Author: Kelly G.
“Your participation matters. You can make an impact on the University and its students today. The advancement of the University relies on your support. Penn students and faculty are reaching new heights as a result of alumni giving.”
I spend my days communicating these ideas to our proud Penn alumni, parents, and friends. And I stand behind them. I truly believe in the mission of The Penn Fund in supporting the highest priorities – literally, whatever is needed most that year, from light bulbs to student financial aid – of undergraduate education at Penn. (Don’t worry, this isn’t a solicitation!) But in the midst of talking about students, we sometimes forget to learn about them. Sure, they stand next to us in line at Cosi or offer us fliers as we walk down Locust Walk, but we don’t always know their stories.
This past February, that all changed for me. As part of a direct mail campaign to alumni, I prepared five letters under the signatures of five different Penn students – all from various schools and backgrounds. I interviewed them at length, wrote letters using their voice and experiences and held photography shoots for them. In that time, I was absolutely blown away by their inspirational accomplishments at such a young age.
Rachel, C’12 participates in extensive research at the vet school and runs her own non-profit organization, Hand2Paw, dedicated to bringing together homeless teens and shelter animals within a mutually beneficial program. Since 2009, the organization has impacted the lives of over 70 homeless youth and over 1,000 homeless animals.
Matt, C’11 is the first directly-elected president of the Undergraduate Assembly at Penn. His responsibilities range from designating budgets and resources to the hundreds of student clubs and activities on campus. He also volunteers his time to One in Four, an all-male peer education group that presents programs on how men can help a sexual assault survivor, while balancing his academic research and studies as a Health and Societies major.
Kabir, W’11, C’11 moved from India to attend Penn and has since interned at Google and volunteered his business skills to organizations in Bolivia. He loves being involved in all kinds of campus activities including serving as a tour guide, a Red and Blue caller and a Daily Pennsylvanian writer. Most impressive is his desire to use his Wharton education to combine societal gain with profitable produces in the developing world through his social entrepreneurship studies.
Laura, NU’11 was introduced to nursing when she arrived at Penn and quickly realized it was her life’s calling. In her junior year, she took her passion for nursing education global when she studied abroad in London where she completed geriatrics and adult clinical rotations in a hospital there. This is something unheard of for more nursing students! After returning to Penn, Laura began groundbreaking research exploring the impact of nursing academic exchange programs.
Spencer, ENG’11 is working side-by-side with faculty from the School of Medicine on solving the mysteries of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a malignant disease that, despite recent advances in treatment, claims many lives. By taking advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of Penn, Spencer is immersed in research and experiments that could one day save lives.
And these are only five of the University’s over 10,000 undergraduate students! I find them to be truly inspirational and impressive. And most of all, every single one of them are truly kind and generous students who volunteered their time and names for The Penn Fund. Thank you Rachel, Matt, Kabir, Laura and Spencer!
Frankly Penn 