UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Online MBA students Devon Love, Reggie Oliver, and Emmanuel Sarella became fast friends when they met in the summer of 2023.
The three were visiting the University Park campus for the residency of the Penn State Online MBA, which is led by the Smeal College of Business and offered online in partnership with Penn State World Campus. They decided then that they wanted to return to campus for a football game.
While work and life schedules didn’t allow that trip to happen during the 2023 season, the trio planned to attend Penn State’s homecoming game on September 28 against Illinois. Everything lined up for the trip until Love, who is active duty in the U.S. Army, had to deploy to Iraq.
Oliver and Sarella, who live in Texas, continued with the trip to State College, sending messages to their friend. After some back-and-forth bantering, Love said he wished he could be there.
This was a lightbulb moment for Oliver.
What if their friend could be there, too? After some research, they had a plan: Print a large image of Love’s head to take with them around campus and to the football game.
“We’re going to make the most ridiculous sign ever and take Devon wherever we go,” Oliver recalls telling Sarella.
The two selected a photo of Love from Facebook and found a print shop. They explained how they were Penn State Online MBA students, and their friend and fellow student was serving overseas but they wanted him to be a part of the festivities.
“Thirty minutes later, Emmanuel and I had in our hands a FatHead that was gloriously more ridiculous in size than I could have possibly imagined,” Oliver said, referring to a large, printed-out image.
Sarella added, “They made sure it was larger than life, just like Devon.”
Instead of telling Love their plan, they sent zoomed-in photos of the cutout.
“I had no idea until the pictures started flowing in what these two were up to,” Love said. “I had given them a guilt trip that they were going to the game while I was in Iraq and obviously not able to attend.”
As the photos continued, Love figured out it was his face and Oliver and Sarella let him in on the adventure. He received multiple photos from “his” trip around campus.
“It was great. I loved that these two yahoos were having such a good time and brought me with them. It was some great laughs, good for the spirit,” Love said. “I truly appreciate their friendship.”
Love’s “trip” around campus brought smiles to many faces and helped connect Oliver and Sarella with the Penn State community.
“We made so many new friends at the tailgates, and everyone was curious to know more about him,” Sarella said.
Love, Oliver, and Sarella will graduate in 2025, but they hope their friendship and trips to campus will continue for many years.
The trio hopes to make attending a football game an annual event — with Love attending in person.
A Penn State degree online
Penn State World Campus has been offering a Penn State education online for more than 25 years, with a comprehensive portfolio of more than 200 degrees and certificates now available.
The Penn State Online MBA is led by the AACSB-accredited Penn State Smeal College of Business. The Online MBA features more than 25 concentrations that students can use to focus their studies. Concentrations include general management, finance, supply chain management, strategic leadership, and more.
Learn more about the Master of Business Administration offered online through Penn State World Campus.
