About us
OUR CAMPUS MINISTERS
Director
Father Matthew Laffey OSB
Pittsburgh, PA
Fr. Matthew, a Pittsburgh native, attended Central Catholic High School before undergraduate studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the Community College of Allegheny County and Saint Vincent College, and received his Master of Divinity degree from Saint Vincent Seminary, where he also served as vocation director before coming to Penn State in 2004.
Assistant Director
Father Joachim Morgan OSB
White Lake, MI
Fr. Joachim, a native of Michigan, attended Central Michigan University, and subsequently enrolled at Saint Vincent Seminary, where he earned a Master of Arts and a Master of Divinity degree (cum laude), as well as the Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B., Sacred Scripture Award, given by the faculty to the student who most demonstrates excellence in the study of Sacred Scripture. He most recently served as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Fatima, St. Frances Cabrini, and St. Titus Parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh before coming to Penn State in 2024.
OUR STUDENT BOARD
President
Dominick Tolentino
Architectural Engineering
Manassas, VA
Howdy there! I am Dominick Tolentino, returning as the president of Newman! I am studying Architectural Engineering, and am currently in my 5th and final year (5-year program for the win!). Instead of learning about me online, I hope that you stop by a Newman event to get to know who I am! I pray that by witnessing this amazing community, you can see Jesus in every person you encounter. Whether you are an incoming freshman, transfer student, or coming from a branch campus, know that you have a home here. I hope to serve you as best as I can through the will of God, and that your time here, no matter how long or short, will be fruitful. I look forward to meeting you, and do not be a stranger! :) Pax Christi, ~ Dom
Vice President
Anthony Zappa
History and Philosophy
Monroeville, PA
Shalom, I am Anthony Zappa, but everyone just calls me Zappa. I am a fourth-year senior majoring in philosophy and history with a minor in CAMS for law school (God willing). I enjoy reading, discussing philosophy, theology, and history (shocker). Aside from my nerdier interests, I thoroughly enjoy picking heavy circles up in the gym, going with the flow, and seeing where the Good Lord takes me most days. Usually this consists of either something fun or me ending up in another state and back within twelve hours. If you want to get to know me better (and you will), find me and strike up a conversation or something.
Newman is not just a place to find new friends (even though that's a great perk), it is also a place to grow closer to God while having fun. For me, Newman helped to teach and lead me to try to be holier, but I obviously still have a long way to go. Regardless, Newman has made my college experience worthwhile and fun, so come to pretty much anything because it will be enjoyable. Especially TNT, the best small group Newman has to offer, which I also happen to be leading. I am excited to serve as the vice president, and I hope to make your time here the best it can be.
Treasurer
John Weisser
Philosophy, CAMS, and German
York, PA
My name is John Weisser. I’m from York and want to be a Capuchin. God is love. Mary is immaculate.
Secretary
Rylee Joyce
Linguistics, Spanish, and TESOL
Levittown, PA
Hi you guys! My name is Rylee Joyce, I am an incoming sophomore this year, and I am so excited to be your Newman Secretary! I am currently majoring in Linguistics; I also hope to minor in Spanish and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I love to play soccer, paint my nails, and crochet. When I am not studying in the library, you can usually find me at Pasquerilla or whipping up a mean ice cream sundae in the dining halls.
Joining Newman was without a doubt the best decision I made freshman year. Newman has opened so many wonderful opportunities for me and blessed me with some of the most amazing people whom I am grateful to call my friends. Wherever you are in your faith journey, Newman is a great place to grow closer to God alongside people who share that same love for Christ.
If you see me out and about, feel free to come say hi! God bless!
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Religious Education Chair
Rose Abraham
Psychology
Hershey, PA
Hi! My name is Rose Abraham and I am senior studying psychology. Despite being a senior I am unsure of post graduate plans so if asked, I may respond with “uhhh… ahaha”. Although I don’t particularly enjoy stressing out about job hunting, I do love writing, dancing, music, and basically any type of game! Also I love coffee. (Chew Chew Bun is an A+ location in State College.)
I am so excited to be Religious Ed Chair this year and to share the love of God which I have found to be so incredible. My hope for this year is for each of us to enter a deeper relationship with Christ than ever before.
Social Co-Chair
Rigel Weakland
Mechanical Engineering
Butler, PA
Hi! My name is Rigel Weakland and I am a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering! I am from Butler, PA, and love to run, dance, listen to music, and hang out with friends.
Joining Newman fall of freshman year has had such an amazing impact on my life and I hope to impart that same experience on anyone new to the club! I am overjoyed to be one of your social chairs for the 2024-2025 school year at THE Penn State University! If I don’t get to it before you do, please introduce yourself to me! I love to meet new people!
Social Co-Chair
Ava Aguiar
Public Relations and Political Science
Wilbraham, MA
Hey everyone! My name is Ava Aguiar and I am so excited to be serving as one of your social chairs this year! I am a sophomore majoring in Public Relations and Criminology, and am from Wilbraham, Massachusetts. I love to spend time with my friends and family, dance (I am a just dance enthusiast), run, listen to music, and hopefully crochet if I can get Rylee to teach me to be even a quarter of how good she is.
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As cliche as it sounds, joining Newman last year was truly the best decision I could have made, and the biggest blessing from God my freshman year. Newman gave me a home away from home, and my best friends. No matter where you are in your faith journey, you have a home in Newman, and I can’t wait to meet you! Come say hi!
Service Chair
Lizzie Orosz
Kinesiology
West Deer, PA
Hello! My name is Lizzie, and I’m from outside of Pittsburgh. I’m currently a junior majoring in Kinesiology with the goal of becoming an occupational therapist. I enjoy cooking/baking (and really all things food!), playing viola, and gymnastics. In addition to Newman, I serve on the Pregnancy Resource Clinic @ Penn State board and love cooking at Culinary Medicine Club!
Newman has become a rock in my faith life. Joining this club has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! I look forward to meeting you— please say hi!
Publicity Chair
Matthew Badman
Film, Marketing, and Latin
Yardley, PA
Salve, nomen mihi Matthew Badman est! I’m a sophomore majoring in Film Production and Marketing with a minor in Latin. I’m a huge music nerd and I love playing piano, organ, guitar, and singing. I also love playing, watching, and talking about sports (and talking in general). You’ll probably be able to find me at just about any IM sports game for Newman either playing or taking pictures.
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Newman has become my hub of socialization while at Penn State, and I’m so glad for all of the opportunities I’ve been able to participate in while at PSU! I invite all of you to come to every Newman event that you can make it to, whether that be GBMs, IM Sports, game nights, small groups, daily mass, or any other activity Newman offers, I’m sure you’ll be able to find some friends. Most importantly, I know you’ll be able to find Jesus if you hang around enough! Here’s to a great school year! Traditio permanenda est!
Fundraising Chair
Max Cavada
Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
Mechanicsburg, PA
Hello Friends! My name is Max Cavada and I am happy to be serving Newman as the Fundraising Chair this year. I am a Junior from Mechanicsburg, PA majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Engineering Mechanics. In my free time, I love participating in adventure sports like mountain biking, rock climbing, and skiing, but I pretty much just like to compete in anything. I also love music. You'll probably hear me whistling or singing at some point this year, and I began to learn to play the guitar this summer which I am super excited about.
I joined Newman at the beginning of the school year last year, which was the best decision of my life. Nowhere else at Penn State have I found people like the ones in Newman. My faith had always been something I put on the back burner, but it truly came alive when I joined this club. God has given me so many great friends who have drawn me so much deeper into my faith. I would not be nearly as happy as I am today without Newman. If you have any doubts about joining, or just want a friend to talk to, please feel free to email me at mcc5985@psu.edu. I look forward to getting to know all the new faces in Newman this year and welcoming them as I was welcomed last year. God bless!
Music Chair
William Scott
Biomedical Engineering
Lancaster, PA
Hey! My name is William Scott, and I’m the music chair for the 2024-2025 school year! I’m a 2nd year, majoring in Biomedical Engineering and discerning a career in medicine.
Music is an integral part of our Catholic faith and something I, like many, listen to daily and see great beauty in. That said, I encourage you to stop by Newman to see God's gift of music in action, both for His glorification and as a hot topic of conversation amongst many. I advise you to explore the many facets of this club; it stretches far beyond the GBMs with myriad small groups and special events. Find what you like, stick to it, and let your faith flourish!
THON Co-Chair
Mary Zelis
Chemical Engineering
York, PA
Hi, my name is Mary Zelis. I am a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering from beautiful York PA.
In my free time, I love being active at the gym, exploring nature, or just trudging around campus. I also love engaging in grandma activities like reading, baking, and starting more crafting projects than I can finish in my lifetime.
Newman is truly a special place, and there are numerous opportunities to get involved in social events, small groups, general body meetings, and most importantly, relationships. We are all on the same path to heaven and Newman is a wonderful place to build friendships that aid in the journey.
If I haven’t asked you yet, please tell me your favorite cheese, while I may disagree (cheddar is unequivocally the best) I would love to hear your opinion and am cheesed to meet you!
THON Co-Chair
Deon Harper
Mechanical Engineering
Monroeville, PA
Hi everyone! I am Deon Harper, and I will be one of the THON chairs for Newman this year!! This coming academic year, I will be a senior, and I come from Monroeville, PA.
As a new member of the Catholic faith, nothing excites me more than learning and sharing in God's blessings with others. I love to meet new people, and I am doubly excited to meet new Newmanites. If you would like to learn more about me, never be afraid to ask and I am excited to meet all of you!
THON Co-Chair
Peter DelPo
Business Management and Italian
Lansdale, PA
Hey Friends! My name is Peter DelPo and I have the privilege of being your 2024-25 THON Chair! I am a rising Junior studying business management and Italian and am excited to serve my community in a new way this year! I have a huge passion for sports and might just be the biggest Philly sports fan you’ll ever meet. I love to go on mission as I have served as a summer missionary with LifeTeen for the past two years as well as venturing on mission trips to Jamaica with Mustard Seed Org and Peru with Focus. I fell in love with Newman and the community my freshman year and after serving on the board last year, I cannot wait to be back in action yet again. If you ever have THON questions, prayer intentions, or just want to talk, please feel free to reach out to me! God Bless!
IM Sports Chair
Helena Tjahjadi
Psychology
Jakarta, Indonesia
Hi everyone! My name is Helena, and I’m a junior studying Psychology. I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, and I love all things traveling, roller coasters, and sports!
I got confirmed here at Penn State my freshman year, and joined Newman shortly after. I have found in Newman a community of people with so much love for the Lord and the people around them. Newman has helped me grow so much in my faith, and taught me how to truly center my life around Christ. I hope you join us and sign up for IM sports too!
Web Chair
Mark Kormos
Economics
Woodbridge, VA
Hey there! If you're here reading this then that means you've almost read the bios of everyone on the Newman board! Pat yourself on the back!!
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As the last person here I'll try to keep mine short. My name is Mark and I was born in Texas but was raised for most of my childhood in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington, DC. I went to Catholic school my whole life up until college but really started taking the faith seriously in high school after the pandemic. I knew that when I came to college I wanted to surround myself with people with similar values and beliefs as me, and it only took going to the 9 pm Mass one Sunday to find them! I was invited to the Newman GBM the next day and the rest is history!!
Please know that no matter who you are reading this, you are welcome in our club and we would love to meet you! Don't hesitate to reach out to me or any one of us!!