Penn Today’s iconic photos show the passion and spirit of the University community.
2 min. read
For a large University on an urban campus, Penn succeeds in creating a community that is home. In these photos from the 2025-26 academic year, a sense of belonging and camaraderie unites these selections.
While athletic prowess is often a solo journey, many of the athletes spoke of the team as their backbone. Celebrations are shared, achievements are made through collaborations, and at its heart, the Penn community celebrates each other.
Each class of 2026 athlete featured in Penn Today spoke to their success as a product of teamwork. Women’s basketball team captain Simone Sawyer highlighted this in her Q&A: “That’s kind of a marvel to connect with people on a social level, which has been great because I’ve met some great people.” “I love the sisterhood of the team,” said squash player Jana Dweek. “We have to have a one-team mentality,” said gymnast Carly Oniki. “Everyone is super close with each other, so I think that helps, and we have one common shared goal.” And wide receiver Jared Richardson said it best: “If everybody else is doing their job, I’m able to do what I do, and that is just make plays. I attribute all of that success to my coaches and my teammates just doing their job.”
Reading Days at Penn are a quiet time on campus in the fall and spring semester, when students put finishing touches on final projects and find secluded spots across campus to review for final exams, getting comfortable for long stretches in nooks and corners in libraries, lounges, and study halls.
Penn Today captured the best of the University’s performing arts community in their final rehearsals before performances ranging from dance, vocal, and instrumental music to comedy, theater, and spoken word.
Penn’s annual Holi celebration on campus brought together hundreds of students on College Green for the Hindu Festival of Colors that signifies the start of spring, sponsored by the Penn Hindu & Jain Association.
The 2025-26 academic year officially concluded at Commencement, when members of Penn’s 270th graduating class gathered together for their final time in recognition of the years spent working towards their degrees, with the community behind and beside them.
When the Schuylkill swallowed the city: Lessons from Hurricane Ida’s historic flood
New Penn research shows that Hurricane Ida wasn’t a once-in-a-century anomaly but a preview of how climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are rewriting flood risk.
The Fed explained: What it does and why it matters
Former Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and financial historian Peter Conti-Brown, both Wharton professors, unpack the central bank’s origins, its unusual structure, and the quiet ways it shapes the economy
How population changes are impacting primary education worldwide
Research from Penn sociologist Emily Hannum and colleagues reveals regional trends in whether school-age populations are increasing, plateauing, or decreasing—and shows how different countries are responding.
A bioengineered bean gum from the lab of Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell is found to reduce the levels of three microbes associated with head and neck squamous cell cancer to almost zero, without affecting the beneficial bacteria normally found in the mouth.
Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies.
