Undergraduate Students

Nia Akins, a senior in the School of Nursing and a student athlete, spoke about the postponed 2020 Olympics. “I think if you're only running, you know, you tend to overthink running a lot more, and it kind of like consumes your life,” she said. “And I think especially now, with this huge pause, I am very fortunate that I have nursing school to kind of take away from that, if that makes sense. It is something that I can focus on.”

Penn will host an online University-wide graduation event at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 18. In-person ceremonies for Penn’s 264th Commencement will still take place on campus at a later date.

In just a few weeks, Student Health Service, Counseling and Psychological Services, and Campus Health revamped almost entirely, providing a full array of support for students on and off campus.

In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, President Amy Gutmann knows the strength and determination of the Penn community, facing the crisis together, but also apart. In an audio message, Gutmann encourages students, faculty, and staff to stay positive during such unprecedented times—a lesson she learned from her mother.

“These days bring back memories of when I was in high school and my father suddenly died. My life was split in two,” Gutmann says. “Everything that was comforting and good had come before. Now my life was uncertain and more than a little frightening. It hurt.”

But Gutmann’s mom found the means to make other lives better while calming the chaos that disrupted their own. “In the midst of misfortune, she found great meaning,” Gutmann explains.

In the midst of misfortune, Gutmann continues, “each of us can find meaning. Each of us has a calling.”

Gutmann’s full message can be listened to below.