When Joe Feiser of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, crosses the stage to accept his bachelor’s degree in psychology May 3, he will walk with the confidence that he is prepared.

He’ll be prepared for his career. Faculty such as psychology professor Dr. Jeanne Slattery – whom he credits for helping him develop a passion for education, research and counseling – have made sure of that.

He’ll be prepared for life, too.

“I feel like people have a common misunderstanding that college is just for an education or a degree,” Feiser said. “In this time, we are given so much opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and healthy environment. That’s exactly what I did here: I completed my education while learning so much about the world, what I believe and who I want to be as a person.”

A project that he particularly enjoyed was creating a vision board.

“I had to demonstrate various aspects of my life including goals, relationships, meaning and value. It was a lot of fun, and being able to put myself onto paper in a visual and physical way was just really unique and insightful,” he said.

His PennWest experiences outside of the classroom have impacted him, too.

“I have been an athlete, a community assistant, president of two clubs and a member of four others,” Feiser said. “These really helped me to stay plugged in to the community and allowed me to make the positive difference I was meant to make.”

Along with Slattery, others who have positively influenced him are his Golden Eagles swim coach Bre Kelley and the Brothers and Sisters in Christ club advisor Scott Underhill.

“Coach Bre helped me to become a better leader and person, and Scott helped me a lot with my faith journey,” Feiser said.

Feiser’s short-term goal is to become a licensed professional counselor, and in the future, he would like to serve as a pastor.

“My passion for others stems from my faith in God,” he said. “I truly believe love can go a very long way, and I desire to be that light that can help someone out of the darkness.”

His PennWest Clarion experiences have provided a journey of self-discovery, and he hopes other students will use their college years similarly.

“Search for truth with your whole heart, and earnestly seek out what has meaning to you,” he said. “Soak in every positive social interaction for the next four years, because as they say, it goes quickly.”