By Jill DiSanto

For the past 10 years, the Tedori family from Orange County, Calif., has maintained a strong presence at the University of Pennsylvania.

Their Penn journey began in 2004 with Michael Tedori’s desire to explore the world outside of California, diversifying his friends and experiences. As an undergraduate majoring in East Asian studies and Japanese in Penn Arts & Sciences, he did just that, graduating in 2008.

In May, Michael will complete his master’s degree in strategic management and entrepreneurship at the Wharton School. During his time at Penn, Michael the oldest of five has welcomed younger siblings, James, Jenny and Samuel to the Quaker family. Sister Alexis broke ranks, graduating from Parsons The New School for Design in New York.

The first to join Michael at Penn was “little brother” James, now also a graduate student at Wharton.

In 2010, James graduated from Penn with a degree in engineering. Since then, he’s launched his own company and built a department at a rapidly growing start-up.

James says that making the transition from the West Coast can be a difficult adjustment for some people, but, for him, Penn feels like a second home.

“I am comforted by the familiar old study grounds of the Fisher Fine Arts Library and intrigued by the new material at Huntsman Hall,” he says. “From undergrad to grad school, I have continued to be impressed by Penn’s ability to attract such an amazing, diverse student body.”

James says the Tedori siblings are always pushing one another to excel and helping each other as much as possible. For example, Michael credits James with helping him to make friends outside of his normal social circle. In turn, Michael helps James navigate his way through his first year in the graduate program at Wharton.

“No matter what is going on in your day, having family around only makes it that much better,” James says. “I am able to see one of them almost every day.”

Focusing on entrepreneurial management and finance, James will graduate with his M.B.A. in 2016 the same year their sister Jenny, now a junior, will graduate.

Jenny is majoring in architecture in Penn Arts & Sciences. She says she decided on the major after taking a few classes and realizing how much she really liked creating something from nothing through creativity and engineering.

“I saw my two older brothers go through school here, and I heard about the diversity of friends they each had,” Jenny says. “Coming from the Orange County ‘bubble’ I was excited to learn about people from all over the world and experience the East Coast. The fact that I have a campus life and I’m able to be in the city is a big plus.”

She views the Tedori’s legacy of attending Penn with dual perspectives.

“I see it as both a family tradition, but I also see it as blazing my own trail,” Jenny says. “While at Penn, each one of us has created our own path.”

She says her brothers always support her with her academics, especially during midterms and finals, and that they’re always right there when she needs something.

Samuel, the youngest of the siblings and a freshman in Penn Arts & Sciences, says, like Michael, he was also looking for a “different-from-California” environment.

“It’s crazy to think that I’m 10 years apart from my brother and I am able to go to college with him. I’m still waiting for that to sink in,” Samuel says.

As a freshman, Samuel says that he’s still feeling his way around. His major is currently undecided, but he’s considering exploring philosophy, politics and economics.

This semester, Samuel is hoping to join Penn’s West Philadelphia Tutoring Project program and later this summer he plans to travel to Cannes for a Cinema Studies course.

He says his high school friends who stayed on the West Coast are missing out on living in one of the best cities in America and on a blended experience.

“Penn was perfect. It allows for city life, college life and a mix of both,” Samuel says.

For Samuel, going to college with his siblings has been one of the best experiences of his life.

“My family does so much for me here,” Samuel says. “The support system that I’m so grateful for and the different activities we do together. I am able to feel at home with my siblings, 3,000 miles away from California.”

Michael says having three siblings on campus is more than just a support system. 

“Regardless of where we are, we balance each other out,” Michael says. “We all have strengths and weaknesses, and we know each other so well that we are able to work as a team for anything that lies ahead of us.”

All four enjoy spending time together, playing on Penn’s intramural volleyball team and taking in all of the cultural activities that Philadelphia has to offer, as well as its professional sporting events. 

“We study together, go to the gym, hang out and go to the Philadelphia Eagles games. I’ll usually see at least one of my brothers once a day,” Jenny says. “We all get lunch or dinner together no matter how busy we are.”

Each week, the Tedoris share meals to catch up, either on or off campus.

Having her brothers nearby makes Penn seem more like home, Jenny says, adding how it’s nice to have family members in close proximity.

“It is rare that four kids from a single family go to Penn,” Samuel says, “but to have four here at once is extremely rare. This is something that I am so grateful for and try to take full advantage of.”

Michael, with the longest tenure on campus, says that his siblings keep him grounded and attuned to what matters most when things set him adrift, either academically or socially.

“Penn has become our home away from home. It’s where we celebrate our birthdays and other notable events in each of our lives,” Michael says. “The Penn community really creates a new frontier here, even though we are thousands of miles away from home. Having family I see every day makes Penn feel like a second home to me.” 

Samuel understands that it’s up to him to be a part of creating a remarkable footprint here and carry on the Tedori legacy.

“Our reputation at Penn is just measured by one person, rather four,” Samuel says. “I feel that I have a large part in maintaining the reputation and legacy of our family.”