At Convocation, a call to ‘come together’

On Aug. 26, Penn marked the beginning of the academic year with Convocation, a ceremony introducing the Class of 2028 and transfer students to the campus and to each other. As in years past, scores of new students filed down Locust Walk, pouring through the red and blue balloon arches onto Franklin Field, asking each other about what schools they were in, where they were living, and how they were liking Penn so far.

Charles “Chaz” Howard, University chaplain and vice president for social equity and community at the University of Pennsylvania, gave the invocation. wishing that for each student, their time at Penn “be full of growth, discovery, healthy risks, wisdom, deep friendships, generous service, hope, curiosity, freedom to not conform, and the freedom to be themselves.”

Convocation is the first of many shared experiences for Penn students. “Over time,” Interim President J. Larry Jameson told the assembly, “you will definitely share memories and laughs, triumphs, and maybe speedbumps, discovery and purpose. You will share this University’s incredible history. After all, you now join fellow Quakers like our founder, Benjamin Franklin; eight signers of the Declaration of Independence; and nine signers of the U.S. Constitution. You will also share this University’s calling to create and spread knowledge to improve the world and create a better future.”

Jameson encouraged students to enjoy the moment, offering four “life hacks for Penn,” focusing on the values of In Principle and Practice, the University’s strategic framework.

“First, Penn is anchored,” Jameson said. “In front of College Hall, there is an enormous elm tree. It is rooted deeply in a particular place, inseparable from its surroundings, dynamic, and alive. Everything at Penn is anchored by our people and our campus. From this origin, we branch out to partner with, and improve life, for our neighbors, our city, and the world. We are anchored in history; anchored in Philadelphia; anchored by our values; and anchored by the legacy of our alumni.”

“Penn is also interwoven,” he continued, urging students to take advantage of Penn’s close-knit campus. “A breezy stroll can land you an unexpected partnership, an electrifying interdisciplinary project, or a new friendship.”

“Third, Penn is inventive,” he said, citing founder Benjamin Franklin as an example. “We pursue knowledge to understand and create a better world. … We cultivate leaders who serve. We practice constructive dialogue across differences. In adversity, we seek opportunity. Our greatest reward is knowledge used well.”

“We also take special pride in the civic engagement of our students—especially in election years,” Jameson said, recommending Penn Leads the Vote, the University’s student-led, get-out-the-vote organization.

Convocation is a Penn tradition dating to the 1890s, said Provost John L. Jackson Jr. in his remarks. From the Latin root vocare, or to call, the word refers to a coming together, or an assembly of people, he said.

Jackson asked the assembled students to “take a deep dive into what it means to convene here together, at Penn: as an individual, as a member of this great class, and as an active participant in our community and our democracy.”

That journey, he said, begins with a willingness to embrace what is new. “Each of us has distinct ideas and opinions formed by our experiences and backgrounds; informed by our families and friends, our teachers, schools, and communities. While we should stay true to our values, equality and democracy demand that we consider and interrogate different viewpoints, too,” he said. “You don’t have to change your mind, but you do need to keep it open, to be willing to be wrong.”

New students, said Whitney Soule, vice provost and dean of Admissions, “bring incredible talent, curiosity, and conviction,” and face familiar pressures and new challenges. She associated these challenges with learning how to box, a new endeavor that Soule is taking on in Rocky Balboa’s Philadelphia. In the face of these new tests, “you could just react,” Soule told students, “or, you could commit to learning new combinations.”

Convocation marks the end of orientation, the best part of which was finally being on campus, said first-year students Carter Feinman of San Diego, Tim Shine from Boston, and Carter Haynes of Diamond Bar, California. Feinman is in the Wharton School and both Shine and Haynes are enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. All are on the men’s soccer team, and their first game is against the University of Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Shine said he is looking forward to the routine of being a student athlete. “I’m kind of excited to be thrown into a fall season at my first semester in college,” he said. “I think it will be good for me.”

Returning teammates have been a built-in support system, Feinman added. “I know where all my classes are,” he said, “any question I have, I can ask them.”

Marianna Zamora Cruz, a Wharton first-year, has found her own built-in support system in other international students at Penn. She met Lucía Irias, a first-year student in the College, during orientation when Irias overheard Zamora Cruz speaking in Spanish. Zamora Cruz, of Guatemala, and Irias, of Mexico, said that few of their high school classmates traveled internationally for college. Families are tight-knit, they said, and it’s common for young people to live at home until marriage.

Zamora Cruz said she is looking forward to meeting people from different backgrounds, “to finding new opportunities and learning new things so we can bring them back to our countries.”

Classmates have been welcoming, they said. “Everybody’s open to making friends and they get excited when we say we’re international,” Irias said. “We offer to help them with their Spanish homework.”

After performances from Penn Masala, the Glee Club, and the Penn Band, Senior Class President Amaan Omer presented the flag of the Class of 2028, which will join the flags of previous classes at official University events and future alumni celebrations, said Jameson, as he officially declared the start of the 285th year of the University of Pennsylvania.

“We look forward to this ceremony as one of the most exciting and memorable days of the whole year,” Jameson said. Throughout their time at Penn, Jameson urged students to treat one another with courtesy and respect. “These can be divisive days,” he said. “No corner of the world is exempt, but here you join a community where what we share in common vastly outweighs what will divide us.”