Penn State Student Stuck in State College during the COVID-19 Closure Shares Beauty of Campus

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - April 27, 2020 - PRLog -- To say this Spring is "unusual" at Penn State's main campus is an understatement.  Of the more than 40,000 undergraduate and 14,000 graduate students normally on campus for Spring Semester there are an estimated 600-700 international students left on campus. All the students left for Spring Break and haven't returned because of COVID-19.  Penn State decided to finish the Spring semester, and now Summer 2020 online.

"As a Penn State / Smeal College of Business Alumni (class of 1990) I have been mentoring Victor Oliveira, a Sophomore from Brazil, since October." Tara Reed explains. "I'm inspired by how well he has adjusted to every change coming his way."

Oliveira was paying for tuition and living expenses in part with his on-campus job which vanished overnight when the school closed.  He can't get home so he is putting his marketing skills to work trying to find ways to make enough to pay his rent and buy food.

In addition, Oliveira has started a website to show what the Penn State Campus looks like with no students. He will continue posting photos of iconic Penn State locations and will be adding videos in the near future. He wants to not only capture this historic time but also share it with the myriad of alumni worldwide that would be interested in seeing what Penn State during COVID-19 looks like as well.

Reed has helped with the website and suggested adding a PayPal donation button. "You never know who will be willing and able to help you so let's give them the opportunity!" she explained to Oliveira.

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You can see photos of Penn State's Main Campus and learn more about Victor Oliveira's story on his website at https://sites.psu.edu/victoroliv  He can be reached via email at vdo5011@psu.edu or contact Tara Reed for more information.