Isherwood Triplets Among College's Largest Graduation Class

ERIE, PA (05/09/2011)(readMedia)-- The Isherwood triplets-Archie, Lauren and Lindsey, of Allison Park-have been in school together since kindergarten. On Saturday, May 14, the triplets will participate in their final commencement ceremony together when the trio graduates from Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

The college will confer an all-time record 650 degrees at its spring 2011 commencement, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the Louis J. Tullio Arena, located at Eighth and French streets in downtown Erie.

"We didn't try to pick the same college, but it worked out that Penn State Behrend was at the top of our lists," said Lauren, the eldest, who will earn a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. She will attend Duquense University in the fall to pursue a master's degree in secondary education-alone.

"We immediately loved Penn State Behrend's campus and scenery," added Lindsey, who will earn a Bachelor of Science in accounting and will be employed as an auditor at ParenteBeard in Pittsburgh after graduation. "It was always my plan to spend my four years here."

The triplets are second-generation Penn Staters: Dad, Archie Isherwood, earned associate and bachelor's degrees in computer science from Penn State University Park.

"We had the chance to transfer to University Park, but the strength of Penn State Behrend's academic programs and the opportunities we had available to us kept us here," Archie, the youngest, said. "Now that I'm graduating, I definitely think that the internship and leadership experiences I've had will make for a smooth transition into the workplace." He will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in finance and a minor in accounting, and has accepted an account analyst position with BNY Mellon in Pittsburgh.

Penn State Behrend will confer 47 associate, 555 bachelor's and 48 graduate degrees at this spring's ceremony. The college conferred 986 degrees total for the 2010-11 academic year.

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is a comprehensive residential college offering 34 bachelor's, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs. More than 4,700 students benefit from being part of a major research and land-grant institution on a student-centered campus, enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams and 19 intramural sports. Penn State Behrend is named in recognition of a donation by Mary Behrend, widow of Ernst Behrend, who founded the Hammermill Paper Co. in Erie in 1898. The Behrend family lived on the Glenhill Farm, which is the core of Penn State Behrend's 854-acre campus. For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu.