UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Eight accomplished young alumni who have made remarkable impacts in their professional fields received the prestigious Alumni Achievement Award during a ceremony held by the Penn State Alumni Association on March 28. The event took place at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on Penn State's University Park campus.
This award recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary professional accomplishments. These prominent young alumni are nominated by an academic college and invited by the president of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty and administrators.
"Once again, these remarkable alumni have demonstrated that Penn Staters can make significant impacts in their professions and communities early in their careers. Their achievements reflect not only their individual excellence, but also the foundation that a Penn State education provides," said Ryan Jones, interim executive officer of the Alumni Association. "Their drive and accomplishments continue to make Penn State proud."
The 2025 Alumni Achievement Award recipients are:
Gabrielle Chappel, class of 2016, Bellisario College of Communications, College of the Liberal Arts — freelance chef and culinary educator
Chappel is a celebrated farm-to-table chef, educator and media personality who gained national recognition as the winner of Fox’s "Next Level Chef" season three. Chappel is known for her innovative culinary approach, drawing inspiration from the natural rhythm of the seasons, and occasionally her Eastern European heritage. Her work is widely followed on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Shah Chowdhury, class of 2018, College of Agricultural Sciences — co-founder and president, Footsteps
Chowdhury is president and co-founder of Footsteps Bangladesh, a next-generation organization designing social ventures and programs to address extreme poverty challenges across Bangladesh. Under his leadership, Footsteps has empowered more than 700,000 people through initiatives focused on safe water accessibility, sanitation, environmental sustainability and disaster risk reduction.
Kenya Crawford, class of 2015, College of Health and Human Development — CEO, Cultivating Healers
Crawford is the CEO and founder of Cultivating Healers, an award-winning licensed psychotherapist, and racial equity consultant creating healing and liberating spaces to dismantle oppressive systems. As the founder of Cultivating Healers, Crawford supports therapists in building anti-racist, sustainable, and inclusive practices through continuing education training sessions, support groups and coaching. Crawford provides individual and relationship counseling alongside anti-racism consultation to transform systems holistically. As a Black queer woman, she skillfully approaches counseling and supervision from a decolonized, anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens.
Asia Grant, class of 2017, Smeal College of Business, Schreyer Honors College — co-founder and creative director, Redoux
Grant is a creative entrepreneur, content creator and co-founder of the award-winning fragrance brand Redoux, which she launched in 2019 with Penn State alumnus Alejandro Cuevas (class of 2018, College of IST, Schreyer Honors College). Known for its “sophisticated scents and vegan skincare for the modern nostalgic,” Redoux has gained widespread acclaim, with Grant overseeing product design, market research, fundraising and revenue strategy. She also founded Scent Social Club, which runs the Nolita Perfume Tour in New York City, a unique experience matching participants with their signature fragrance.
Victoria Heasley, class of 2014, College of Engineering; graduate class of 2018, College of Medicine — assistant professor of clinical neurology and physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopedics and sports medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati
As a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, with fellowship training in sports medicine, Heasley helps patients return to the physical activities they love, from football to fishing. Her clinical interests include musculoskeletal pain, image-guided interventions, spinal and sports-related injuries, and adaptive sports medicine. She has published articles and presented posters on adaptive sports medicine at academic conferences.
Ryan Henrici, class of 2015, Eberly College of Science, Schreyer Honors College — senior director, Translational Research, BigHat Biosciences
Henrici is senior director of translational research at BigHat Biosciences, where he leads the development of next-generation antibody therapeutics for patients with challenging diseases. At this biotech startup, he bridges clinical experience with deep scientific knowledge to drive innovation in antibody engineering and drug development through the integration of machine learning and synthetic biology.
Korrin Moon, graduate class of 2023, Penn State Dickinson Law — president, Lantern Rescue
Moon is the president and co-founder of Lantern Rescue, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating human trafficking worldwide. Lantern Rescue trains and supports law enforcement, prosecutors and communities, rescuing more than 2,000 victims and contributing to the apprehension of more than 1,000 traffickers across 11 countries.
Connor Sattely, class of 2011, Penn State Behrend, Schreyer Honors College — founder, Connor Sattely Consulting
Sattely is an entrepreneur and venture capital expert who works with founders and investors worldwide. He works with Decile Group, which runs VC Lab, the leading global accelerator for venture capital that has launched half of all new VC firms in 2023 and 2024. Sattely also serves as the impact measurement expert for the World Summit Awards, a United Nations-aligned global startup competition, where he collaborates annually with dozens of social impact startups.
Prior to the award ceremony, honorees gathered with their guests for a pre-ceremony reception where they conversed amongst each other and met with Alumni Association staff. Many of the award recipients also took time to speak to students during classes prior to the award ceremony, while others toured campus facilities with college faculty.
Read more about the honorees here. The entire ceremony is available to watch on the Alumni Association's YouTube page.
For more than 150 years, the Penn State Alumni Association has provided alumni with a strong and welcoming community representative of the Penn Staters it proudly serves. The association keeps alumni connected to the University and to each other, while upholding Penn State traditions and supporting the University’s mission of teaching, research and service. The association also produces the award-winning Penn Stater magazine and other publications, and offers alumni and friends volunteer opportunities, educational programming and many other services. For more information about the Alumni Association, visit alumni.psu.edu/youbelong.