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  • First African American Olympic gold medalist was a Penn grad

    John Baxter Taylor Jr. of Philadelphia, a superstar on Penn’s track & field team in the early 1900s, won gold at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.
    John Baxter Taylor, left, runs in a race during the 1908 Olympics.
    John Baxter Taylor Jr. races in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.
    (Image: International Olympic Committee)

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  • A world shaped by water and access
    Three people test water below a sand dam.

    Griffin Pitt, right, works with two other student researchers to test the conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, and temperature of water below a sand dam in Kenya.

    (Image: Courtesy of Griffin Pitt)

    A world shaped by water and access

    Griffin Pitt’s upbringing made her passionate about water access and pollution, and Penn has given her the opportunity to explore these issues back home in North Carolina and abroad.

    Oct 8, 2025