President's Engagement Prizes

Improv with an impact

With their President’s Engagement Prize, Wharton School seniors Philip Chen and Meera Menon plan to create The Unscripted Project, a nonprofit that will run 10-week improv courses in Philadelphia public schools, partnering with the Philly Improv Theater.

Student standing outside with trees and buildings in the background.

Penn alum Shadrack Frimpong awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Shadrack Frimpong, Penn graduate and 2015 Presidents Engagement Prize winner, has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in public health and primary care at the University of Cambridge in England.

Collage of PEP/PIP winners: Top Row (from left to right): Kwaku Owusu, Hyungtae Kim, Philip Chen (top), Aditya Siroya (middle), Artemis Panagopoulou. Bottom Row (from left to right): Nikil Ragav, Mckayla Warwick, Meera Menon, Shivansh Inamdar

Class of 2020 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prize winners announced

Awarded annually, the Prizes empower Penn students to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world, and are the largest of their kind in higher education.

Brendan Taliaferro outside of College Hall leaning against wall

Homeward Initiative takes on the challenge of supporting homeless LGBTQ youth

With his President’s Engagement Prize, May graduate Brendan Taliaferro is creating a nonprofit to provide housing and assistance for homeless LGBTQ youth in Philadelphia.

Cultivando Juntos team members standing in nursing building

Cultivando Juntos takes shape in Kennett Square

As part of their President’s Engagement Prize project, José Maciel and Antonio Renteria are reframing the concept of healthy living for mushroom farmworkers.

Rebound Liberia kicks into a new phase

Rebound Liberia, awarded the President’s Engagement Prize in April, is preparing a girls’ youth basketball tournament for November.

Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn hoops star Princess Aghayere is using her passion for teamwork to save girls’ lives in Liberia

The senior leader of Penn’s 2019 regular season Ivy Champions left Philadelphia after graduation, and traveled 4,600-mile to Liberia. With Penn friends Summer Kollie and Oladunni Alomaja, Aghayere started Rebound Liberia, a youth program whose goal is to use basketball to empower girls in the small West African country.

Anea Moore, Calvary Rogers, Savi Joshi, Ryan Leone, Julia Pan, Michael B. Krone, Candida Alfaro, and Aren Raisinghani

Class of 2019 Ivy Day Ceremony and awardees

On Saturday, May 18, the Class of 2019 celebrated its Ivy Day Ceremony during Alumni Weekend, continuing the 146-year tradition by honoring students for their achievements and contributions to the Penn community.

Amy Gutmann standing with winners of the PIP and PEP 2019 prizes.

Cohort of PIP/PEP winners celebrate at luncheon

Nine students received handcrafted certificates at the annual luncheon, held May 3, that recognizes the work of graduating seniors awarded the President’s Engagement and Innovation prizes.

Two men sitting cross-legged on a wooden bench.

For Kennett Square’s mushroom farmworkers, healthy interventions come directly to the workplace

With the President’s Engagement Prize, seniors José Maciel and Antonio Renteria plan to bring subjects like nutrition and sleep to the workers, reinforcing preventive screenings already provided by a local, federally qualified health center.

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