Author: Stephanie Yee, C’08
My next two weekends will be full of Penn. First up is Penn Spectrum on September 20-22, 2013.
Penn Spectrum is the University’s weekend-long alumni conference devoted entirely to celebrating diversity. Though any interested alumni may attend, Penn Spectrum will focus on programs of interest to Asian, Black, Latino, Native American, and LGBT communities, the populations served by the existing volunteer coalition of the Penn Alumni Diversity Alliance. Penn Spectrum is only every 3 years (the first was in 2010), so you definitely don’t want to miss out. The next one won’t be until 2016!
I am most looking forward to the academic panels and breakout sessions. As Programming Chair of Penn Spectrum, I made sure to populate the panels with only the most impressive and amazing Penn faculty and alumni. My job wasn’t hard since there are SO MANY incredible Penn faculty and alumni to choose from. A few of my favorites…
My friend Terra L. Gearhart-Serna, JD, C’07, will be on the Legal Matters panel. Terra and I have been friends since my freshman year. I can’t wait to hear her speak about her pro bono work on immigration and women’s rights. I am also excited about hearing from Kristin Haskins-Simms, C’93, Principal Designer at Krysi (formerly Strangefruit), on the Career Paths panel. Kristin was a contestant on Season 8 of Project Runway – I remember watching her on tv! I heard Kristin speak at a Multicultural Outreach Career Spotlight in 2010, and she was fantastic. The keynote speaker for the Asian/Pacific Islander Alumni Reunion seated dinner is Dr. Angela Duckworth, Ph.D., G’03, GR’06, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology. Dr. Duckworth’s research on grit is fascinating, and I can’t wait to hear her speak live for the first time. There’s something for everyone at Penn Spectrum 2013. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Don’t miss out! Click here to see the full schedule.
The weekend after Penn Spectrum, I will be attending the Penn Reunion Leadership Conference (PRLC) on September 27-28, 2013. 
PRLC is designed to help alumni volunteers prepare for their upcoming class reunion. The conference covers everything from how to get the word out about your reunion to event planning to how to raise funds for your class reunion gift. If your class reunion is coming up in May 2014, come to PRLC to start planning the big celebration! I attended PRLC last year to start planning my 5th reunion. It was a great place to reconnect with classmates and to start building our reunion committee. This year, I will be attending PRLC as a member of the Alumni Class Leadership Council (ACLC). The ACLC is the governing and advisory board for alumni classes and the host of PRLC. We are a council of volunteer alumni leaders from classes across eight decades – that’s right, EIGHT DECADES! PRLC is a must attend for anyone interested in reunion planning. You will learn a lot, and you will have a lot of fun. Don’t miss out!
So there it is. My next two weekends will be spent at Penn, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Frankly Penn 