ofall-trades in the finance world. And while they have actual family at IUP, they said it was also easy to make new connections and to make themselves at home.
“If you come here, you’re going to be welcomed,” Michael said. “You’re going to have one of the best experiences of your life.”
“People are just accepting here,” Gabriel said. “Everybody’s going for the same goal. Everybody wants to develop; everybody wants to explore the world.” Michael and Gabriel Olaniyi Graduation Year: 2029 Majors: Michael, Medical Imaging; Gabriel, Finance Hometown: Upper Darby, PA Activities: Cook Honors College, Track and Field
57% of IUP varsity athletes were named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference scholar-athletes in 2024-25, meaning they maintained a GPA of 3.25 or higher. If varsity sports aren’t for you, try club or intramural sports, from basketball and volleyball to esports and dance.
Mentors Pass It On
To be a mentor, Deslyn needed mentors. In the Crimson Scholars Circle program, she came up with activity ideas, and staff members helped her turn them into successes—such as creating care baskets for students or holding a self-care night. Now as a graduate assistant for the program, she has a team she calls her family that fleshes out activities with her support. Over just a few years, her mentees became mentors, and their mentees became mentors.
“I learned that if I’m warm and inviting and welcoming, people started to gravitate toward me. I think just showing my authenticity has helped me connect with people. It has definitely helped me step into myself in a way—just being openly myself.”
Created in 2021, the Crimson Scholars Circle program provides financial, social, and academic support to help Black and Brown students thrive at IUP.
Deslyn Beade Graduation Year: 2023 (Psychology), 2026 (MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling) Hometown: Saylorsburg, PA Activities: Crimson Scholars Circle (graduate assistant), Intramurals (volleyball)
Isaiah Perdue Graduation Year: 2027 Major: Finance Hometown: Darby, PA Activities: Crimson Scholars Circle (mentor), Pan-African Student Association (treasurer), Promising Scholars Program, Student Finance Association (secretary), Student Managed Investment Portfolio (sector leader), UBORA Men of IUP (chairman)
Leading by Example Isaiah wants to work in private equity on Wall Street. To prepare, he took on leadership roles at IUP, including with UBORA Men, an organization that shows members they’re already on a path to leadership—they’re leading themselves. Isaiah knows this from experience. In high school, he overcame shyness, which he feared would hold him back. He started lifting weights, learned to DJ and barber, and took on every opportunity.
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“It’s really self-reflection—understanding where you fall short and turning that into a strength so you can become a better professional, a better leader, or just a better individual. You have to do it for yourself. That’s where the leadership comes in.”
student organizations to get involved in, including more than 20 intercultural groups. Among them is UBORA Men of IUP, which helps Black and Brown male students realize their potential.
Rocking Research
Marisol’s genuine care for the earth and its people is reflected in her research. As part of a geology team, she examined rocks that, over time, rose from deep within the earth to Taiwan’s surface, bringing along clues to what’s happening beneath. For a medical anthropology class, she studied the effects of climate change on maternal health. She believes growing up in Mexico helped spark her goals and her passion for advocacy.
“Ultimately, I want to go into something along the lines of science policy, working with politicians and advising them on what the best policies for our earth and people are. There is no social justice without environmental justice, in my opinion.”
2,200+ Out-of-classroom experiences by IUP students in 2024-25. These include internships, student teaching, clinicals, and funded research opportunities in all fields, across the country and around the world.
Marisol Gonzalez Flores Graduation Year: 2025 Major: Criminology and Geology Hometown: Kennett Square, PA Activities: Cook Honors College, Crimson Guide, Geological Society of IUP (social media chair), IUP Ambassadors (president), Promising Scholars Program, tectonic researcher
Embracing
Opportunity
Jayden Thomas Graduation Year: 2023 Hometown: Uniontown, PA Major: Marketing Activities: IUP Ambassadors, Sigma Chi Fraternity (former president), Track and Field Position: Assistant Vice President, Associate Treasury Management Officer, PNC Financial Services, Chicago, IL
Jayden jokes that college—with schoolwork, track and field, his fraternity, and other activities—was harder than his current role in corporate and institutional banking. In seriousness, he says the discipline, time management, and collaborative skills he built at IUP aided his corporate journey. When that journey involved a promotion and a move from Pittsburgh to Chicago, Jayden followed the advice he gives students to be open to new things.
88%
of 2024 IUP graduates are employed in their field of choice, according to a survey. The Career and Professional Development Center helps you get there.
“IUP has a plethora of student activities and a campus life that allow you to find who you are as a person, what you like, what you don’t like, the people you want to interact with, and your mentors. It opens you up to a world of possibility that’s only going to make you better.”
Set Up for Success Pamela came to the US just over three years before starting at IUP. There, she went from shy to involved, she said, because the people at IUP were open to her. The organizations she joined gave her a support system; a purpose—to make students like her feel welcome; and skills to fuel a successful career, first in college admissions and now as a consultant who helps companies worldwide improve their work culture.
“ When I graduated and entered admissions, it didn’t feel like a heavy lift. I felt comfortable scheduling six things in one day and looking at budgeting. It felt natural, but I was doing it all along for the past four years. That was invaluable.”
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social fraternities and sororities, including historically African American and Latinx organizations
Pamela Guzman Graduation Year: 2016 Hometown: Moca, Dominican Republic Major: Psychology Activities: Diversity Peer Educator, Hispanic Heritage Council, Latino Student Organization (LaSO, former president), Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority (alumni advisor), Ritmo Latino Position: Consultant, Greater Tampa Area, FL
Starting the
Next Chapter Whether their next step is a career, graduate school, or a path they have yet to define, all of our students aim to make their mark on the world. Iya’s goal is to make a difference in people’s lives—in minority communities especially. Her communications media major helps shape her ideas on how to do that.
“Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of diversity in commercials, for example, and in specific roles, like doctors. I also didn’t see a lot of directors who looked like me. That plays a role in how you think about things and what you think is accessible. So, shifting that or mending that bridge is what I want to do.”
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Choose IUP today, and get started on your journey. IUP.edu/commit