Diana Stoltzfus has certainly made the most of her college experience at Penn State Berks, from conducting research on the effects of virtual reality (VR) on exercise, to earning a 4.0 GPA, to being a star player on the women's volleyball team. She will graduate as student marshal during Berks' fall 2024 commencement ceremony, set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Santander Arena in Reading.
The title of her commencement speech is "The Power of Perseverance." Perseverance was a theme during Stoltzfus' time at Penn State Berks. She explained in her speech that she began her studies during the coronavirus pandemic, and failed to make the volleyball team on her first attempt. She also felt uncertain of choosing the right path.
She stated, "I am very grateful to everyone who supported me on this journey, including the faculty and staff here at Berks, my coaches and teammates, and my family. They were there for me every step of the way and helped to shape me into the person I am today. They pushed me to be the best that I can be and encouraged me to never give up or take the easy way out when faced with challenges. Most importantly, I'm thankful to God for all his gifts and blessings he has given me that I didn't deserve, and for the strength he has given me to finish this journey and now pursue the next steps in my career."
Stoltzfus is graduating with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and exercise science. She holds the distinction of being the first kinesiology student who conducted research in the college's Exercise Physiology Laboratory to present at an international conference. She has been conducting research with her professor, Praveen Veerabhadrappa, associate professor of kinesiology, for the last two years in the college's state-of-the-art facility.
Their research has shown that the benefits of virtual reality extend beyond video games. It suggests that using emerging technology, such as VR, during exercise can improve the experience and reduce the perceived effort for college students. In fact, Stoltzfus and Veerabhadrappa were recently awarded the Best Poster Presentation Award at the 30th Congress of The International Society of Hypertension Conference in Cartagena, Colombia, for their submission titled 'Comparison of College Students' Health Metrics During Traditional & Virtual Reality Based Cycling.'
