Undergraduate Students

Penn students sitting on College Green in front of College Hall.

The grass beneath the American dream: Exploring the many facets of lawns

Jay Kirk’s Xfic Nonfiction Workshop this past semester focused on the American lawn—which students approached through the lenses of environmental studies, history, gender and media, veterinary medicine, and more.

4 min. read

Graduates cheering on franklin field during commencement

Celebrating Penn’s 270th Commencement at a historic moment

Reflecting on the 250th anniversary of the United States, speakers invoked American traditions and provided guidance on building a meaningful life in a fast-changing world. Graduates, cheered on by family and friends, celebrated their part in Penn’s storied history.

7 min. read

Avia Weber, Bruno Basner, Sydney Finkelstein, Angele Diamacoune, Dahai Yonas, Remy Rabin, Arnav Dhingra, and Vedika Jawa.

Class of 2026 Ivy Day Ceremony

Dating to 1873, the Ivy Day Ceremony has celebrated exceptional graduating fourth-year students for their dedication to leadership and service.

2 min. read

(Top row) Max Annunziata, Sangeetha Bhuyan, Solange Campos, and Nik Donoughe. (Second row) Preethi Jayaraman, Christine Kim, Enne Kim, Alexander Li, Noa Machover, and Shivek Narang. (Third row) Keanu Natan, Tammy Nguyen, Bedansh Pandey, Sophia Powell, Ana Richardson, and Grant Schatzman. (Bottom row) Andi Sycip, Julian Tash, Hannah Tsai, Zoie Weinsweig, and Claire Zhang.

Penn students and alumni awarded Fulbright 2026-27 U.S. Student Program grants

The awardees will spend the 2026-27 academic year conducting research, pursuing graduate degrees, or teaching English overseas.

6 min. read

Penn receives $20M gift for middle-income student financial aid enhancements

A landmark gift from Greg and Alexandra Mondre will provide endowed support for Penn’s Quaker Commitment.

3 min. read

Penn third-year named 2026 Udall Scholar

Maria Balhara is majoring in philosophy of science in the College of Arts & Sciences.

1 min. read

Penn fourth-year and graduate student named 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars

The scholarship provides financial support for as long as three years to pursue a graduate degree and global leadership training at Stanford University.

2 min. read

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

Cloak wins $75,000 Perlman Grand Prize in Venture Lab Startup Challenge

Cloak, the winner of Venture Lab’s 10th annual Startup Challenge, is founded by Rishi Ambavanekar Tyler Sacharow, and works with publishers, ranging from news to novels to screenplays, to protect content against AI scraping.

A student studying in book stacks during Reading Days.

Photo Essay

Penn Reading Days in photos

From the sixth floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library with its view of College Hall, to tucked-away areas in bloom outdoors, students spent Reading Days putting the finishing touches on their studies, notes review, and final projects before Final Exam period begins.