Integrity Advocates

The Integrity Advocates are a student group that work to raise awareness of the college-wide goal and to impact Smeal's culture.

Portrait of Ava Goldberg.Ava Goldberg

Ava is a fourth-year management major and is minoring in Spanish. She is the chair of Integrity Advocates, meaning she leads the team and is the official undergraduate student representative of Smeal’s efforts to continuously develop a culture of honor and integrity. Ava also oversees the H&I Certification process. This initiative works to integrate ethics, honor, and integrity into student organizations by having them continuously engage in it and showcase their progress. Upon Ava’s review, these student organizations will then be considered “H&I Advocates.” Ava joined Integrity Advocates during her freshman year because she says she always had a genuine interest in ethical issues. Over these four years, she has been able to turn her ideas into actions and leave a positive impact on Smeal.

Portrait of Aubrey Miller.Aubrey Miller

Aubrey is a fourth-year management major and is minoring in information systems management. She works to increase student engagement and their understanding of Smeal’s commitment to honor & integrity. Last semester she was student project lead of the PSU 6 Business Ethics Case Competition; students compete by providing an analysis and applicable solution to an ethical dilemma faced by businesses. Furthermore, Aubrey has aided in strengthening accountability amongst undergraduate students through her work with PAWS-itve Notes. This initiative allows students, faculty, and staff to recognize and support their peers’ commitment to honor and integrity. She joined Integrity Advocates “to make a difference in the Smeal community and live out the Penn State values.”

Portrait of Mia Abromitis.Mia Abromitis

Mia is a fourth-year marketing major and is minoring in information systems management. She brings awareness to Smeal’s commitment to honor & integrity as well as its potential impact on students’ careers. Mia is finalizing and implementing a new initiative called “International Ethics”, which highlights how our shared values are expressed differently across cultures. She joined Advocates because she was “interested in ethics both on campus and professionally.” Since joining, Mia explains that she uses an ethical lens to analyze situations and address problems.

 

Portrait of Derek Deihl.Derek Deihl

Derek is a third-year finance and economics major. He supports Integrity Advocates as our Stakeholder Engagement Lead, increasing students’ engagement in and awareness of honor & integrity at Smeal. He plans and ensures presence at various events throughout the academic year including but not limited to involvement fairs, the accepted students' program, and honor code signings. At the end of each semester, Derek also organizes a finals week event in the atrium of the Business Building. The event serves to remind students to act with integrity during the last few days of the semester when our values may be put to the test. Derek joined Advocates “as a way to work in a smaller group setting, help raise the bar for honor and integrity in Smeal, and focus on ethics for my future career.”

Portrait of Maddison Taylor.Maddison Taylor

Maddie is a third-year management major and is minoring in the legal environment of business. She increases community engagement by acting as the webinar and workshop coordinator. In this role, she organizes and leads events relating to both academic and professional integrity. A notable example is the “Entrance-to-Major Panel.” Panelists (Associate Dean Higgins, Smeal professors, and a Smeal teaching assistant) examined how one’s commitment to honor and integrity in ETM courses can impact success in future courses. At the end, students had the opportunity to ask questions and receive advice. Maddie joined Advocates because of her “interest in helping other students uphold the values of honor and integrity.” Since joining, she feels her ethical decision-making skills have improved, and she has been provided with “a strong foundation of values.”