The Readiness Institute at Penn State enters 2026 grounded in the work of the past year and energized by what’s ahead. In 2025, students and educators across Pennsylvania engaged in experiences that connected learning to real-world pathways, strengthened communities, and opened doors to what’s possible.
Summer Discovery: Five Years Strong
In 2025, Summer Discovery reached an important milestone…its fifth year!
Over the summer, 64 students from five Pennsylvania counties—Allegheny, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, and Somerset—participated in five weeks of hands-on learning and discovery. They explored future career pathways, including education and counseling, technology and AI, renewable energy, health care, and social entrepreneurship alongside community readiness skills such as social-emotional learning, inclusive technologies, sustainability, and civic engagement.
Pittsburgh Site Visits
Pittsburgh cohorts visited sites like WQED, Duolingo, Google, the STAR Center at AGH, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, SLB Radio, and more.
Central PA Site Visits
In central PA, students explored sites like Lockheed Martin, Nature Works Park, Harbor House Preschool, UPMC, the Community Arts Center of Cambria County, the Sheetz Fellows Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, and more.
Teen Mental Health First Aid Training
Students completed Teen Mental Health First Aid training with Penn State Extension 4-H, building skills to support peers and contribute to healthier, more connected communities.
Community Service Day
Each cohort also completed a community service day, reinforcing the program’s emphasis on civic engagement. In Pittsburgh, students volunteered with 412 Food Rescue and Sunny’s Community Garden. For the Altoona community service day, students visited Blair Senior Services and The Arc of Blair County. In Johnstown, students volunteered with the Cambria County Backpack Project.
Penn State Campus Visits
And of course, Summer Discovery wouldn’t be complete without the full Penn State experience. Students had the opportunity to visit several campuses including University Park, Behrend, Altoona, and Greater Allegheny. They toured campus, peeked into classrooms and dorms, ate in the dining commons, connected with leaders and students, and got a firsthand look at life as future Nittany Lions. They also got to enjoy some Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream!
Being able to walk around at the University Park campus really allowed me to begin to experience what a big campus actually feels like. I enjoyed being able to learn about three broadly different academic colleges and all the things the programs really have to offer. Overall, I had fun walking around campus as well as bonding even more with my instructors and friends to another level.
K–12 Sustainability Summit
In the fall, the Readiness Institute and Penn State Sustainability hosted the second annual K–12 Sustainability Summit, bringing together 47 educators from 28 school districts and educational agencies across the Commonwealth. The two-day event connected educators with Penn State resources and sustainability-focused programs, with the goal of bringing new learnings and insights back to their schools and districts.
Day One: Penn State Tours
At the end of day one, participants got to tour several Penn State facilities, including The Arboretum at Penn State, dining commons, the Sustainability Experience Center, and the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm at Penn State to see sustainability efforts in action.
Day Two: Sharing Sustainability Plans
On the second day of the summit, schools shared their current and future sustainability efforts, creating space for collaboration and idea-sharing that continues into 2026.
It is just so helpful. You go back with your cup full because you are energized again and share it with your students. There are so many teachers taking their own time to come here and learn about all these resources. Coming to this makes me really happy because I often feel kind of isolated at my school, so this gives me hope for the state of Pennsylvania.
The Global Impact Forum (TGIF)
Student voice and innovation took center stage at 2025 The Global Impact Forum (TGIF), where the Readiness Institute helped bring 200 local high school students into a global conversation.
Some of the student projects included:
- Blackhawk High School: harnessing bridge movement with a hybrid solar/kinetic tile system to generate clean energy
- Shaler Area School District Sustainability Club: reimagining recycling by designing furniture from repurposed materials
- Butler Area Senior High School, Butler, PA: developing a Living Wall vertical gardening system
- Readiness Institute Summer Discovery 2025 alum, Anwita (pictured above): “Sustainability Consultancy using Green AI”
Being here has helped me see myself as part of a new generation of leaders. It’s exciting to think about the impact we can have in the future.
Mark Cuban AI Bootcamps
The Readiness Institute also supported another year of Mark Cuban AI Bootcamps, providing local students with hands-on opportunities to explore artificial intelligence. Our team was on-site throughout the program, guiding students through lessons and encouraging experimentation and problem-solving.
Bootcamp participants were invited to continue that learning at The Global Impact Forum, where Mark Cuban served as the closing keynote speaker. Students heard directly from him, asked questions, and joined him on stage for a photo during a standing-room-only session at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
PA Educators Rising State Conference
In 2025, Amanda Smith (Director of K–12 Engagement at the Readiness Institute) helped plan the second annual PA Educators Rising State Conference, held in State College. The event brought together more than 240 participants, including over 180 high school students, for a day focused on the future of teaching. Students heard from five Pennsylvania Teachers of the Year and participated in breakout sessions led by college students and education professionals, offering both inspiration and practical insight into the profession.
Looking Ahead
As 2026 begins, the Readiness Institute is building on this momentum: deepening partnerships across Pennsylvania, expanding opportunities and access, and continuing to support students and educators as they navigate what’s next.