Campus & Community

Breaking bread while breaking barriers

Penn’s two newly announced programs—Conversations for Community and Dinners Across Differences—strive to encourage dialogue, build connections, and bring people together in conversations over shared meals.

Kristen de Groot

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday, now just 11 years old, was originally conceived in response to Black Friday as a tonic to consumerism. Katherina “Kat” Rosqueta of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy discusses how the day is an opportunity to think about others.

Kristina García

From high school to the hospital

An immersive program at the Perelman School of Medicine gives high school students a sneak peek at a potential future in the medical field.

From Penn Medicine News



In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

What’s it like to come home from prison? Reentry simulations let people experience it firsthand

With support from the STAR program, Aslam Ashari was able to enroll in an entrepreneurship course at Penn after his release from prison.

FULL STORY →



Philadelphia Inquirer

He started college in prison. Now, he is Rutgers-Camden’s first Truman scholar

Tej Patel, a third-year in the Wharton School and College of Arts and Sciences from Billeria, Massachusetts, was one of 60 college students nationwide chosen to be a Truman Scholar.

FULL STORY →



Philadelphia Inquirer

A collector donated 75,000 comic books to Penn Libraries, valued at more than $500,000

Alumnus Gary Prebula and his wife, Dawn, have donated a $500,000 collection of more than 75,000 comic books and graphic novels to Penn Libraries, featuring remarks from Sean Quimly of the Kislak Center and Jean-Christophe Cloutier of the School of Arts & Sciences.

FULL STORY →



Philadelphia Inquirer

How did a white woman come to write the newest definitive text on Philadelphia’s Black history?

Penn alum Amy Jane Cohen is profiled for her new book “Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape,” which examines Black history through the lens of events, institutions, and individuals across the city. The book includes a reflection from Penn chaplain Charles Howard.

FULL STORY →



WHYY (Philadelphia)

Homeward bound: When a Penn Medicine nurse was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she turned to the service dogs she helped to train

A profile highlights Maria Wright of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, from her volunteer work connecting people with service dogs to her cancer diagnosis and her own journey applying for a service dog.

FULL STORY →