Featured Student – Corinne Penksa, ‘11

Corinne Penksa is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance at the Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business with a minor in Psychology.

She has concentrated her studies and involvement in real estate related courses and activities. In 2009, Penksa became a member of the Penn State Student Chapter of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), an on campus organization that allows students from engineering and business backgrounds to learn about the residential construction industry. She is currently the chapter’s Vice President and served as Project Manager for the Residential Construction Management Competition Team, which the chapter participates in annually. The competition allows students the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real construction project by completing a management proposal. Penksa has participated in the competition for two years. In her first year, she analyzed the financial feasibility of an 88 home residential subdivision located in Corsicana, Texas.  This past fall, she conducted a market analysis in order to determine the feasibility of a design center for an “On-Your-Lot Homebuilder” in Hamptonville, North Carolina.  In addition to producing a proposal book, the team presented their plan to a group of industry professionals at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida in January 2011.

Other competitions Penksa has participated in include commercial based projects such as Villanova’s Real Estate Case Competition held in April 2010 as well as the above referenced Cornell’s Case Competition held in November 2010.

Penksa is presently working for the Institute for Real Estate Studies as an Intern and is responsible for quarterly newsletters and supporting alumni relations. During the summer of 2010, she held an internship with Deloitte Consulting, LLP and in the summer prior, worked at a golf & country club near her hometown in central New Jersey. Upon graduation in May, Penksa has accepted a position in the Real Estate Business Advisory Services Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City.