-
Health and Human Development
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
About
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
COVID-19 Response
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Return to Research
Explore
-
Return to Teaching
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- Creative Approaches to Teaching: Where to Start
- Adapting to Mixed-Mode, Remote, or Web-Based Teaching and Learning
- Assessments and Academic Integrity
- Policy and Safety Updates
- Technology and Library Resources
- Resources to Assist Faculty and Staff Support Student Welfare
- Remote Teaching and Learning
- Contact tracing in the classroom
- Supporting students in quarantine and isolation
-
Additional Resources and References
Explore
- Acknowledgement of Risk
- Travel Guidelines
-
Return to Research
- Environmental Health
- Overview of the College
- Meet the Dean
-
News and Events
Explore
-
Events
Explore
-
Profiles
Explore
-
Diversity and Inclusion
Explore
-
Awards
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
College Awards
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Carol Clark Ford Staff Achievement Award
Explore
-
HHD Faculty Sustainability Award
Explore
-
Joyce Hopson-King Diversity Achievement Award
Explore
-
Ann C. Crouter Early Career Faculty Award
Explore
-
Evelyn R. Saubel Faculty Award
Explore
-
HHD Alumni Society Excellence in Teaching Award
Explore
-
Leadership in Outreach Award
Explore
-
Evan G. and Helen G. Pattishall Outstanding Research Achievement Award
Explore
-
Pauline Schmitt Russell Distinguished Research Career Award
Explore
-
Carol Clark Ford Staff Achievement Award
-
HHD Alumni Society Awards
Explore
-
College Awards
-
Commencement
Explore
- Employers and Industry
- Our Valued Partners
- History
-
Strategic Plans 2014-19
Explore
-
Strategic Plan 2021-25
Explore
- Subscribe, Listen, Learn: College Podcasts
- Donate
- Contact
-
COVID-19 Response
-
Undergraduate
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Getting Started
Explore
-
Majors and Minors
Explore
-
Honors Program
Explore
-
Advising
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Academic Integrity
Explore
- Academic Progress
- Advising Resources
-
Change of Campus
Explore
- Declaring a Major/Minor
-
Enforcement of Recommended Preparation
Explore
- Learning Support
- Petitions to University Policies and Procedures
-
Policies and Procedures
Explore
- Schedule an Appointment with Your Adviser
-
Undergraduate Adviser and Student Handbook
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
- Dean's List
-
Academic Integrity
- Student Organizations
-
Student Profiles
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Biobehavioral Health
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration
Explore
-
Hospitality Management
Explore
-
Human Development and Family Studies
Explore
-
Kinesiology
Explore
-
Nutritional Sciences
Explore
-
Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
Explore
-
Student Research
Explore
-
Biobehavioral Health
-
Study Abroad
Explore
- Take a Professor to Lunch
-
Financial Aid and College Scholarships
Explore
-
Leadership Initiative
Explore
-
Summer Session
Explore
- Dean's Welcome Meeting
- Parents and Family Association
-
Visit and Apply
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
-
Discover HHD
Explore
-
Career and Professional Development
Explore
-
HHD Instagram Ambassadors
Explore
- Undergraduate Research Grants
- Undergraduate Activities and Events
-
Getting Started
-
Graduate
Explore
-
Alumni
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Events
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Alumni Virtual Events
Explore
-
Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- 2021 - Derrick Campana
- 2019 - Ariel Clatty
- 2018 - James Fitzgerald
- 2018 - Susan Robinson
- 2017 - Janet Rosenzweig
- 2015 - Scott M. Smith
- 2014 - Mark McCamish
- 2013 - Patricia Hillkirk
- 2012 - Jill Jayne
- 2011 - Robert E. Hillman
- 2010 - Joanne Finegan
- 2009 - Mario Lafortune
- 2008 - Mary Ellen Clark
- 2007 - Wendy A. Owen
-
Alumni Virtual Events
-
Biobehavioral Health
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Explore
-
News
Explore
-
Get Involved
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- Alumni Awards
-
Mentor a Student
Explore
-
Join an Affiliate Program Group
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Biobehavioral Health APG
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders APG
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration APG
Explore
-
Human Development and Family Studies APG
Explore
-
Kinesiology APG
Explore
-
Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society (NDAS)
Explore
-
Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS)
Explore
-
Recreation Park and Tourism Management APG
Explore
- Get Involved with an Affiliate Program Group
-
Professional Golf Management APG
Explore
-
Biobehavioral Health APG
-
HHD Alumni Society
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration
Explore
-
Awards
Explore
-
Hospitality Management
Explore
- Kinesiology
-
Alumni Profiles
Explore
- Nutritional Sciences
- Alumni Magazine
- Career Resources for Alumni
- Update Your Contact Information
- Volunteer Leaders
- Donate
- Contact
-
Events
-
Research
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
-
Departments
Explore
-
Outreach
Explore
-
About
- Archived Newsletters
- Scholarship Opportunities
Our Story/Courtney McChesney

August 2017
When Courtney McChesney lost her father to colon cancer in 2012, she noticed an unmet need in her family.
“I have four younger siblings who had trouble coping,” she said. “We needed help. We needed support.”
Two years later McChesney enrolled in the Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) program in the College of Health and Human Development to build on a career that will allow her to help families get the support they need from the community. She will graduate on Aug. 12 with her bachelor’s degree from Penn State.
“I want to eventually work with families and children who have a parent with a chronic illness,” McChesney said. “There are not a whole lot of resources out there.”
McChesney earned her associate’s degree in early childhood education from the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport two years earlier, but took a break from school while her father was ill.
She has also worked as assistant director at St. Paul’s Christian Preschool and Childcare in State College since 2015, while raising two small children.
She said she has balanced her many roles with a lot of late nights studying and determination.
“If I know I have to do something, I push through it,” she said.
McChesney said her job at St. Paul’s has given her a lot of experience that has proved valuable to her degree in HDFS.
“I wear a lot of hats,” she said, explaining her role at St. Paul’s. McChesney works mostly with part-time staff at the preschool, which includes many HDFS students. She also oversees activities, provides mentorship and acts as family coordinator.
As family coordinator, McChesney connects families at St. Paul’s with local social support services.
“I enjoy interacting with the families and providing support,” she said. “What I’m doing now is what I want to be doing – providing these support contacts for families.”
She said her courses in HDFS provided her with a variety of skills she can continue to use and develop in her role at St. Paul’s, one she plans to continue after graduation.
“I learned how to better speak and listen, and how to get more out of a conversation with someone,” she said.
Through her courses, McChesney also learned about many of the different support services in the area and what they offer, such as the Centre County Youth Services Bureau, Big Brothers Big Sisters and local adoption agencies.
After graduation McChesney plans to concentrate on building the Child Connection Project at St. Paul’s, a program she started that connects the church with preschool families to get them together in social scenes, such as or celebrating birthdays or arranging play groups at the park.
She’s also considering eventually earning her master’s degree and hopes to one day be in a role to support families with a chronically ill parent.
“My goal is to facilitate that contact, and be that point person,” she said.
In addition to her classes in HDFS, McChesney said her advisers and professors supported her and wanted to see her succeed. She said the department, plus playing an active role in the community, has helped solidify her career goals. She encourages other HDFS students to also get involved in the community to get experience in areas that interest them.
“I find it important to be involved with the community because it helps facilitate relationships,” she said. “Being involved in the community can give students tangible experience which will make their coursework feel connected to their real life experiences."
There are eight areas for students to study within the College of Health and Human Development:
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Health Policy and Administration
Human Development and Family Studies
Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management