Notable Penn State alumni

(WHTM) – The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) was founded in 1855 and is Pennsylvania’s only land-grant university.

With Penn State being around since the 1850s, there have been millions of people who have graduated from the university and over 750,000 living alumni, according to Penn State.

Penn State has many notable alumni, these people have become actors, politicians, athletes, business owners, and CEOs.

Keegan-Michael Key

Key grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Shrine Catholic High School, attended Detroit Mercy for his undergraduate, and gained his Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from Penn State.

According to IMDb, Key has voice acted or acted in 125 series or movies including Wonka, The Super Mario Movie, The Lion King, Key and Peele, and The Lego Movie.

Key also impersonated Penn State Football Head Coach James Franklin in 2015.

Ty Burrell

Burell was born in Oregon, got his BA from Southern Oregon University, and got his MFA from Penn State.

According to IMDb, he appeared in 44 series and movies including Modern Family, Finding Dory, Black Hawk Down, and Muppets Most Wanted.

Did you know Pennsylvania is home to America’s oldest drive-in theater?

John Aniston

The name Aniston may sound familiar as John is the father of actress Jennifer Aniston.

John was born in Greece and graduated from Penn State with his bachelor’s in theatre arts.

According to IMDb, he appeared in 38 series and movies including Days of Our Lives and Search for Tomorrow.

Jonathan Frakes

Frakes was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, graduated from Liberty High, and graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s in theatre arts.

According to IMDb, he has acted in 97 series and movies, directed 47, and was a producer for three, including Star Trek, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Roswell.

Rick Santorum

Santorum was born in Winchester, Virginia, but raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, he would later go on to graduate from Penn State with a political science degree.

He would be elected into the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995, and a U.S. Senator from 1995 to 2007, and in 2012 and 2016, he ran for the Republican nomination to become the Republican candidate.

Lara Spencer

According to This is Penn State, Spencer was a nationally ranked diver and studied broadcast journalism, she graduated in 1991.

Spencer was a national correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America starting in 1999 and currently is with the program today.

Spencer would make an appearance as the guest picker for the 2019 Penn State vs Michigan football game.

Words Pennsylvanians say that are unique to Pennsylvania

Lisa Salters

Salters grew up in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Penn State with a degree in broadcast journalism, she also played for the Lady Lions basketball team.

Salters is currently a reporter for ESPN, she has covered the FIFA World Cup, the Summer Olympics, and the Winter Olympics.

Steve Sheetz

Sheetz graduated from Altoona Area High School in 1965 and graduated from Penn State with a bachelor of science degree in business management in 1969.

Sheetz is the founder of Sheetz Inc. According to Sheetz, “Sheetz is about providing kicked-up convenience while being more than just a convenience store. Sheetz is a mecca for people on the go. If you need to refuel your car or refresh your body, we have what you need to keep you moving on to whatever comes next.”

According to Scrape Hero, there are 714 Sheetz in six states, including Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland.

Linda Yaccarino

Yaccarino graduated from Penn State in 1985 with a degree in telecommunications and was the chair of advertising and global partnership.

She was announced as the new CEO of X by Elon Musk in 2022.

Why is Penn State’s mascot the Nittany Lion?

Other notable Penn State alumni:

• Valerie Plame (Spy/Writer)

• Britt Baker (Professional wrestler)

• Matt Rhule (College football head coach/Former player)

• Ali Krieger (Soccer player)

• Anthony Adams (Football player/Actor/Content creator)

• Terry Pegula (Entrepreneur)

• Mark Parker (Executive Chairmen at Nike/Former Nike CEO/Chairman of the Walt Disney Company)

• Matt Millen (Former football player/Broadcaster)

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