West Philadelphia | Penn Today

Fourth-years Ejun Mary Hong and Jack Nicholas Roney were awarded a 2025 President's Engagement Prize to pursue their PIXEL project. The pair will collaborate to bring art mentorship, creative skill-building, and industry networking opportunities to under-resourced high school students in the greater Philadelphia area.

Empowering high school youth through immersive art mentorship

Penn fourth-years Ejun Mary Hong and Jack Nicholas Roney will use a President’s Engagement Prize to expand their existing initiative dedicated to connecting under-resourced high school students in Philadelphia with art mentorship, creative skill-building, and industry networking opportunities.

6 min. read

Inaya Zaman, Rashmi Acharya, and Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio.

Nourish to Flourish

Fourth-years Rashmi Acharya, Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio and Inaya Zaman created Nourish to Flourish, winner of a 2025 President’s Engagement Prize. The trio will work with community partners at the Benjamin B. Comegys School in West Philadelphia to encourage healthier food choices.

7 min. read

Volunteers smiling and carrying tools and supplies during the block build event.

Penn lends support to Rebuilding Together Philadelphia effort repairing 11 local homes in two days

Marking a milestone block build, 70 Penn volunteers combined forces with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, a nonprofit with roots at the University, to revitalize owner-occupied houses in the West Philadelphia community. The momentous two-day event involved a block build and speaking program—with a local homeowner sharing a heartfelt message.

2 min. read

Weitzman and Netter Center to tackle urban heat in West Philadelphia

A collaboration between the Thermal Architecture Lab at Penn’s Weitzman School of Design, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, and the Annenberg School has been awarded an Environmental Protection Agency Thriving Communities Grant for $137,000 to work with William L. Sayre High School, a University-Assisted Community School, on measurement of urban heat and solution design.

FY24 Economic Impact Report shows Penn helps drive $37 billion through the region’s economy

The University, Philadelphia’s largest private employer, generates economic development across the city, Commonwealth, and region.

3 min. read

New campus choir finds harmony

The new Penn Staff & Community Choir, formed by Penn’s Office of Social Equity and Community in the fall, will have its debut mini-concert on Feb. 4, led by director Ruth Naomi Floyd.

Weitzman’s Jules Dingle on social and environmental sustainability

The Philadelphia architect and professor of practice in historic preservation joined the Weitzman School in the fall.

a black squirrel perched on a tree trunk

What’s That? Black squirrels

Penn Today spoke to Sarah Tomke in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Futures Program about the black squirrels regularly seen on College Green. They are black because of a genetic mutation in the melanin receptor protein, which regulates pigment.

The Philly Eagles mascot pushing the Penn Quaker mascot in a Move-In cart on Penn’s campus.

A look back at 2024 through Penn Today stories

Revisit some of the stories that highlighted the events, breakthroughs, people, and research across the University this year.

Members of Penn’s African Health Clinic.

Care across cultures: Penn Medicine African Health Clinic

For the last two years, the Perelman School of Medicine has partnered with the African Family Health Organization to offer weekly family-medicine/primary care clinics for recent immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean.

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