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Who, What, Why: Kimeze Teketwe brings Luganda to Penn
Kimeze "Dickson" Teketwe Kimeze “Dickson” Teketwe is a master’s student in the International Education Development program at the Graduate School of Education. He is also a graduate fellow in the Center for Africana Studies and lecturer in the Penn Language Center in the School of Arts & Sciences.
  • Who, What, Why

    • Who, What, Why: Kimeze Teketwe brings Luganda to Penn

    The GSE master’s student from Uganda taught the first ever course on this language in the spring of 2022. This fall the program continues with another intro class, followed by an advanced class next spring.

    Michele W. Berger

    Inside the Quaker’s head
    Sophia Zehler removes the Quaker mascot head in costume at the Palestra.

    Inside the Quaker’s head

    Sophia Zehler recently earned her master’s degree from the Fels Institute of Government. The first-generation Cuban American also spent the year as Penn’s mascot, her third mascotting position in five years.

    Michele W. Berger

    Mentorship strategies to boost diversity in paleontology
    Scientists Erynn Johnson and Aja Carter use a 3D printer to make shell shapes

    Erynn Johnson and Aja Carter both earned their doctoral degrees in paleontology from Penn, employing pioneering techniques, such as 3D printing to replicate the forms of ancient creatures. In a new publication, they share advice for attracting and retaining students and trainees from underrepresented groups to paleontology. 

  • Q&A

    • Mentorship strategies to boost diversity in paleontology

    Drawing on research as well as their experiences as women of color in paleontology, Aja Carter and Erynn Johnson, who earned doctoral degrees from Penn, coauthored a paper offering advice for making the field more inclusive.

    Katherine Unger Baillie

    Who, What, Why: Annenberg doctoral student Ava Irysa Kikut
    Ava Kikut in front of the Annenberg School for Communication

    Ava Kikut, a 2020-22 Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellow, focuses on health communication. 

  • Who, What, Why

    • Who, What, Why: Annenberg doctoral student Ava Irysa Kikut

    Through a Netter Center ABCS course, Kikut worked with high school students and Penn undergrads to develop media messages that speak to the health needs and inequalities pertinent to adolescent Philadelphians.

    Kristina García

    Identities in harmony: How Beth Burton integrates the personal with the professional
    A woman with purple hair sits at a piano and stares off into the distance.

    Beth Burton, a graduate student at the Perelman School of Medicine, has degrees in both music and science. Even as a full-time researcher, she still finds time to play piano. Image: Courtesy of Beth Burton.

    Identities in harmony: How Beth Burton integrates the personal with the professional

    The doctoral candidate in the Perelman School of Medicine is a scientist studying the genetic causes of Alzheimer’s. She’s also a musician, a queer woman, and a voice for those with genetic disorders.

    Luis Melecio-Zambrano

    Penn Dental’s Penntorship connects with the West Philadelphia community
    Two smiling women stand in blue medical scrubs on a sunny day.

    Kylie Schlesinger (left) and Julie Berenblum (right) founded the Penntorship program to connect mentors from the Penn Dental school to students from West Philadelphia High School. (Image: Courtesy of Kylie Schlesinger and Julie Berenblum)

    Penn Dental’s Penntorship connects with the West Philadelphia community

    Amid the COVID lockdown, Penn Dental Medicine students Kylie Schlesinger and Julie Berenblum founded a mentorship program for high schoolers in West Philadelphia.

    Luis Melecio-Zambrano

    Incarceration associated with negative mental health risks for Black men
    The door of a prison cell open, with closed cells behind it.

    Incarceration associated with negative mental health risks for Black men

    A review of literature from the past decade found that for this group in the U.S. such a detention was linked to higher levels of psychological distress, more severe symptoms of PTSD and depression, and more.

    Michele W. Berger, Ed Federico

    ‘Oft-delayed but never deterred,’ Class of 2020 and 2021 grads celebrate
    graduates toss caps at commencement

    (Homepage image) An in-person Commencement, held at Franklin Field on May 22, represented a long-awaited milestone for the Class of 2020 and graduate students from the Class of 2021.

    ‘Oft-delayed but never deterred,’ Class of 2020 and 2021 grads celebrate

    Embodying adaptability and persistence, themes of the speech by Angela Duckworth, alums from the classes of 2020 and 2021 returned to campus to make up for a missed milestone.
    A celebration of the ‘resilient creativity’ of the Class of 2022
    graduates celebrate on franklin field Penn held its 266th Commencement celebration on Monday, May 16. The ceremony was held at Franklin Field and honored the Class of 2022.

    A celebration of the ‘resilient creativity’ of the Class of 2022

    Penn’s 266th Commencement showcased graduates who Interim President Wendell Pritchett said demonstrated an “advanced ability to roll with the challenges.”