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President's Engagement Prizes

Building literacy and leadership through basketball
Summer Kollie, Princess Aghayere, and Oladunni Alomaja, winners of a 2019 President's Engagement Prize

Building literacy and leadership through basketball

Three seniors with roots in West Africa will use their President’s Engagement Prize to build a program for Liberian girls that will combine sports and reading.

Gwyneth K. Shaw

Safe haven
Brendan Taliaferro

 Brendan Taliaferro of Host Homes for LGBTQ Youth in Philadelphia

Safe haven

Senior Brendan Taliaferro receives the President’s Engagement Prize for a project to provide housing and support for homeless LGBTQ youth in Philadelphia.
9 Penn students win big prizes to fund projects to promote social change
Philadelphia Inquirer

9 Penn students win big prizes to fund projects to promote social change

Penn has awarded nine graduating seniors with the annual President’s Engagement and Innovation prizes. President Amy Gutmann said, “Each of the prize recipients has demonstrated a purpose-driven desire to get out and make a difference in their community, across the country, and around the world.”

Going plastic neutral
A person reclines on a chair on a beach surrounded by plastic bottles

The twin aims of reBalance are to reduce plastic waste and create safer and more secure work conditions for waste workers. (Image courtesy: rePurpose)

Going plastic neutral

The winners of a 2018 Penn President’s Engagement Prize are launching a new venture to address the global problem of plastic waste.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Building a circular economy movement in India and beyond
rePurpose team on steps

The Engagement Prize has given grads Hjemdahl and Balasubramanian the chance to apply their Penn educations toward “building a movement” they believe in. (Photo: Eric Sucar, Office of University Communications)

Building a circular economy movement in India and beyond

A shift in environmental policy in India prompted a new operational model for rePurpose, the social enterprise started by the President’s Engagement Prize-winners.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Chicago Furniture Bank is up and running, serving the community
ChicagoFurnitureBank

Chicago Furniture Bank is up and running, serving the community

Thanks to a President’s Engagement Prize, Andrew Witherspoon, James McPhail, and Griffin Amdur wasted no time after graduation getting their nonprofit off the ground.

Lauren Hertzler

2018 Ivy Day ceremony
Penn Senior Honor Awardees 2018

Left to right: Seniors Makayla Reynolds, Kayvon Asemani, Silicia Lomax, Jerome Allen, Alexandra Rubin, Dawit Gebresellassie, Madeline Gelfand, and Nicholas Silverio were honored with Senior Honors at the 2018 Ivy Day ceremony. Photo by Scott Spitzer.

2018 Ivy Day ceremony

In a 145-year old tradition, 28 seniors were honored, as well as one junior, a sophomore, and two class of 2017 alumni.