Starting with her time at Penn State, Ellen Arruda has enjoyed life on a large college campus and she continues to visit one each and every day.

She received her B.S. in engineering science in 1985, when it was the only honors program in the College. She decided to continue her education at Penn State and went on to receive her M.S. in engineering mechanics in 1988.

While at the University, Arruda developed a close relationship with the late Rick Queeney, her former undergraduate and master's thesis adviser, and still remains in close contact with his entire family. He helped her realize that she wanted to continue doing research in an academic environment.