Happy birthday, Onward State!

We’ve come a long way from 17 years ago, when three freshmen came together to form Onward State in 43 Simmons Hall. They published “Rumor Mill,” a 29-word post about Girl Talk coming to Penn State, which turned out to be true, and the rest is history.

Since then, Onward State has published over 44,000 posts and garnered more than 340,000 friends on Instagram, X, and Facebook, operating as the most-followed independent student media organization in the world.

Over our 17 years as Penn State’s student-run blog, we’ve always been in the middle of anything Penn State. We’ve covered hard topics like the Sandusky Scandal, but also share all the great things that make Happy Valley home.

Through it all, our goal has remained the same: to generate honest conversation in the hopes of enriching the Penn State community and experience. We’ve provided commentary that is fair, authentic, and sometimes humorous; analysis that is critical and irreverent; and news that is relevant and accurate.

If you’ve ever taken COMM260W, you’ve probably heard about some mistakes we’ve made over the years. But we’re proud of all the work we’ve done to better the Penn State community through our THON coverage, Penn State football analysis, our podcast, and so much more.

Here’s to many more years of 10 Questions, using “folks” way too much, April Fools’ pranks, and our love of Penn State.

For the blog, always.

To celebrate our 17th birthday, you should read 17 of our best posts from the past year. It’s only the nice thing to do, folks.

James Franklin Fired As Penn State Football Coach

News & Notes From Penn State Football Interim Head Coach Terry Smith’s First Press Conference

Reliving James Franklin’s Tenure As Penn State Football’s Head Coach

[Photo Story] Students Hold Vigil For Downtown McDonald’s Closing

Podward State: Season 11, Episode 2 Ft. Phia Gladieux

Penn State Football’s Defense Struggles With Oregon Offense In Big Ten Championship Loss

[Photo Story] Penn State vs. Oregon In The Big Ten Championship

‘It’s Just A Game’: Penn State Women’s Volleyball Playing For More Than A Spot In The National Championship

‘I’m Lucky To Have The People Around Me’: Katie Schumacher-Cawley Battles To Lead Penn State Women’s Volleyball To National Title

THON 2025 Raises $17,737,040.39 For The Kids

[Photo Story] Penn State Wrestling Wins Big Ten Championship

Pushing The Envelope: Mike ‘The Mailman’ Herr & His Daughter Marykate Delivering Positivity Through New Memoir

‘The Only Thing We’ve Asked For’: Lionettes Lose University Funding For Nationals

Gavin McKenna Getting Hot At The Right Time For Penn State Men’s Hockey

Dear JoePa: The Project Bringing Generations of Penn Staters Through Stories Of Joe Paterno

Meet Rye: Penn State Graduate Student Josh Kapcsco’s Pet Pigeon

[Photo Story] Threepeat: Onward State Once Again Conquers Daily Collegian In Dodgeball