FINE TUNING: Harrison Pharamond came to Penn not knowing of its extensive performing arts community. Having acted in musicals since third grade, he was pleased when he learned of Penn’s seven student-run theater groups. In his four years at Penn, he’s been part of 14 shows on campus, mostly musicals. He took a special liking to Quadramics Theatre Co., and for the past year, has served as its chair. Quadramics’ recent Spring Fling musical was “All Shook Up,” a show inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley.

 

LANGUAGE GUY: Pharamond describes himself as a “language guy.” Being part French, he learned the particular romance language while he was in high school. His major at Penn, though, is English, and he is also minoring in Spanish.

 

HELPING HAND: For about two years, Pharamond has been part of the Global Impact Collaborative, a branch of the Penn Society for International Development. He does pro bono consulting for NGOs around the world. Right now, Pharamond is working with Literacy At The Well, which focuses on educating women and children in South Sudan. “Last semester my team co-authored a life skills curriculum for the organization, which included things like health, hygiene, and nutrition and simple farming practices,” says Pharamond. “This semester we’re refining their literacy assessments and making them more streamlined.”

 

OTHER STUFF: Outside of Penn, Pharamond plays soccer for Philadelphia Sport and Social Club, interns remotely for a New York company called Picture Motion, and also is a Robert A. Fox Leadership fellow, where he is a research assistant to the dean of the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, Calif. There, he’s helping with a project about worker-driven social responsibility.

 

BALANCING ACT: Pharamond says the key to balancing his work and extracurricular activities has been just finding and doing things he loves. “If you love what you’re doing, then you’ll make time for it,” he says.

 

LOOKING BACK: One of Pharamond’s favorite college memories was after the final performance of Quadramics’ Spring Fling show, “Avenue Q,” during his freshman year. After the cast “striked” the show, or took down the set, they decided to stay up all night and watch the sun rise over Philadelphia from the deck of the Radian, a student-housing complex on campus. “It’s a very picturesque moment in my mind,” he says.

 

FUTURE PLANS: Pharamond’s plans after graduation? “I would like to be a successful actor, because that’s what I love, but I know that I won’t be satisfied unless I am helping people in some way. If I can use the art to benefit others and inspire people on a national and international level, that would be the ideal.”