UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Two years ago, Donna Howell decided to join the Penn State women's gymnastics team as a walk-on and hasn't looked back since. Howell, now a junior, is finally starting to compete in the lineup and holds a vital role to the team this season.
From traveling 45 minutes every day to her gym in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, to enrolling as a third grader into PA Cyber School to push herself as a gymnast, Howell has shown a remarkable amount of dedication, motivation, and love for the sport that got her to where she is today.
PA Cyber School allowed Howell to grow stronger as both a student and an athlete as she was able to practice 24 hours a week in the gym to further improve her skills. For her, cyber school provided a lot of flexibility within her schedule as a gymnast. She was constantly able to put in work at the gym while also doing schoolwork, which increased her drive and motivation significantly as a gymnast.
"Cyber school was very similar to the way we're doing online classes now," Howell said on the transition from cyber school to the academics at Penn State. "I think I was prepared academically. I wasn't struggling and it was a pretty smooth transition."
That smooth transition, whether academically or athletically, fulfilled a lifelong dream.
Ever since she was a young girl, Howell had her eyes on Penn State and dreamed of wearing a Blue and White leotard as a Nittany Lion.
"Penn State was my dream school ever since I was a little girl," she said. "My parents would take me to watch the Penn State gymnastics meets and I just knew I wanted to be one of them. Once the opportunity became available, I didn't want to go anywhere else no matter the circumstances."
Howell's confidence in herself as a gymnast allowed her to push herself to finally achieve her goals when the opportunity opened up for her to join her dream team. All of her hard work in school and the gym paid off once she was offered to join the team as a freshman and was finally able to represent Penn State as a gymnast just like she always dreamed.
"After I made the team, all of my new teammates were very welcoming, and it just felt like a family from day one. That was also one of the reasons why I decided to come here," said Howell. "As a walk-on, I wouldn't say I was intimidated. I was driven to work even harder and stay dedicated."
This season, Howell has competed as a member of the vault lineup in every meet, earning a career-high 9.775 at Maryland. She's also performed four exhibition routines on bars.
After making the transition from her hometown gym to the one at Penn State, Howell had no problem adjusting to the new environment when her name was called.
"Difficulty wasn't really different because at the end of the day, it's still gymnastics," Howell said. "Honestly change can be really scary, but it was a good and exciting change that everyone looks forward to in their career."
Now in her third year on the squad, Howell remains a confident, hardworking, and dedicated Penn State gymnast. She finally holds a role in the lineups and is eager to have a successful season. She has set goals for herself personally and has expectations for the team with their vast potential.
"Personally, I want to keep growing and keep improving and getting better," Howell said, "Same for the team. I'm excited to see where we go because we have so much potential and it's going to be really exciting."
