Joe Romagano, Class of 2020
Clinical Psychometrist
“This campus and program allowed me to make connections that I have not been able to make anywhere else.”
Despite having attended three colleges, Joe Romagano recalls Penn State York being his best and most memorable experience.
“Penn State York gave me the strongest support system I have had in my educational endeavors,” Romagano said. “The quality of my classes at York was greater than the other colleges I have attended. I didn’t get the chance to be involved in clubs, but I attended a lot of the campus relaxation days, pizza parties in the library, and the research fairs.”
Romagano cites the research fairs at Penn State York as one of the most influential parts of his experience.
“The research fairs held at Penn State York were a source of enjoyment for me,” he said. “I learned so much from them, and they helped me gain experience with creating presentations for my own research that I would be doing in the future.”
Romagano graduated in the spring of 2020 with a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology. Since then, he has earned a master of arts in Clinical Psychology from Penn State Harrisburg, and was recently accepted into Lehigh University’s Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program with the help of Mark Casteel, professor of psychology and program coordinator at Penn State York, who also was his adviser while a student at York campus.
“All of my professors were hugely supportive from the moment I enrolled,” he said. “Even my former adviser, Dr. Casteel, has kept in contact with me and helped me with doctorate program applications. I could not be more thankful.”
As Romagano prepares for acquiring his doctorate, he reflects that connections are the most important thing – and that Penn State York gave him more than he could count.
“One thing that I greatly appreciate about Penn State York is that it is a very small and tight-knit campus,” he said. “I developed close relations not just with students within my cohort, but also with students from other programs, such as human development and family studies. I took the connections I made there along with me into my career, and they are also what have helped me progress further into my education.”
Romagano works at Progress Family Care Services in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as a clinical psychometrist, where he conducts psychological exams with child and adolescent patients to aid in diagnosis and/or treatment for mental health and learning concerns.
“I had three main career goals: to practice clinical psychology, to teach, and to conduct research,” he said. “My experience at Penn State York was pivotal in accomplishing these goals, and I would not be where I am today without it.”
