Have you ever sat down and wondered if the endless hours of studying, consecutive group projects and countless major exams will truly help you achieve your dreams for the future?

Well, according to Rebecca O'Connell, an award-winning author and 1990 Penn State graduate who now lives in Pittsburgh, they don't.

"Penn State was very instrumental in me becoming an author, but not because of what I was taught inside the classroom," O'Connell said. "I found that it was the friendships and experiences I made that really made me change my ambitions and follow my dreams in life."

O'Connell, who also writes novels under her maiden nameof Rebecca Tova Ben-Zvi, originally came to Penn State hoping to one day become a psychologist.

"I came here, learned how to research and write, and then woke up one morning and said, 'I think I want to be a librarian; I think I want to write books.' It all happened so quickly, I just remember thinking to myself that would be a wonderful job," she said.

Since O'Connell first began writing books in 2000, most of which are geared toward school-aged children and young adults, she has won several awards that honor the diversity and cultural understanding displayed in her work.

Most recently, the Association of Jewish Libraries recognized her book Penina Levine is a Hard-Boiled Egg as a 2008 Notable Book for Older Readers.

Patte Kelley, a head librarian at the Carnegie Library where O'Connell also works, said this specific book was honored because it exemplifies high literary standards while also authentically portraying the Jewish experience.

"This book truly depicted both growing up and the Jewish culture in a wonderful light," she said. "Like all of Rebecca's work, Penina Levine is a book that I could read 1,000 times over."

O'Connell has also been honored with the Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book of Jewish Content, for her first book Four Sides, Eight Nights, as well as the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book Award for her young children's book The Baby Goes Beep.

"I loved receiving those awards," O'Connell said. "It's so exciting to know that people out there appreciate what I am doing."

Currently, O'Connell is working to finish up the prequel to Penina Levine is a Hard-Boiled Egg, called Penina Levine is a Potato Pancake, due out next fall.

O'Connell said her experiences at Penn State have all been incorporated into her work.

"My first book really stemmed from my experiences in State College," she said. "Everything I learned about spirituality and change were incorporated into it. I feel that young adults can gain knowledge from that."

Until her next book comes out in the fall, O'Connell is sharing advice with her readers by conducting writing workshops and reading groups.

"My main three pieces of advice are always the same," she said. "Read a lot; learn everything you possibly can; and never give up on following your dreams."