Brandywine Alumni Spotlight: Payton Landis, class of 2024

MEDIA, Pa. – Just one year after graduating, Penn State alumna Payton Landis, class of 2024, is in graduate school while working as a Philadelphia Phillies ball girl.

Landis began her Penn State journey at Brandywine in 2019, majoring in human development and family studies and minoring in psychology and civic and community engagement. She said she chose to attend Brandywine because of its proximity to home and her ability to play softball at a collegiate level.

“I knew I wanted to play softball in college, and I was recruited to play for Brandywine. When I toured, I instantly knew this was where I wanted to go to college. I loved the small campus, and everyone said how great the small class sizes were,” she said. “The campus was also 45 minutes away from my house, so I was far enough away to live on campus but close enough to visit home whenever I wanted.”

Landis was very involved during her time at Brandywine, as she played first base and pitched for Brandywine’s softball team, was an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and Hidden Opponent, and worked in the Blue Apple Café and fitness center.

During her time on the softball team, Brandywine won four consecutive Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference titles and was crowned the national champion of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) during her final two years on the team. She noted that the championship wins were her favorite memories during her time at Brandywine.

“We won the first program national championship in 2023, and that was super cool to be a part of. The atmosphere was surreal, and all my teammates were so close,” she said.

“Finally getting to win the whole thing was amazing. We all got tattoos to commemorate it. Eight is our lucky number because we won the eighth conference championship on May 8 with a score of eight to zero, and when we went to nationals, we won on May 18 for the eighth game at the facility. It was odd that it all panned out that way, so everyone got a tattoo that said 888.”

Upon graduating from Brandywine, Landis went on to continue her education at West Chester University, pursuing her master’s degree in school counseling. She also went on to coach an 18U travel softball team. But, to top it all off, she became a ball girl for the Philadelphia Phillies. As a ball girl — the Phillies’ official title for the position — not only is she on the first- and third-base lines grounding foul balls, but she also partakes in community outreach initiatives like Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (a Major League Baseball initiative) and the Urban Youth Academy (a Phillies initiative).

Landis said one of her former teammates, Farrell Everett (class of 2023), encouraged her to become a ball girl after Everett’s first season in the position.

“One of my teammates, Farrell, is in her second year of being a ball girl. She’s one of my really good friends. She always told me how great of an opportunity it was to be a ball girl because you learn not only about baseball but about communicating with others and conflict management,” she said. “I really love the Phillies and thought it was a cool opportunity, but I wasn’t sure how to juggle that while also being in graduate school. I decided to apply anyway, and I ended up getting the job. It’s been super fun so far.”

Landis said her favorite part about being a Phillies ball girl is interacting with spectators.

“I really like interacting with people every single day. Someone always has a question, or sometimes people will just come up to you and ask how you’re doing. We also wear lanyards with pins, so spectators will spark conversations with me about that,” she said.

“It’s so fun because there are so many crazy things going on in the world right now, but when you’re at the ballpark, you’re in a place where people are all so nice to each other, and it’s really heartwarming to see.”

When asked what advice she would give to Penn State students, Landis said to get involved on campus as much as possible.

“Get involved on campus as much as you can. I think the most beneficial thing I did on campus was being a student worker in the fitness center and cafeteria,” she said. “Every time I come back to campus, I see someone from those two jobs I know. You make so many connections through getting involved.”

“If you’re interested in a certain sport or club, find a way to get involved and make the most of your time,” she added. “College goes by really quick, as cliché as it sounds, and I would do it all over again.”