Alumni | Penn Today

Why the search for meaning can cause ‘purpose anxiety,’ and what to do about it

Alumna Larissa Rainey is credited for coining the term “purpose anxiety” while a graduate student at Penn in 2014.

New statue to honor a trailblazing civil rights leader outside Philadelphia’s Municipal Services Building

Penn alumna Sadie Alexander, a civil rights pioneer, will be honored with a statue in Philadelphia.

This robot uses Japanese tradition and AI for sashimi that lasts longer and is more humane

Alumnus Saif Khawaja is part of a startup team using AI and robotics to make sashimi and other fish dishes that taste better, last longer, and are more humane.

A rendering of the new Penn Wrestling facility

Penn Athletics receives $20 million gift to support wrestling

A lead gift from former University Trustee, alumnus Dave Pottruck, launches a new campaign and will kick off renovations inside Weightman Hall for a new wrestling facility.

3 min. read

Penn Athletics receives $20M gift from former Fortune 500 CEO

Alumnus Dave Pottruck’s lead gift of $20 million will help create a new home base for the University’s wrestling program.

GSE’s Ed Brockenbrough’s latest book focuses on Black, LGBTQ+ youth

The latest book by Brockenbrough, an associate professor and alum of Penn’s Graduate School of Education, outlines common obstacles to educational equity for Black, LGBTQ+ youth and suggests research-backed guidance for their teachers to help foster their success.

Penn students and alumni awarded Fulbright 2025-26 U.S. Student Program grants

As of early July, 19 Penn students and alumni have been offered Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for the 2025-26 academic year. They will conduct research, pursue graduate degrees, or teach English in more than a dozen countries.

5 min. read

Upcoming documentary will examine the life of Kiyoshi Kuromiya, the ‘Forrest Gump of activism’

Che Gossett of the School of Arts & Sciences has helped produce a biographic film about Penn alumnus and activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya, which will premiere at a Penn symposium this fall.

students singing together holding folders

Penn Glee Club performs in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Beijing

The Penn Glee Club performed at the famous Suntory Hall in Tokyo, an art gallery in Hong Kong, and the U.S. embassy in Beijing during a 12-day tour of Asia. Forty members went on the tour, including 25 singers, eight band members, and seven technical crew.

4 min. read

After high-profile derailments, this founder turned his engineering skills toward improving rail safety

In a Q&A, Penn alumnus Tejas Agarwal discusses his work at Pennovation and the founding of his railroad infrastructure company, Sahay AI.

Filters