Kerry O’Neil knew that the University of Pennsylvania was the right place for her, despite its location 3,300 miles from her home in Glasgow, Scotland.
“At university in the United Kingdom, your path is decided when you apply. That can be quite daunting if you have no idea what kind of career you want,” O’Neil says, adding thanks to the Sutton Trust program, which helps low-income public school students from the U.K. apply to American universities, she was able to apply to Penn. “I didn’t know what I wanted to study and had a variety of interests that I wanted to pursue.”
Now a sophomore majoring in political science and Italian in the School of Arts and Sciences, O’Neil is rare among international students on campus: She is also a first-generation, low-income (FGLI) student.
Last year, after joining Penn First, a student-run organization that strengthens the FGLI community at Penn through advocacy and alumni mentorship, O’Neil found a supportive network of students just like herself, along with plenty of opportunities to shine.
Together with Penn First’s other board members, she helped plan Gen Week April 8-13 to create awareness about and celebrate the FGLI community. Activities include:
- Tie-dyeing Spring Fling t-shirts, Sunday, April 8, at 2 p.m. at the Greenfield Intercultural Center
- A photo booth on Locust Walk that’s open to all at Penn who identify as FGLI, including graduate students, staff, and faculty, Monday, April 9, at noon
- Financial Aid 101, an informal lesson on the basics, Tuesday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in Huntsman Hall
- “Positioning Yourself for the Future” with Lisa Tretler, a business-strategy consultant, Wednesday, April 11, at 6 p.m. in Huntsman Hall, and
- “Hill & Chill,” a chance for upperclassmen to share wisdom and a meal with freshman at the Hill House dining hall on Thursday, April 12.
O’Neil has also participated in three consecutive Penn First Summits, a once-a-semester meeting that encourages attendees to examine ways to address FGLI-specific challenges with support from the University.
“It’s uplifting to witness the amazing ideas for how to initiate change,” says O’Neil, who was seated among nearly 35 others at the most recent Penn First Summit, on March 31, where they covered mental health, the hidden costs of attending college, financial aid, pre-professional planning, and “how Penn First can do better” in serving FGLI students.
O’Neil and Summit organizer, Sebastian Gonzalez, a sophomore in the School of Arts and Sciences from El Paso, Texas, as well as the other members of Penn First’s board, took suggestions generated at the Fall 2017 Summit to University administrators.
One result was that the Platt Student Performing Arts House teamed up with the Greenfield Intercultural Center to provide tickets to FGLI students for on-campus performances from a capella to comedy to modern dance.
“This may seem like a small thing,” but it’s important to FGLI students, explains O’Neil, who is a soprano in the Penny Loafers, an a cappella group. “This initiative is one that is very close to my heart.”
Another change that Penn First has advocated on behalf of the FGLI community since the last Summit, she says, was collaborating with University administrators to provide FGLI students with meals over breaks if they remain on campus.
O’Neil says she participates in the Penn First Summits because she enjoys speaking with people who can relate to the issues and the struggles of being an FGLI student.
“What we discuss there can go on to create real changes and that is very powerful,” O’Neil says. “It’s always inspiring and gives us an idea of where to focus our energy in the future.”
In addition, O’Neil served on the logistics committee for the 2018 1vyG Conference at Penn, which brought together students and administrators from Penn and other colleges and universities to celebrate the resiliency, success, and determination of FGLI students.
Looking ahead, O’Neil says wants to maintain the healthy dialogue that has already resulted in real change on behalf of the FGLI community at Penn.
“After hosting 1vyG and all the things we have achieved this year,” O’Neil says, “the FGLI community is in a very strong, cohesive place and I hope this continues.”
