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SUCCESS WITH HONOR

Penn State athletes use NIL opportunity to work with Geisinger

Submitted photo Geisinger Operating Room Surgery Technician Melissa Dunkle is flanked by Penn State football players Nick Tarburton (from left), Keaton Ellis, Ji’Ayir Brown and Tyler Elsdon during an NIL appearance at a health rally at Geisinger Healthplex in State College this past summer.

LEWISTOWN — Emily Farrell spent long hours in the classroom and on the field hockey turf at Penn State.

Her hard work paid off as she graduated with a degree in biobehavioral health this spring and celebrated a Big Ten championship this past season.

Student-athlete schedules aren’t conducive to part-time jobs, so Farrell, like a growing number of Penn State athletes have taken advantage of the Name Image Likeness, or NIL, program that’s been established with the Success With Honor Collective.

Success With Honor helps equip student-athletes with the tools and resources to achieve their greatest potential in the classroom, on the playing field and in life.

Previously, athletes weren’t allowed to profit from of their celebrity status or fame. That all changed on July 1, 2021, when new NCAA rules went into effect.

Success With Honor is an all-sports NIL collective that is making sure Nittany Lion student-athletes like Farrell don’t get left behind.

Kerry Small, one of the founders of Success With Honor in 2022, talked about the collective and how it came to be. “The goal was to support all 31 varsity sports, all 850 athletes in it and to do it the right way,” Small told reporters when it was first announced.

Mission accomplished. Success With Honor reached a milestone in January, securing contracts with athletes from all 31 sports teams. Small said Success With Honor is doing things “the right way.”

At Penn State, Success With Honor’s ultimate goal is to sign every athlete on every team to an NIL contact. That means student-athletes can be paid for their autographs, developing their own merchandise, promoting products or services and event appearances due to their celebrity status.

“I love Penn State,” Farrell said. “It’s my home. I love everything about my experience with the university.”

Born and raised in Wyoming, Luzerne County, Farrell partnered with Geisinger for the NIL program because she is from one of their hometowns.

“Community is important to me,” Farrell said. “Penn State wouldn’t be what it is today without the people in our town and in so many towns across the state.

Now, Farrell is giving back to her community. That’s one of the reasons why she decided to partner with Geisinger.

“I share the same values that are important to Geisinger,” Farrell said. “Community being one of them.”

Farrell serves as one of five student-ambassadors for Geisinger as part of the NIL program that they’ve established with Success With Honor.

Geisinger has similar arrangements with senior Makenna Marisa of the Penn State women’s basketball team; freshman Jameel Brown of the men’s basketball team; and junior Keaton Ellis and freshman Mehki Flowers of the football team.

As part of the NIL program, Farrell gave her time to greet Geisinger employees in the Western Region on Dec. 12 at Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital and Scenery Park Clinic in State College. “It was so fun,” Farrell said. “I really enjoyed greeting everyone.”

She signed autographs, took photos with employees and patients, and handed out healthy snacks.

“We’re pleased and proud to partner with Success With Honor and the reputable athletes from Penn State,” said Kirk Thomas, chief administrative officer of Geisinger’s Western Region. “We want to give back to our community and connect our employees and patients with student-athletes in meaningful ways. So many of us bleed blue and white, making this an outstanding connection for Geisinger and our community.”

Marisa came to Happy Valley after a decorated four-year career at Peters Township High School in McMurray, Washington County, located about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh.

The Lady Lion guard took time out of her busy Division I schedule to make a pitstop in Mifflin County, attending a varsity girls basketball practice at Belleville Mennonite School on Feb. 13.

Thunder players and coaches were excited to have Marisa join them at practice. It’s not every day a player of her caliber pays them a visit.

Brown, who hails from Philadelphia; and Flowers, a Harrisburg native; and Ellis of State College, have made similar appearances.

They also have single appearance agreements, or “one-offs” with other Penn State athletes, such as wrestlers Levi Haines and Roman Bravo-Young. The Nittany Lion duo appeared at a Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce after hours event at Geisinger’s new clinic in Reedsville.

Ellis also appeared at a health rally for Geisinger employees and patients last summer in State College as he and other players were welcomed back to campus. Nittany Lion football players Nick Tarburton, Ji’Ayir Brown and Tyler Elsdon made “one-off” appearances.

For Geisinger, it’s all about finding athletes that share their values.

“We’re looking for well-rounded, hard-working individuals who care about their communities,” Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital Director of Operations AJ Hartsock said. “We’re looking for enthusiastic athletes. We’re pleased with the enthusiasm and energy of the ones we are working with.”

Officials from Success With Honor state they have given contracts totaling more than $2 million to over 350 Penn State athletes from all 31 sports. Currently, they are just one of several collectives that athletes are able to work with.

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