Penn State junior Brian Davis has published a book titled ‘Penn State Treasure,’ which highlights the multicultural resources offered at the University Park campus.
Davis began writing the book his sophomore year after realizing his lack of involvement during his freshman year, and hopes the book will inform incoming students about everything Penn State has to offer. He hopes his words and visuals will encourage students to get a quick start in engaging with the community. He’s announced the release on Sunday at the Multicultural Student Orientation in the HUB-Robeson Center.
Davis titled the book “Penn State Treasure” because although the resources he discusses can seem hard to find when you first start college, once you get involved, they can change your life.
“I find that students in their first year don’t know about all of the resources on campus,” Davis said. “The most important thing is for students to get assistance at an early stage when they first see a problem, like going to CAPS. Hopefully, this book can help students understand where everything is and provide help with the stress and show them where they can go for support.”
The book is published by Penn State’s Office of Education Equity, which also sponsored the book along with the Multicultural Resource Center, the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, and UPAC. The book comes with a checklist to help students get engaged, and the first few students to complete the checklist will receive gift card rewards. Instead of writing a book full of solid text, Davis designed it to be more of a visual representation of the programs for easy reading. Additional copies can be found in various offices around campus.
Davis is a junior majoring in sociology, criminology and African-American studies with a minor in international studies and is currently looking for a full-time position doing humanitarian work across the globe. His involvement on campus includes being a resident assistant and a student manager at a commons desk, a position on the Commission for Ethnic Diversity, and the role of president of the Social Justice Coalition. Davis has won many awards during his time at Penn State, including an Emerging Leaders Award and a scholarship in leadership and excellence.
After he graduates, he plans on working for the United Nations primarily with refugees.
