U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L
A
State College native, Keaton Ellis grew
up in the shadow of Beaver Stadium,
surrounded by Penn State football hysteria.
Football is king in Happy Valley. And so
it's easy to imagine a young man like Ellis,
who committed to stay home and play for
the Nittany Lions, becoming wrapped up
in it all.
But that's not who Ellis is.
As much as football means to the area,
and as much as it may mean to the Penn
State fans who showed up at State College
High School games to see what kind of
player the Nittany Lions were getting,
Ellis won't be de9ned by the sport.
He's a volunteer. He's a self-described
jokester. He's a student.
In Ellis, Penn State will be welcoming
someone who has already acquired per-
spective to go along with his athletic talent.
"I worked the local Special Olympics
and this Bunny Hop that we had here, and
just the little things," Ellis said, "Saying
hi, asking people how their day was, stu:
like that. … You just have to recognize
how blessed you are.
"You know, just being nice, treating peo-
ple how you want to be treated. I was
taught that from an early age, from my
parents, just try to help people out as much
as possible and just be a good person."
As is o
