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Class of 2026

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Why young voters tune out
Glynn Boltman working on her laptop.

Fourth-year Glynn Boltman traveled to three swing states—Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Nevada—to have deep conversations about politics with young people in everyday settings.

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Why young voters tune out

Fourth-year Glynn Boltman set out to explore why many young Americans intentionally disengage from politics. Her findings, which she turned into a podcast, challenge common assumptions about political disengagement—and suggest a need for more empathy.

From Omnia

Sacrifice versus suffering: Examining unheard stories of the past
Rafaella Lambrinos

Rafaella Lambrinos, a fourth-year history major, documented British food rationing during World War II and the ensuing Bengal famine of 1943 for her honors thesis.

(Image: Eric Sucar)

Sacrifice versus suffering: Examining unheard stories of the past

Fourth-year Rafaella Lambrinos traveled to London to study archival records about the Bengal famine of 1943 and British food rationing, gaining greater insight into the study of the past.

3 min. read time

Emmy Keogh is buttering up her post-graduation plans
Emmy Keogh selling her butter at table.

Emmy Keogh is a Class of 2026 communications major and founder of bespoke butter company Debonair Butter Company.

(Image: Courtesy of Annenberg School for Communication)

Emmy Keogh is buttering up her post-graduation plans

The graduating fourth-year communications major has used many of Penn’s resources for entrepreneurs to get her bespoke butter company churning.

From Annenberg School for Communication

2 min. read

The fight to save a feisty little lamb
Maeve the lamb at Ryan Hospital.

Maeve the lamb at New Bolton Center.

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The fight to save a feisty little lamb

A dedicated care team at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, including experts in dermatology, anesthesia, and radiation oncology, never gave up on a determined baby lamb.

From Penn Vet

2 min. read

Reimagining a shelter as a supportive space for childhood

The HAVEN team with Liz Donaghue, assistant shelter director, in Jane Addams’ Bright Spaces room.

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Reimagining a shelter as a supportive space for childhood

HAVEN, a winning project of the 2026 President’s Engagement Prize developed by three fourth-year undergraduates, will launch an after-school program for K-5 children at Jane Addams Place, a homeless shelter in North Philadelphia.

3 min. read

Innovating computer chips to run more efficiently
Nhlanhla Mavuso looking at an electronic board in the Moore Building.

Nhlanhla Mavuso of Fluid Silicon at work in the Moore Building.

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Innovating computer chips to run more efficiently

Fluid Silicon, a platform from President’s Sustainability Prize winner Nhlanhla Mavuso, allows computer chips to continuously monitor their health and self-tune as their characteristics change. The technology has the potential to reduce energy usage in data centers and improve reliability in mission-critical applications.

2 min. read

Empowering unhoused patients through comprehensive eye care
From left to right: Justin Wang, Janine Haros, and Eric Lee in a clinical room at the Scheie Eye Institute, holding documents and smiling together

Justin Wang (left), Janine Haros (center), and Eric Lee (right) in a clinical room at the Scheie Eye Institute, holding documents and smiling together.

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Empowering unhoused patients through comprehensive eye care

Penn fourth-years Eric Lee, Janine Haros, and Justin Wang will use a President’s Engagement Prize to elevate vision health in unhoused individuals across Philadelphia through free eye screenings, tailored care coordination, and interactive patient education.

4 min. read

How the Quaker Commitment empowered one student to create her path at Penn
Gabrielle Fine leads a campus tour with prospective students and their families.

Gabrielle Fine, left, leads a Kite & Key campus tour for prospective students and their families. 

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How the Quaker Commitment empowered one student to create her path at Penn

Gabrielle Fine, a fourth year in the Wharton School and recipient of financial aid from the Quaker Commitment, will graduate in May with an interdisciplinary skillset and new perspectives from a global adventure and local engagement.

6 min. read