Impact Awards: Nominate a PSU Student-Athlete Alum Making an Impact in Their Community

The Impact Honors return to Penn State on Wednesday October 21, 2026. The Impact Award was established in 2023 by a group of loyal Penn Staters to honor student-athletes who have gone on to Make an Impact on the lives of others.

The Impact Honors showcase Penn State’s place as the nation’s top service-oriented university. Our student-athlete alumni are an example of that commitment.

The awards are a natural extension of the lives of some of Penn State's greatest leaders. We are and we have always been a place that extends a helping hand to the world. From THON to Lift for Life to countless philanthropic efforts, the example set by so many is a guiding light for Penn State's Impact on the World.

The Impact Honors event will recognize the latest group of winners and help them extend a legacy that carries forward the best of Penn State. Click here to see more of what this is all about at the website. The name of the site says it all: PennStatersMakeAnImpact.com.

Previous winners include Franco Harris, Aaron Maybin, Michael Robinson and Bill Spoor. Their lives have made major impacts in education, social justice and inspired young people in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Richmond and in Uganda.

While the previous winners have all been football alumni, this year we want to recognize the contributions of four student-athlete alumni from a variety of sports. This year…We Are…seeking nominations of Penn State Student-Athlete Alumni in any sport who have made an impact. There are many that we know of, and far more that we want to hear about.

The awards ceremony at The State Theatre will be hosted by two current Penn State student-athletes. Current student-athletes will also be in attendance for the event to see the examples of those who have come before them.

Honorees of the Impact Award receive a significant monetary contribution to their impactful charitable efforts from the endowed Impact Fund.

Please use the QR code to go directly to the nomination page. And please look around the site at PennStatersMakeAnImpact.com to see the bios and contributions of the previous winners.

Nominations are open now, but they close on Tuesday, August 4. Thanks for your time and efforts in helping us nominate the next class of Impact Honorees.