On Dec. 21, Kyle Oden, a junior at Penn from Inglewood, Calif., and his family will be featured as part of a nationally televised holiday special: “A Home for the Holidays—the 20th Anniversary” celebrating families whose lives have been changed by adoptions.
Oden is studying cognitive science, concentrating in computation and cognition, and is a three-year member on the varsity track and field team. He is interested in artificial intelligence research and its supportive impact on people. He also enjoys photography and coding. “I’m incredibly grateful to be able to share my story and experience. When my family was first featured, I never imagined I’d be where I am right now. I’m glad to be able to show how my life has been greatly aided by my family and Penn.”
“A Home for the Holidays—the 20th Anniversary” will air Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. on CBS, and will feature the Oden family’s story from the 2015 program.
For the last two decades, the award-winning program has raised awareness for the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care, and has changed the lives of a generation of foster children.
Oden earned an academic scholarship to attend Penn. His first experience at the University was at the Center for Africana Studies Summer Institute for Pre-Freshmen, an intense, weeklong course of study aimed to not only expand students’ intellectual horizons, but also prepare them for life on campus and in the classroom. Oden first heard about the Summer Institute during a visit to campus over Quaker Days. “I really didn’t know what the Africana studies department was,” he says. “I learned a lot in the classes, and it was a great way for me to be introduced to the field of Africana studies.”
Read more at Penn Arts and Sciences.
