Category Archives: Photos

May 4, 2018 · 12:21 am

Sharing Memories with Classmates

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

Photo contributions from Penn 1993 classmates: Sonia Biswas, Derek Braslow, Allison Brody, Frank Cacurro, Eli Faskha, Allison Feder Fliegler, Debbie Frank, Amy Frary, Lisa Grabelle, Leila Graham-Willis, Mike Hardy, Debbie Jaffe, Stephen Jung, Joe Kopcha, Valerie Broadwin Mutterperl, Amy Raslevich, Eliza Schleifstein, Lauren Siegel Shannon, Allyson Wagner Sonenshine, Wendy Spander, Julie Avila Stuckman, Jennifer Warren, Katrina Cooley Weller, and Joel Yarbrough

As we move closer to our 25th Reunion, classmates are digging through old photos and sharing them in our class Facebook group (if you’re Penn’93 and you have not joined yet, you are missing out on the fun!)

There isn’t a theme to this post, other than fond memories of our time at Penn. Below are photos from parties, from gatherings, from Sorority formals, photos that show our class together with smiles on our faces. Some photos in the back show us what campus used to look like, or of buildings or establishments that no longer exist (we’re still looking for photos of the old bookstore, the Palladium, and Troy’s).

Billybob’s!! Photo courtesy of Leila Graham-Willis

Penn Celebrates it’s 250th Birthday with a sign on the Penn Tower – now gone.

Thank you to all of our classmates that shared their photos and memories with us. We are looking forward to making more memories on campus at our 25th Reunion. We hope you will Meet us at the Button May 11 – 14, 2018!

On a SEPTA bus

Random photos of classmates doing random things.

Submitted for our power point slide show for either or 10th or 15th reunion – Keg!

Couches outside, photo courtesy of Derek Braslow

Budweiser! photo courtesy of Allison Brody

Sorority photos from Allison Feder Fliegler

Sigma Delta Tau Bid Day 1992 photo courtesy of Allison Feder Fliegler

Sigma Delta Tau formal 1989 photo courtesy of Allison Feder Fliegler

Here’s a picture of friends from my freshman hall and friends not from our hall, gathering at Karen’s parent’s house outside of Philly for an end of the year barbecue.

Freshman hall-mates and friends photo courtesy of Kiera Reilly

Frank Cacurro shared these photos from parties at Phi Kap.

Phi Kap’s Safe Sex party, photo courtesy of Frank Cacurro

Sign outside of Phi Kap announcing their pig roast

Photos from Jennifer Warren.

photo courtesy of Jennifer Warren

Julie Avila Stuckman shared this photo of friends in the High Rises.

Julie Avila Stuckman with With Catherine Donaldson-Evans, Sonia Verma Parekh and Jennifer Yang Weedn.

The Penn Band

Penn Band tubas

Warwick 2nd floor, photo courtesy of Lisa Grabelle

I love this photo of Hey Day since it’s alongside the stores on 38th Street that were next to the old Penn bookstore. This photo is taken looking north towards Walnut Street.

Penn-1993-hey-day

More Hey Day photos from an old reunion power point slide show.

Hey Day April 1992

Eli Faska shared this photo from a paintball outing: A Paintball outing in Jim Thorpe, PA, with Joseph Esses W’93, someone I don’t remember his name, Joseph Cohen, W’94, Eli Faskha, W’93 ENG’93, and Elias Maloul C’94.

I included the “I don’t remember” because I think as all of us look through our photos, we are all saying to ourselves, “Who is THAT?”

Penn 1993

Another great source of memories is Poor Richard’s Record – has anyone looked through it lately?

Poor Richard’s Record 1993 photo courtesy of Eli Faska

Outside of Franklin Field, photo from Allison Brody.

Outside of Franklin Field Emily Leong, Karen Grimm Berry and Voula Tsoutsiplides Koutsoris photo courtesy of Allison Brody

Fun photos with friends and a homemade Eagles shirt, photos from Derek Braslow.

photo courtesy of Derek Braslow

Pictures of buildings from Jennifer Warren.

Junior Balcony in the Quad photo courtesy of Jennifer Warren

Unpacking a dorm room photo courtesy of Jennifer Warren

unrenovated quad, photo courtesy of Jennifer Warren

Another Franklin Field photo, this from the upper stands courtesy of Wendy Spander.

Upper stands at Franklin Field, photo courtesy of Wendy Spander: Julio Arias, Julie Greene, Josh Astrof, Rachel Cytron

Photos from the DP banquet Senior Year from Wendy Spander.

DP banquet – Dan Israel and Mike Mishkin photo courtesy of Wendy Spander

DP banquet -photo courtesy of Wendy Spander

Photos from Mike Hardy.

Jessica Davis Ba and Kysha Harris, photo courtesy of Mike Hardy

Friars! Photo courtesy of Mike Hardy

Drinking out of paper bags and smoking cigars on Locust Walk with Mike Hardy, Jim Fleischer, Steve Ranieri, Seth Fischoff and Dave Franklin

Third floor English House group photo from Freshman year courtesy of Stephen Jung.

Third floor English House freshman year courtesy of Stephen Jung

Photos from Joel Yarbroughl – one looks to be a freshman dorm hall, and the other is from Hey Day 1993 for the Class of 1994.

Looks to be a dorm photo courtesy of Joel Yarbrough

Hey Day 1993 – if they’re seniors what does that make us? Photo courtesy of Joel Yarbrough

Lauren Siegel Shannon shared this group of photos and it makes me laugh because of the phone cords!

photo courtesy of Lauren Siegel Shannon

Photos from a Sphinx outing into Center City.

Sphinx dinner in Center city photo courtesy of Kiera Reilly

Allyson Wagner Sonenshine shared photos of Off the Beat and Kappa Alpha Theta’s sorority formal.

Off the Beat photo courtesy of Allyson Wagner Sonenshine

Kappa Alpha Theta spring formal 1993 photo courtesy of Allyson Wagner Sonenshine

Debbie Frank shared a photo of a photo collage with photos of many classmates and many pictures from Hey Day.

Photo collage from Debbie Frank

Sonia Biswas shared these photos and this story: Joseph Ayers and I have been friends since the first weekend of Freshman year when we lived on the fifth floor of English House. In 2010, we were both deployed to Afghanistan, and Joe transited my base. We were able to spend a few minutes catching up at the crack of dawn before Joe headed out to his base. From hanging out at Penn to working hard and reminiscing in war zones #EH54ever!

Sonia Biswas and Joseph Ayers in 1990

Sonia Biswas and Joseph Ayers in 1993

Katrina Cooley Weller shared this photo of her with Volleyball teammates Stephanie Bell Loller and Gina Herrera Duggan.

Penn Volleyball teammates from Penn 1993

Debbie Jaffe shared this photo from Spring Fling – interesting to note the footwear everyone is wearing. The second photo provides lots of background dorm decor, and the third is hanging on College Green.

Spring Fling photo courtesy of Debbie Jaffe with Jody Sheinbaum Reich, Richard Gorelick, Hilary Hotchkiss, David Doft, Derek Braslow, Navin Valrani, Jordan Rohan, jeff gold, Jen Marlowe and Barry Mark.

Debbie Jaffe shared this photo of Wayne Weil and Barry Mark

Hanging on College Green – Rajeev Garside, Debbie Jaffe and Lori Bean Geisinger

Love this photo of Penn cheerleader Dana Batles Smith.

Dana Matles Smith photo courtesy of Joel Yarbrough

We love these photos from Valerie Broadwin Mutterperl of classmates in the Quaker spirit!

Go Penn photo courtesy of Valerie Broadwin Mutterperl with Rick Greenberg, Andy Baker, Brian Jonas and Mike Gross.

Quakers! photo courtesy of Valerie Broadwin Mutterperl with Janet Miller Stier, Mina Bayik, Jeff Kelly, Jackie Einstein Astrof, Andy Baker and Mike Gross.

Stephen Jung shared this photo of the Community Service Living Learning Project retreat.

Community Service Living Learning Project retreat photo courtesy of Stephen Jung

Amy Raslevich shared this photo and the caption: Bringing the concerns of Wharton Democrats (all four of us) to Harris Wofford.

Amy Raslevich and Harris Wofford

Amy Frary shared these photos which show a lot of backgrounds of interest.

Photo courtesy of Amy Frary

Joe Kopcha shared photos highlighting the fashions of the day – acid wash jeans, mock turtlenecks and those belts.

Acid Wash jeans photo by Joe Kopcha

Eliza Schleifstein shared a photo of her hallmates in Warwick 1.

Warwick 1 photo courtesy of Eliza Schleifstein

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of April 20-21, marked 3 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

Register NOW to attend our 25th Reunion!

Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!
Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
Book your hotel room or AirBnB now! See our class website for details.
Tag all of your social media posts #penn1993 and #pennalumni!

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Filed under 25th Reunion, Campus Life, Class of 1993, Kiera R., Photos

Tagged as 93tothe25th, fraternities, Freshman year, Penn Class of 1993, SEPTA, Sorority

April 6, 2017 · 10:23 am

Cheering for Women’s Basketball at the Big Dance in LA

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

It started with a direct message on twitter on Monday afternoon, March 13th. Philly.com’s Big 5 Basketball reporter (and Penn and DP alumnus) Jonathan Tannenwald, sent me a message, “Get to the women’s selection show asap. That’s all I can say for now.”

What was he talking about? A quick search on the internet, and I soon knew – the Penn Women’s Basketball team was headed to Los Angeles for the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament!

Penn was seeded 12th in the Bridgeport (Connecticut) Regional and was set to play fifth-seeded Texas A&M in the first round at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, March 18.

The next morning, I connected with my classmate Mitchell Kraus, C’93, and we simultaneously purchased our tickets for the game in the Penn section from Penn athletics. We were going to cheer for the Quakers at the Big Dance in Los Angeles!

Let’s Go Quakers! Photo credit Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00

I posted on my Facebook page about the game, and in our class Facebook group, and soon another classmate, Jodilynn Baird Styner, W’93, had purchased game tickets as well.

On the day of the game, Penn Athletics hosted a pre-game reception, and I was happy to see fellow fans Jordan Rockwell, C’00, and his wife Julie, and Harry Rosenberg, W’79, and his wife Laurie Sayet. After toasting Penn and the Quakers, we walked over to Pauley Pavilion for the start of the game.

Pauley Pavilion at UCLA, home of the first round of the women's NCAA basketball tournament in 2017

Pauley Pavilion at UCLA, photo credit Vicky Sin, C’00

NCAA Women's Basketball tournament first round t-shirts on sale at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion

NCAA tournament t-shirts on sale, photo credit Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00

Jordan and I were excited to see the display at Pauley with the four teams competing in the first round there – and posed by the Penn Athletics logo.

Jordan Rockwell, C’00, and I pose by the Penn logo on display at Pauley Pavilion

And then we bumped into the Quaker!

Kiera Reilly and Jordan Rockwell pose with the Penn Athletics mascot the Quaker at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion

The Quaker is in Los Angeles!

We were excited to see that the Penn Band and Penn Cheer made the trip to Los Angeles too.

Penn Band and Cheerleaders at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

Penn Band and Cheerleaders, photo credit Vicky Sin, C’00

Penn warms up before the game, photo credit JodiLynne Bayrd Steiner, W’93

Soon, the players were being announced and the game was underway.

Penn Women's Basketball team at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion for round one of the NCAA tournament

The Penn Women’s Basketball team huddles, photo credit Laurie Sayet

And what a game it was. For three quarters, Penn dominated the game. And then Texas A&M turned things around with just over eight minutes left to play and won the game 63-61. For a complete re-cap of the game, you can read more from Penn Athletics.

Penn cheerleaders during a break in the game, photo credit Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00

Penn Band plays at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion

The Penn Band sounded awesome! Photo credit Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00

Penn Women's Basketball huddles during NCAA Women's Basketball tournament round 1 game

Penn huddles during the game, photo credit Vicky Sin, C’00

While the Quakers lost, we were thrilled to watch them play in Los Angeles. This was Penn’s third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years, and this year was a successful season. The team won the inaugural Ivy League Tournament with a win over Princeton, and won the Ivy League regular season title with a 13-1 record and were 22-7 overall. Junior Michelle Nwokedi was named the Ivy League Player of the Year.

Here are some photos and thoughts from fellow Quaker fans at the game. Let’s give a big Hurrah, Hurrah to the Women’s Basketball team! #FightonPenn

“We all wish the game would have ended differently, but it was still a lot of fun to see the team play — not to mention the Quaker and the band! Especially for those of us who can’t get back to Philadelphia very often, it was an exciting opportunity for us to show our Penn pride here at home.” ~Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00

“Well although the team lost, the band sounded great and is still undefeated.”

~Mitchell Kraus, C’93

“I loved seeing the Penn Women’s Basketball team at the NCAA game at Pauley Pavilion. Having grown up in Los Angeles, it was a special treat to hear, “The Red and the Blue,” and watch the Penn Band in my hometown. I felt proud to be in the stands with my Penn t-shirt on cheering! Go Quakers!” ~Lisa Niver, C’89

“I am very proud of our team for their achievements! The players are amazing. I’d gone to two NCAA games with the Penn Band for the men’s team in 1999 and 2000 but this is the first women’s post-season game I’ve attended. So it was really fun for me personally to get back in the “crazy fan” mode. The band sounded awesome as always! Special shout-out to Greer for fearlessly herding a plane load of college kids across the country and back.” ~ Vicky Sin, C’00

“It was wonderful to rekindle the Penn spirit and sing all the great Penn songs!” ~JodiLynne Bayrd Steiner, W’93

“In spite of the loss, Saturday was so fun! I got more fired up as the game went on! No matter where we are, as long as there are at least two Quaker fans in the seats, it feels like a million!”

~Jordan Rockwell, C’00

Penn Band at UCLA Pauley Pavilion during NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

The Penn Band remains undefeated!

Mitchell Kraus, C’93, with his son, and I pose with Penn Band Director Greer Cheeseman, EAS’79

Lisa Niver, C'89, with the Quaker at Pauley Pavilion UCLA for NCAA Women's Basketball tournament

Everyone wants a photo with the Quaker! Here he poses with Lisa Niver, C’89

Penn Alumni Kiera Reilly and Lisa Niver at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

I love that Lisa is wearing a very limited edition I ❤ LA Penn t-shirt!

Everyone wanted a picture with the Quaker! Here I am with Penn Club LA’s Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00

Penn section at the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament at UCLA Penn vs Texas A&M

I walked around after half-time and took this photo of the Penn section

Game action, photo credit Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00

Penn Women’s Basketball bench during the game, photo credit Kiera Reilly, C’93

Penn Cheerleaders rally the Penn fans

I walked around after half-time and took this photo of the Penn section

Penn Band on the center scoreboard screen at Pauley Pavilion, photo credit Vicky Sin, C’00

Penn Band and Cheerleaders

Penn Cheerleaders and the Quaker sit in front of the Penn Band during the game, photo credit Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00

Ivy League Champions Penn Women’s Basketball!

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Filed under Athletics, Kiera R., Lisa Ellen Niver, Los Angeles, Penn Athletics, Penn Basketball, Photos

Tagged as Los Angeles, NCAA, Penn basketball, Penn Club of Los Angeles, Penn Women's Basketball

December 13, 2016 · 9:16 am

Freshman Dorms in 1989 (77 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

A recent post in our #93tothe25th countdown to our 25th reunion looked back at our Freshman Move-In in September, 1989. This week, we went back into our pre-digital camera archives to unearth photos of where and how we lived that first year at Penn. It is interesting to see that while everyone has their own personal style, there is a definite similarity to the rooms and the things that were in vogue in the Fall of 1989. Be sure to look closely at the photos to notice small things like original Macintosh computers, phones with cords, and the all important music posters.

Thank you to classmates Danny Bockvar, Marianne Alves Brogdale, Amy Korn Duque, Christine Lutton Foster, Brooke Hayes, Meredith Prevor-Weiss, Allison Laney Richards, and Jessica Zirkel-Rubin for sharing your photos with us!

Upper Quad

I lived on the 2nd floor of Franklin in the Upper Quad. I shared a triple with Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro and Randi Mosler, and while we were technically assigned to Franklin Hall, our triple and the one across the hall from us were separated from the rest of the Franklin rooms by fire doors. So the Brooks-Leidy Hall adopted us.

We scored a triple in the Upper Quad – room 222 Franklin! Randi, Lisa and Kiera on move-in day, 1989.

Since we had a triple room, there were two tiny single rooms and one large central room. We swapped rooms throughout the year, but for the first part of the year, I had one of the single rooms.

Kiera Reilly freshman dorm room at University of Pennsylvania in the Upper Quad

My bed in one of the side rooms of our triple in the Upper Quad.

Kiera Reilly's freshman dorm room in the Upper Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania

The view from my bed out the window. For some reason I thought buying an ironing board was a good idea.

This photo is dark, but you can partially see the view of the Quad through the window.

Kiera Reilly's view from her dorm room in the Upper Quad at the University of Pennsylvania

Looking out into the Upper Quad.

The RA for the 2nd floor of Brooks-Leidy, Mark. Remember milk crates?

RA for the 2nd floor of Brooks-Leidy in the Upper Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania

I think RA’s had a double-sized room all to themselves.

High Rises

Amy Korn Duque shares, “My freshman move-in day at Penn, I was assigned to a high rise on the 14th floor, sharing an apartment-style dorm with 2 girls from Colombia and one from Staten Island. (I am still in touch with 2 out of 3.) One of my roommates had gone to high school with a Wharton sophomore, who came over to help us move in and get settled. They were not particularly good friends, but we hit it off right away. He and I have now been married for 21 years, and this year we saw our son off to Penn for his own freshman move-in day.”

Amy Korn Duque and Alejandra Torres in High Rise South Room 1413.

Room 1413, High Rise South

Marianne Alves Brogdale also sent in a photo of her room in the High Rises, and coincidentally, she was a floor above Amy in Room 1513!

Marianne Alves Brogdale in her room, 1513 High Rise South

Dorm room at 1513 High Rise South the University of Pennsylvania in Fall 1989

Bulletin board in Marianne’s room

Room 1513 in High Rise South at the University of Pennsylvania in Fall, 1989

Marianne’s desk

Lower Quad – Community House

Jessica Zirkel-Rubin sent a photo of her room, number 258 in Warwick.

Room 258 Warwick in the Lower Quad, shared by Jessica Zirkel-Rubin

Allison Laney Richards also sent photos from the 2nd floor of Warwick. Allison writes that there was a cheer for the floor, “Warwick 2nd Floor, Who could ask for more. In Volleyball we conquer all. We’ll Nail you to the floor.”

Roommates in Warwick, Lower Quad, at University of Pennsylvania in the Fall 1989

Allison and her roommate Jennifer Bloom

dorm room in Warwick in the Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania, Fall 1989

Allison and Jennifer’s room, 2nd floor of Warwick

Warwick 2nd floor dorm room in the Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania, Fall 1989

Allison and Jennifer’s room, 2nd floor of Warwick

dorm room in the 2nd floor of Warwick, the Quadrangle, at the University of Pennsylvania, Fall 1989

Allison and Jennifer’s room

Dorm room door, 2nd floor of Warwick in the Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania Fall 1989

The door to Allison and Jennifer’s room

Another photo of Allison and Jennifer. I guess plaid shirts were “in”?

roommates in the lower quad at the University of Pennsylvania Fall 1989

Jennifer and Allison wearing what was “in” back then – plaid shirts.

Some of Allison’s 2nd floor Warwick hallmates: Neil Sheth, Mark Stern, Ed Miller , and Nick ? feast on pizza, something we all ate at least once a week!

lower Quad dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania in the Fall 1989

Eating the college food staple – pizza – in the Lower Quad

Jim Fleischer and Allison in his room. Allison writes, “Jim lived across the hall from me Freshman year; Regan (Allan) was in my sorority; I introduced them and now they are married.”

Allison Laney Richards and Jim Fleischer were hallmates on the the 2nd floor of Warwick

Jim Fleischer in his room, 2nd floor Warwick.

Greg Fatzinger in his room, 2nd floor Warwick.

A photo from an “all night drink fest” (party after finals done and before flying home) in a Butcher 2nd floor dorm room. Pictured: Jeff McKibben, Samantha Leventhal, Allison Laney Richards, and Rob Hathaway.

Party in Butcher 2nd floor dorm room, lower Quad, University of Pennsylvania, Fall 1989

Pictured: Jeff McKibben, Samantha Leventhal, Allison Laney Richards, and Rob Hathaway.

Kings Court – English House

Christine Lutton Foster had this photo of a sign from her dorm door.

Door sign from Kings Court – English House

Near the Mail Room in the Quad

Meredith Prevor-Weiss sent photos from EF Smith in the Quad.

roommates from the Quadrangle, University of Pennsylvania, Fall 1989

Meredith Prevor-Weiss and her roommate Heather Caslow

Chris Van Reid and Paul Arrouet outside on the Junior Balcony

roommates in the Quad, University of Pennsylvania, Fall 1989

Bryon ? and Adam Bernstein

roommates in the Quadrangle at Penn, Fall 1989

Kathyanne Cohen and Jennifer Friedman

Heather Caslow and Paul Arrouet

Roommates Then, Friends Now

Brooke Hayes sent a photo of him and his roommate Jason McLane sitting by Ben on the Bench freshman year. Brooke and Jason lived in Foerderer in Upper Quad. And then Brooke sent a photo with his daughter Cameron (and wife Hilary Marion Hayes, also a classmate) and Jason’s daughter Hannah in the same pose with Ben on the Bench. Cameron and Hannah entered Penn this year as Freshman and are roommates living in Speakman!

Dads at Penn were roommates and now their daughters are freshman roommates

Brooke Hayes and Jason McLane as roommates in 1989 and their daughters as roommates at Penn now!

Danny Bockvar sent a photo of himself, his twin brother Johnny and his roommate Paul Altman (they lived in the Class of ’28) from Freshman year, and then a photo of the three of them today.

Danny and Johnny Bockvar with Paul Altman in Class of ’28

Danny and Johnny Bockvar with Paul Altman today

Coincidentally, while looking through the scrapbook I made from Freshman year, I found this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer about our class moving in and starting life at Penn. The best part? Paul and Johnny are quoted in the article! I wonder if Paul can tell the difference between the Bockvars now? (If you can’t read the image below, the article is online here).

Article from the Philadelphia Inquirer about the Penn Class of 1993 moving in to start their Freshman year at Penn

We received photos from rooms in the Quad and the High Rises, but we are still seeking photos from Hill House, Kings Court/English House, DuBois or other freshman dorms. And we would love to see more photos of other rooms in the Quad and High Rises. We hope to do another post on freshman dorm rooms so if you have any photos, please send them to us!

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

The weekend of November 18-19 marked 77 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we countdown the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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Filed under 25th Reunion, Campus Life, Class of 1993, Kiera R., Memories of Penn, Photos

Tagged as 93tothe25th, Class of 1993, dorms, English House, High Rises, Kings Court, Penn 1993, roommates, Senior Class

January 20, 2016 · 7:17 pm

Penn and Wharton Alumni Schmooze at the Sundance Film Festival

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

This Saturday, Penntertainment, Wharton Club of Southern California, Penn Club LA and Penn Wharton Club of Utah (with Ivy Entertainment) host the 4th Annual Penn/Wharton Sundance Schmooze in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival.

If you are in town for the film festival or for skiing and snowboarding, or if you live in the area, please join us. Advance registration is required.

The 4th Annual Penn/Wharton Sundance Schmooze (with IVY Entertainment)

Meet up with fellow alums in Media, Entertainment, Arts & Technology! Network with old and new friends who are working or playing in Park City. This year we have also opened it up to the IVY Entertainment group!

Organizers: Barbara McCullough, Matt Rosler, Evan Eneman, Art Warsoff

When and Where:
Saturday, January 23, 2016 • 11:00 am – 1:00 PM (MST)

The Spur Bar & Grill
352 Main Street
Park City, UT 84060

Cost: $20 Includes Admission, 1 drink + light appetizers

Spread the word and invite your Penn and Wharton friends!

RSVP here.

Re-Cap of the 3rd Annual Penn/Wharton Sundance Mixer (2015)

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Penn and Wharton Alumni at the 3rd Annual Sundance Schmooze

Thank you to Matt Rosler, Barbara McCullough, and Caroline Waxler for this review. To see all the pictures from last year’s event, visit this Facebook page.

Alumni made a strong showing at the Sundance Film Festival this year, taking a break from deal-making, movie-going, promoting—and skiing!— to attend the 3rd Annual Penn/Wharton Sundance Mix & Mingle. Over 200 people showed up on Saturday, January 24th, at the fabulous Spur Bar and Grill on Main Street in Park City, Utah, for an afternoon of schmoozing with their fellow Quakers at the event sponsored by Penn Club Utah, Penntertainment, Penn Club LA, PennNYC, and Wharton SoCal.

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Since the festival attracts creatives and business types from the worlds of media, entertainment, the arts and technology, the Penn gathering was filled with amazing conversations. From what we hear, there were more than a few connections—and potential deals—that resulted from the event.

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Among the alums in attendance were: Allen Fischer, partner at Principato-Young Entertainment; Marc Simon filmmaker and attorney at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard; Adam Tsekhman, actor (Tsili); Claude Ellis, CEO of vegan meal replacements company Naturade; Sara Braca, senior brand manager of Sabra; Frances Reagan Copinga, managing director of Reagan Outdoor; Steve Corbato, Ph.D., interim Chief Information Office of the University of Utah and the former co-president of the Penn Club Utah; Paul Zane Pilzner, international economist and bestselling author; and Scott Kaplan, head of distribution at Filmbuff.

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Slava Rubin,Wharton ‘00, CEO of the film funding site Indiegogo, stopped by after a press conference announcing his company’s groundbreaking partnership with the video-sharing site, Vimeo. Rubin was being trailed by a PBS film crew doing a special on the highlights of Sundance 2015. We couldn’t agree more than the 3rd Annual Penn/Wharton Sundance Mix & Mingle was one of the highlights.

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Many of the attendees expressed interest in the joining the ranks of the planning committee —Barbara McCullough, Evan Eneman, Caroline Waxler, Matt Rosler—for next year’s event. If that’s you, to, please contact us at penntertainment@gmail.com. We have big ideas for next year including panels and a larger program. W are looking forward to seeing even more alumni in Park City for the festival next year!

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As we will be planning future LA Penntertainment events, please be sure to join our community by registering on our site & social media channels to keep up with the latest news, jobs, alumni advice and contests:

Penn Club of LA | Wharton Club of Southern California | Ivy Entertainment

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For the complete photo gallery of last year’s event, please visit here.

RSVP for the 4th Annul Penn/Wharton Sundance Schmooze here! We hope to see you on Saturday!

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Filed under Alumni Programming, Clubs, Kiera R., Penn Clubs, Photos, Wharton

Tagged as Film Festival, Kiera Reilly, Penn Club Los Angeles, Penn Club of Utah, Penn Clubs, PennClubLA, Penntertainment, Regional clubs, Regional Penn Clubs, Sundance, WhartonSoCal

January 16, 2015 · 11:00 am

Penn Alumni Travel, Iberian Trade Routes, 2014

Author: Penn Professor Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, History of Art Department

When our plane touched down at 8am in Barcelona the first thing that I wanted to do was make a beeline to La Boqueria, the recently restored and restocked public market in the heart of the city. Filled with vendors selling raw and prepared foods, glistening fish, octopus, and barnacles fresh from the Mediterranean, and ridiculously indulgent Spanish jamón, La Boqueria is a perfect place to have a quick and hearty gourmet meal, counter-style, so that you can keep on moving and see as much as possible of this amazing Catalan city. We had a lovely plate of foraged wild mushrooms, sautéed in olive oil and topped by a fried egg, a small caña of beer, and some bread before taking in the beauty of the Antoni Gaudí designed Casa Battló.

A cured meat and cheese stand in La Boqueria, the premiere public market in Barcelona.

We had such a fun-filled day in Barcelona that we barely made it to the magnificent MV Tere Moana for our sail away at 6pm that first night. I was very glad that we did arrive in time because the itinerary, which included Mallorca, Ibiza, Granada, Sevilla, Gibralter, the Algarve, and Lisbon, was fantastic.

Of the five different cruise ships that I have enjoyed sailing on as a faculty host with Penn Alumni Travel, the MV Tere Moana was definitely the most elegant and intimate. With staterooms for less than 100 guests, it was very much like traveling on a private yacht. The ship’s charming and well-trained staff attended to the needs of each traveler individually. By the second night Jonny, the bartender knew my preference for a little Tio Pepe sherry before dinner and Macallan for afters, and by the third he was beginning to make suggestions of custom cocktails that I might like to try. And with drinks being all-inclusive, why not?

Our home for the week, the MV Tere Moana, was patiently waiting for us in its berth in Barcelona.

Well, the very busy itinerary on this trip was a good reason not to indulge too much. Each day was filled with a morning excursion, lunch back on the ship, and then another afternoon excursion followed by just an hour or two of downtime before a lovely dinner. The tour directors from Gohagen kept everything running smoothly and the local guides at each destination made sure that all our questions were answered, from which medieval people had occupied that fortification overlooking the Atlantic in the Algarve region of Portugal, to where to buy the best souvenirs in lovely Mallorca.

The Portuguese Algarve region is home to lovely old villages and fortifications.

And Mallorca, truly the pearl of the Mediterranean, was the highlight of this trip for me. This was the first time that I had visited this delightful, continental-flavored Balearic island filled with gorgeous nineteenth century architecture and an endless harbor jam-packed with enormous yachts. I could have spent the whole week in Mallorca sitting in cafés, drinking coffee and eating lovely pastries.

Almost as satisfying as Mallorca were the stunning cliffs of Gibralter, alive with wild monkeys and riddled with natural caves and military tunnels. I was surprised by how happy the monkeys made me, they were just so cute and funny and absolutely everywhere — climbing on the parade of minivan taxis that snake up and down the side of “The Rock” ferrying tourists to the various attractions that are only reachable via closed roads. As a part of Great Britain with a special economic status, Gibralter was the spot to get a plate of fish and chips and also the best deals on duty free, which seemed to be the main attraction down at sea level.

“The Rock”

The monkeys of Gibralter are surprisingly fun to watch.

Visit Penn Alumni Travel at http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/travel

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Filed under Alumni Programming, Alumnni Education, Faculty perspective, Janell W., Penn Alumni Travel, Photos, Travel, Uncategorized

August 7, 2014 · 3:28 pm

Throwback Thursday – Printed Directories

By Kiera Reilly, C’93 @KieraReilly

Today, while looking through some cabinets in our spare office here in Los Angeles, I rediscovered these print directories from the Penn Club of Los Angeles and the Wharton Club of Colorado. I am guessing that with both clubs the last time they produced a printed directory was in 2000, which would make these the “final edition.”

Penn Club of Los Angeles and Wharton Club of Colorado directories found in the Western Regional Office

Los Angeles directories from 1998, 1999, and 2000

Wharton Club of Colorado alumni directory from 1999-2000

Sponors for UPAASC

Officer listing page for the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Association of Southern California (aka PennClubLA)

Now most of our alumni clubs have a website and an online directory, or none at all, instead referring alumni to QuakerNet, the Penn Alumni online directory, to find local alumni in their community.

Does anyone else have copies of old Penn Alumni club directories?

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Filed under Clubs, Kiera R., Penn Clubs, Photos, West Coast Regional Office

Tagged as Directories, GAN, kiera, Kiera Reilly, Los Angeles, Penn Club Los Angeles, Penn Club of LA, Penn Clubs, Regional clubs, Regional Penn Clubs, TBT, Throwback Thursday, West Coast Regional Office, Wharton, Wharton Club of Colorado

August 5, 2014 · 7:55 pm

Penn Serves LA Strikes Again; This Time With Paint

By Leanne Huebner, W’90

Photos by Kiera Reilly, C’93

Over thirty Penn Alumni and their children joined together for a fun beautification project for El Nido Family Centers in Mission Hills. We were thrilled that Elizabeth Fields, Julie Gutowski and Kiera Reilly from the Penn Western Regional Office joined us. And we welcomed special guests in town from campus Penn Professor David Grossman, Ph.D., Director, Civic House and Civic Scholars Program, and Katie McCarthy from the Penn Development Office, both lending their painting skills for good.

All in all, the team completed the center’s foyer, a key event room, as well as a hallway in bright white. The highlight for many participants was contributing to a full wall-sized canvas mural alongside the Pacoima mural artist. Volunteers brought together her vision for a grand-scale masterpiece to add cheer and interest in the center’s main lobby area.

Stuart Berton, El Nido Board President and Wharton ’61 graduate, thanked the team and provided a great overview of the important work of El Nido, a nonprofit that has served Los Angeles for 89 years. Each year, the centers reach over 11,000 Los Angelenos through its community outreach, early education and teen pregnancy initiatives, and gang-prevention programming. While many individuals come to the center, El Nido social workers are also in the field meeting individuals and assessing families in their homes and schools.

Penn Serves LA’s Jane Gutman with El Nido’s Stuart Berton

A few highlights of their work were shared. For instance, their GRYD program for gang-prevention has experienced success rates of up to 98% working with at-risk youth. Their teen pregnancy recidivism rate is 80% lower than the national average, with only 4% of teenage mothers they serve having a second child before they turn twenty years old.

Penn Serves LA’s Leanne Huebner is thrilled with the event.

“We are excited to help El Nido with such a great, enthusiastic group of volunteers,” shares Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’14, PAR’16, one of the Penn Serves LA Directors and coordinator of this event. “And to have David and Katie here from Penn lending a hand makes our day of brightening the facility with fresh paint all the better.”

View all the photos from the day here.

The entire group poses to celebrate a job well done!

The next Penn Serves’ event will be Saturday, August 9th from 9 a.m. to noon and you can reserve your spot here. Penn will be serving LA Waterkeepers in an effort to help identify the impact of debris on our area’s water supply. “It’s a great opportunity for your science-minded side as we will be surveying and collecting valuable data,” shares Christine Belgrad, W’87, PAR’15, PAR’17, event coordinator.
Many of the past Penn Serves sell out, so please reserve your spot quickly.

Read about our past events:

December, 2013 – Holidays are a Time for Giving

November, 2013 – Sending Holiday Warmth to our Troops

August and September, 2013 – Serving the Environment and LA Leadership Academy

May, 2013 – One on One Outreach

March, 2013 – Habitat for Humanity

January, 2013 – Inner City Arts

September, 2012 – The Midnight Mission

June, 2012 – Turning Point Shelter

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Family Programming, Guest blogger, Kiera R., Los Angeles, Penn Serves LA, Photos, Volunteering, West Coast Regional Office

Tagged as Aileen Level, community service, Denise Winner, El Nido Family Centers, Irene Park, Jane Gutman, Jeff Weston, kiera, Kiera Reilly, Leanne Huebner, Los Angeles, Penn Serves LA, Photographs, photos, Volunteering, West Coast Regional Office

July 2, 2014 · 6:38 pm

Penn Club of San Diego Goes South of the Border for Street Eats

By B. Bea Rajsombath, C’99, club president

There are a lot of great things about living in sunny San Diego, including over 70 miles of beautiful coastline, the nice Mediterranean climate, pockets of diverse neighborhoods with their own vibe, mountains or beaches within miles of each other, great restaurants and bars, its proximity to Tijuana, and so much more.

The Penn Club of San Diego works on creating events and activities that feature the neighborhood gems and life in San Diego; events any of our alumni can appreciate, whether they recently moved here or are returning natives.

In November 2013, the Club joined Turista Libre for a wine tour in Valle de Guadalupe. Based on that successful and fun adventure, we had requests to organize another event south of the border. As Turista Libre (TL) focuses on organizing tours highlighting the local aspects of Tijuana and surrounding areas, we worked with them to deliver another event for our alumni. Passports in hand on March 22, Penn alumni and friends met up with TL at San Ysidro, the last US stop before reaching Mexico, about 15 miles south of San Diego. We were joined by a few other TL guests to walk across the border to board a small school bus operated by TL to start our adventure tour: TJ Street Eats.

Penn Alumni and friends

We started our day with a birria taco from a busy food truck stationed on a non-descript street by a Staples. It was simple, yet bursting with flavor. A cheese quesadilla was offered to our vegetarian guests. The tacos were so delicious most of us wanted more, but we were advised by TL to limit ourselves to the one because we had a number of stops to make. A few of us couldn’t hold out though and had to try a second taco.

A birria taco

Our second stop was at Kokopelli’s food truck, for black Harder ceviche de lenguado tostada. Our vegetarian guests feasted on grilled Portobello mushroom tacos. At this point, more guests were losing their willpower to hold off on just one item and explored some other offerings from Kokopelli’s. A few also ventured to try a seemingly, innocent pink-colored salsa…and suffered through the burning from a habanero-beet mixture. TL also offered up some Tecate beer for refreshments before we headed to our third stop.

A tostada

Before we reached Tio Pepe, a wonderful bottle of tequila was shared. Some of us are still searching for the bottle on this side of the border. Tio Pepe is a neighborhood gem with plastic tables and chairs, friendly staff and a bustling lunch crowd. I would love to go back…if I can find my way there! Here, we sat down to enjoy Guadalajara-style torta ahogadas, a few rounds of Corona and some ventured off to order additional tacos. I don’t know where they found room.

Torta Ahogada

After indulging ourselves, we still had two more stops! The next was at Tepoznieves, an artisan ice cream parlor with more than 100 flavors. Unfortunately, I was too busy sampling the flavors and enjoying my selection of three small scoops to capture any photos to share. On the way to our last stop, another bottle of tequila was brought you to be shared. Finally, we made it to Baja Craft Beers for a sampling of house brews. We essentially had the place to ourselves so early in the afternoon. The brewery had great space and a long list of local and international beers available.

Baja Craft Brewery

Alas, our great little adventure came to an end by 5pm and TL returned us to the border to make our way back across to the US. We definitely enjoyed our TJ Street Eats tour and working with Turista Libre again. We already have requests to repeat both the wine tour and the TJ Street eats.

The Penn Club of San Diego and Turista Libre

These are just a few of the activities and events the Penn Club of San Diego organizes for local alumni in the greater San Diego area. If you are interested in learning about these and other events, please contact us via email, join our email listserv, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

Our next event is a yPenn Happy Hour on July 10^th. We hope to see you there!

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Clubs, Food Fiends, GAN, Guest blogger, Penn Clubs, Photos

Tagged as Event, Facebook, Food, foodies, Mexico, Penn Club of San Diego, Penn Clubs, Photographs, photos, Regional clubs, Regional Penn Clubs, san diego, Street Eats, Tijuana

July 1, 2014 · 7:09 am

Seattle Alumni Put on Aprons for an Evening to Help Alleviate Poverty

By: Haley Shapley, C’06

Thanks to a little help from the Penn Club of Seattle, at least one person will be able to transition from the streets to a job in the hospitality industry.

It was all part of Guest Chef Night at FareStart, a culinary job training and placement program for homeless individuals in Seattle. Since 1992, FareStart has provided opportunities for nearly 7,000 people to transform their lives, while also serving more than 6 million meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children.

The tables are set for FareStart’s Guest Chef Night, with Penn Alumni Club of Seattle members as guest servers.

Each Thursday evening, prominent guest chefs come to work with the students as part of their 16-week food-service program. The three-course meal is served by volunteers, which is where Penn alumni came in.

Chef Sam Hassan explains the evening’s menu.

Although none in the group had any restaurant experience to speak of, on April 24 we got a crash course in the art of serving, learning the importance of checking back within two bites, refilling waters regularly (and not touching the rim of the glass!), and how to properly carry a tray. Chef Sam Hassan of Maple Falls Cafe provided a tasting of the Mandioca Frita, NW by SE Pasta, and Mango Raspberry Cobbler beforehand so that we’d be able to answer questions about the ingredients when guests inquired (Just what is yuca? Ask us; we know!).

The featured servers tonight – the Penn Club of Seattle!

Penn Alumni getting trained

Six hours, countless pitchers of water, and a few cramped fingers later, we’d served 169 diners, raising a total of $7,116 for FareStart’s training programs, including donations of $181 and tips of $1,327. All in all, it’s more than enough to give one student safe housing, the full 16-week culinary program, and comprehensive wrap-around services.

It’s a full house.

The program has a 90 percent job placement rate within three months for students after graduation, and each Guest Chef Night includes a graduation ceremony with those who’ve completed the 16-week program successfully. On our night, we watched two grads get ready to move on to the next stage of their lives, including Tina, who didn’t miss a single day. “It’s made me stay focused instead of every day wondering what’s going to happen,” she said.

Rupi Sureshkumar, Maria Seredina, and David Blum watch the graduation festivities.

Bob, who moved to Seattle in July with a big plan that fell apart, was equally grateful. “I thank this program; it really rescued me,” he said. “I learned a lot and I appreciate it. This program is ingenious to solve the problem of homelessness and poverty.”

Bellies full of delectable ingredients like shaved Parmigiano, smoked fish, and Chantilly cream, we scattered into the night back to our respective homes — energized by the experience and humbled by the fact that we made a contribution, however small, to the students being able to have homes to return to as well.

Penn alumni enjoy a hard-earned meal at the end of the evening.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Clubs, GAN, Guest blogger, Penn Clubs, Photos, Volunteering

Tagged as community service, Event, Fare Start, penn alumni, Penn Club of Seattle, Penn Clubs, photos, Regional clubs, Regional Penn Clubs, seattle, Volunteering

May 28, 2014 · 8:19 am

70 Years Since Graduating and He’s Still Got the “Hurrah!” for Penn

By Kiera Reilly, C’93 @KieraReilly

I always tell people that Commencement Day at Penn is the happiest day on campus, and this year, on May 19 as Penn celebrated its 258th Commencement, was no exception. In Alumni Relations, we help with the alumni processional portion of the event – alumni from every undergraduate class at Penn carry flags from their graduating year and march into Franklin Field after the graduates.

We arrive early in the morning, so we can “get robed” in our caps and gowns, and then wait for the alumni to arrive. The alumni robing is near the academic processional staging area, and I happened to be looking at President Gutmann and commencement speaker John Legend’s, C’99, chairs when the University Mace was delivered. Leslie Kruhly, the Secretary of the University, leads the academic procession carrying the mace.

The staging area for the academic procession. The University’s mace was just delivered.

Me and my colleague Casey Ryan, C'95. We lead the alumni procession down Locust Walk and into Franklin Field.

My colleague Casey Ryan, C’95, and I are robed and ready to go. We led the alumni procession down Locust Walk and into Franklin Field.

After everyone is robed, we wait a bit before we get the cue to begin. Here everyone is lined up waiting for the academic procession to pass.

The alumni procession waiting for the academic procession.

Then we march down Locust Walk to the front of the Sweeten Alumni House. It was a beautiful day and everyone on campus was lining the walk cheering and clapping for the alumni.

Alumni flag bearers line Locust Walk to congratulate the newest Penn Alumni!

The alumni flag bearers then line Locust Walk and wait for the graduates. The graduates march down Locust Walk through our line of alumni flags, and the alumni cheer, clap and congratulate the newest members of Penn Alumni.

Some graduates casually walk by, others pose for pictures with their friends, or their parents and family try to capture a candid moment of them walking to graduate. And in the midst of the several thousand graduates passing us by, at the front of the alumni flag line, was Harry Gross, W’44. Harry graduated in 1944, that’s seventy years ago for those of you having a bit of trouble with the math. He wore a fun Red and Blue hat, and as he sat in his chair holding the Class of 1944 flag, he was arguably the most popular man on Locust Walk. Yes, everyone wanted to wave to President Gutmann and take a selfie with John Legend, but Harry was the star.

Graduates thanked him for coming. They shook his hand, they said wow. And when they said congratulations, Harry simply replied, “Congratulations to YOU!” And then he told them that they’d be in his same spot in seventy years!

Posing with Harry

Congratulations to Penn’s Class of 2014! We’ll see you in 2084 (and we hope every year in between).

Hurrah, Hurrah, for the Red and the Blue!

Commencement from the alumni flag bearer’s view.

Here’s Harry leading the alumni processional into Franklin Field.

Watch videos of President Gutmann’s commencement speech and John Legend’s address here (and also photos of the day).

See all the Penn Commencement tweets #PennGrad.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Class of 1993, Commencement, Kiera R., Notable Alumni, Photos

Tagged as commencement, graduation, Kiera Reilly, Locust Walk, penn alumni, penn grad, penngrad, photos

Category Archives: Photos

Sharing Memories with Classmates

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

Cheering for Women’s Basketball at the Big Dance in LA

Freshman Dorms in 1989 (77 Weeks To Go)

Upper Quad

High Rises

Lower Quad – Community House

Kings Court – English House

Near the Mail Room in the Quad

Roommates Then, Friends Now

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

Penn and Wharton Alumni Schmooze at the Sundance Film Festival

Re-Cap of the 3rd Annual Penn/Wharton Sundance Mixer (2015)

Penn Alumni Travel, Iberian Trade Routes, 2014

Throwback Thursday – Printed Directories

Penn Serves LA Strikes Again; This Time With Paint

Penn Club of San Diego Goes South of the Border for Street Eats

Seattle Alumni Put on Aprons for an Evening to Help Alleviate Poverty

70 Years Since Graduating and He’s Still Got the “Hurrah!” for Penn

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Roommates Then, Friends Now

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

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Re-Cap of the 3rd Annual Penn/Wharton Sundance Mixer (2015)

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