President J. Larry Jameson offered a message of encouragement, comparing the scaffolding on Fisher Fine Arts Library to the support Penn will provide the Class of 2029, and Provost John L. Jackson Jr. told students they will be challenged both with new ideas and to embrace differences.
“That scaffolding tells a story. It’s not there to hide the building; it’s there to protect, strengthen, and preserve it. It signals that something important is underway,” Jameson said. “Today, something equally important is happening for our newest students and their loved ones.”
Jameson thanked families “for being part of the scaffolding of these incredible young scholars” and added that the students are now surrounded by a new kind of framework.
President J. Larry Jameson and Provost John L. Jackson Jr. talked to first-years about how they will face challenges at Penn but the University is here to provide support.
“They will be supported by professors who will challenge and guide them, by peers who will inspire and push them, and by all of you—their biggest fans—who will continue to cheer them on,” he said. “This is a moment of pride, and scaffolding only comes down when the structure that it supports is ready to stand on its own. But even then, no one stands alone at Penn.”
Jackson also talked about the challenges students will face and the support Penn will provide as they receive an education that “combines theory with practice, study with service, and ingenuity with innovation and inspiration.”
Students will be “challenged with new ideas that will be exciting and, maybe in some moments, even a little disquieting,” Jackson said. “They’ll be challenged also to embrace differences—differences in viewpoints and backgrounds and perspectives and cultures. But above all, Penn is going to challenge them to discover not simply what they can do but who they fundamentally are and how they can make a difference in this world that we share together.”
Sitting next to each other in the audience were Iliana Cannon of New York City and Mia Ronen of the U.S. Virgin Islands, who said they grew up together from nursery school through fourth grade. Ronen moved away, and they lost touch, but they reconnected when they learned they were both going to Penn.
First-years and their families gathered in Irvine Auditorium for the annual President and Provost’s First-Year Family Welcome.
Ronen, who applied early decision to the Wharton School and is part of Penn’s sailing team, is excited for classes to begin. Cannon, who is in the College of Arts & Sciences, said that because she is undecided about a major, she is taking classes she never thought she would be taking, such as Russian literature.
Sitting next to his mother as they waited for the event to start, Jeremiah Braimoh of Hanover, Maryland, said he had been participating in the pre-orientation PennCORP and learning about Penn’s programs in West Philadelphia. The psychology major said he is interested in doing research, joining clubs, and getting involved in the community.
Rashi Sabherwal, a doctoral student in political science, explores how women engage politically in society in informal roles through her research in India.
Applying design to agriculture for a new approach to agroforestry
Penn researchers are leading a multidisciplinary land-use project that blends trees, livestock, and streamside buffers to turn New Bolton Center into a living lab for stewardship agriculture.
Helping robots work together to explore the Moon and Mars
Penn Engineers, NASA, and five other universities tested robotic systems designed to help unmanned explorers cooperate in the dunes of White Sands, New Mexico, paving the way for Moon and Mars exploration.
