Young adults: Unite!

If only George Bernard Shaw – the man behind the infamous quote, “youth is wasted on the young” – had been at my dinner table Friday night at Penn State.  He would have learned that being young can mean being very influential, successful and wise.  

That night the Penn State Alumni Association recognized thirteen young graduates under the age of 35 for their achievement.  I happened to be one of the award recipients, as well, though I held no candle to the jaw-dropping accomplishments of the twelve other graduates. 

For example, I met 24-year-old John Rusenko, the CEO and co-founder of Weebly.com, called one of the 50 Best Web Sites by Time Magazine.  He’s a kind, funny and personable young adult who happens to be a tech genius, too.  He also knew the ethnic origin of my name – without Googling it first. Very impressive.

I also met the fabulous Rachel Tereska, the young 30-something founder of a women-owned engineering firm in Dillsburg, PA. She’s a new mom, as well, proving you can balance a demanding career with a growing family.  

From Chief Marketing Officer of Auntie Anne’s (Heather Leed Neary) to Editor of Variety.com (Chris Krewson), the Founder of Lightwave International (George Dodworth) and the youngest assemblywoman ever elected to the New Jersey State Legislature (Caroline Casagrande), my fellow PSU alumni are an impressive bunch that prove  being young is where it’s at.