Keriann Smith came to Happy Valley to get her degree in Hospitality Management from Penn State. She got a lot more in return. “I instantly fell in love with Happy Valley and the community,” she said. “I love being outdoors whether it’s snowboarding in the winter or One-Wheeling in the summer.”

Hyatt Place Sales Manager Tiffany Wren says that she fell into working in hospitality by accident, and has watched it blossom into a career she loves.

Kate Kenealy, Big Spring Spirits’ Social Media Manager and Photographer got her degree in French from Penn State and taught for a few years before coming back to Happy Valley. “I fell in love with this area all over again,” she said. “It’s just as great as any place I’d been — I’m choosing to be here.”

Penn State professor Bing Pan is on a mission to expand people’s horizons through the power of travel, and he’s doing it right here in the heart of Pennsylvania. Ask why and he’ll give you both left brained and right brained reasons for living, working and playing in Happy Valley. Short answer: it’s one of the smartest places in the US, and it’s full of energy, creativity and fun.

‘We Are…Penn State’ are four little words that have been ingrained in my life since I was a baby. The common theme of bleeding blue and white as a Penn Stater is something that I have experienced practically since the day I entered this world. Growing up as a Penn State fan prepared me to be an enthusiastic, PSU-loving student and soon to be proud alumni. Check out my Penn State story below if you’re craving all things blue and white.

Lee Anne Jeffries is deeply rooted in Happy Valley. She grew up in the area, went to Penn State and now heads the Downtown State College Improvement, a live, work, and play neighborhood that sparks the creative, the eclectic, and the local. “Happy Valley is home and I care deeply about this town, it’s a special place,” she says.

Zach Barton has spent his entire career as a servant leader, mentoring the next generation. After graduating from Penn State, he became a case manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New Jersey for three years, then joined the Centre County Youth Service Bureau. During six years at the YSB, he was the program director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre, Mifflin, and Juniata Counties and then the organization’s development director. In 2020, he became executive director of Leadership Centre County, guiding the organization through the pandemic while keeping true to their mission of educating participants about the needs, available services and opportunities, and issues in our community.

Writer Teresa Mull started out here in Happy Valley — even growing up in the house that Philipsburg’s founder, Hardman Philips, built — before heading off to Dallas, Texas and Rome, Italy, and jobs in Washington, D.C. and Teton Valley, Idaho. And then, she got homesick.

We talked to her about why she’s made Happy Valley her permanent home, her insider picks for culture and fun, and what every Happy Valley visitor has got to try. Read on!

“People are often surprised to learn that I was not born and raised in Happy Valley,” Matt Maris says. Considering that the high school teacher owns and runs Local Historia, an ode to Happy Valley’s historic past, the surprise is legitimate.