The traditions are the same— Penn Band plays “The Red and Blue,” skimmer hats are signed in Sharpie, canes are raised, and another undergraduate class rises to fourth-year status on Hey Day.
Class of 2027 sparks traditional spirit on Hey Day
A lively sea of third-year students gathered to celebrate the 110-year-old Penn tradition, symbolizing their rise to fourth-year rank.
5 min. read
Crisp spring weather and partly cloudy skies met a spirited crowd of Penn third-years sporting bamboo canes, red T-shirts, and mock skimmer hats on Thursday, April 30, as the Class of 2027 marked the University’s 110th Hey Day. The annual tradition, which started in 1916, threads Penn students together in celebration across time and place. Hundreds of third-year students assembled for a festive mid-morning picnic at High Rise Field near Rodin College House, using the once-in-a-lifetime moment to rejoice in their shared ascendance to fourth-year status.
Shortly before noon, the students gathered to parade down Locust Walk. The Penn Band led the iconic procession across the Class of 1949 Bridge and beneath a colorful balloon arch toward College Green, where the crowd of third-years united first with Vice Provost for University Life Karu Kozuma and then President J. Larry Jameson. In historic fashion, Jameson administered the yearly three-question, pass-fail “exam,” with correct answers—shouted in unison—collectively raising the class from third- to fourth-year rank.
Penn President J. Larry Jameson joined the Class of 2027’s Student Board for the traditional addresses to the rising fourth-years from the steps of College Hall.
Isa Del Castillo, a neuroscience major in the College of Arts & Sciences from Denver, Colorado, and Salma Bouftas, a cognitive science major in the College from Indiana, marked the occasion together and reflected on the historic aspects of Hey Day.
“It feels very nostalgic,” Del Castillo said. “It’s making me think that school has gone by so fast. I can't believe we’re already almost graduating.”
Bouftas and Del Castillo befriended each other as first-years while playing Frisbee. They made this a tradition of their own, continuing to play sports together nearly every week. “And now we’re here, signing hats,” said Bouftas.
The duo noted how the signature Hey Day attire infuses a uniquely charming feel into the long-held festivity. “I love how goofy it is,” said Del Castillo, referring to the hats and canes. “You can tell it’s an old tradition,” added Bouftas.
“On behalf of the senior class, we wish you the best of luck next year,” said 2026 class president Vedika Jawa, acknowledging her fellow graduating cohort gathered for the Final Toast once the Class gathered in front of College Hall. Jawa then passed the fourth-year class gavel to Steven Li, who served as 2027 class president during the 2024-25 academic year. He asked the audience to raise their canes. “Look at the person to your left, to your right, and know you did this together—now that we are seniors, I want to hear you roar!” exclaimed Li to an ecstatic sea of peers.
“Today, we are no longer just making our way through Penn—today, you are Penn,” Li said. “You are the leaders, the trendsetters, the mentors, the heartbeat of this University.”
Li passed the mic to Natasha Kobelsky, who succeeded Li as 2027 class president in 2025. “Let’s make our last year unforgettable,” Kobelsky said, before Jameson signed both her and Li’s skimmer hats.
Classic notes decorated the air as the Penn Band played “The Red and Blue,” with the new wave of fourth-years taking group photos, reflecting on shared memories, signing skimmer hats with Sharpies, and celebrating the afternoon together.
Nate Weinstock, a diplomatic history and Chinese language double-major in the College from Washington, D.C., spent Hey Day alongside Mariam Nagib, a philosophy, politics & economics major from Pennsylvania. For Weinstock, the most exciting part of Hey Day is getting to “experience this tradition with the whole class.”
Nagib and Weinstock met during transfer student orientation. They became roommates and have remained best friends ever since. “I was really excited to celebrate the traditions that Penn has, like Hey Day,” said Nagib, reflecting on her decision to transfer to Penn.
For Mark Dace, a chemistry major in the College from Chicago, “joining the tradition is really the most exciting part,” especially after he watched the festivity unfold in previous years. Dace was chatting with Renee Liu, a networked & social systems engineering major in the School of Engineering & Applied Science on a pre-medicine track. Both students met through Penn Glee Club while serving in the tech crew.
Hey Day means “welcoming the uncertainty and the challenges” of senior year, says Liu, initially part of the Class of 2028 and currently on track to graduate early. She notes how the annual milestone is “one of the great things about being at Penn.”
“It’s nice to know that there were [students] that have done this before,” Liu adds.
Aahan Shah, a dual-degree major in chemical engineering and chemistry in the VIPER program from Mumbai, India, reflected on how the celebration links him to Penn’s history. “For me, it’s like a rite of passage—it’s an event that’s been going on for so long,” he said.
Shah spent the occasion with Krishna Chemudupati, a dual-degree major in electrical engineering and physics in the VIPER program from Vijayawada, India, and Minghan Sun, a computer science major in the College from Seattle, Washington. “It’s fun to see faces I recognize [from] throughout the years,” Chemudupati said.
Sun paired Hey Day with another tradition: revisiting first-year dorms. “I haven’t been there since freshman year, so it should be interesting going back,” he said.
Giuliana DiBenedetto and Angela Ge, both biology majors and chemistry minors in the College, reflected on the full circle feeling Hey Day invokes. The pair met as first-year roommates and found it particularly meaningful to spend the occasion together.
“Being here with familiar faces—either close friends, classmates, or people I’ve seen in passing—it’s just really great to do it all together,” said DiBenedetto, who is from Butler, New Jersey, on a pre-medicine track, and serves as a tour guide through Penn’s Kite and Key Society.
Hey Day provides “a chance to see all of our fellow classmates again and celebrate our accomplishments so far,” said Ge, who is from the Philadelphia area and is also minoring in computer science.
The day prior, DiBenedetto showed her partner some photos of Hey Day from nearly a century ago. Seeing those historic images made her feel part of a broader tapestry of Penn tradition.
“I was like, ‘oh my goodness, this is ancient,’” DiBenedetto said with a smile. “It’s really cool to be part of [Hey Day] and to continue on that legacy.”
For more photos from the day’s festivities, visit Flickr.
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