5/18
Campus & Community
Drone light show by Verge Aero honors frontline workers
As part of the local #PhillyShinesBlue campaign and the global #LightItBlue campaign, the aerial tribute honored health care professionals and first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Advice—and compassion—for students navigating new financial territory
Financial Wellness at Penn has developed personal finance tips for students to help them stay on top of financial matters and asked Penn staff members what they wish they had known about finances.
New Summer Savings Grant provides aid to replace lost summer earnings
Penn will provide undergraduate financial aid recipients with grants in 2020-21 to replace standard summer savings expectations, mitigating lost job opportunities due to COVID-19.
Nature as a refuge in unsettling times
Even before the pandemic, campus initiatives like NatureRx@Penn and the 30x30 Challenge encouraged time outside. These efforts are continuing, now that restorative outlets are more important than ever.
Career Services in the pandemic: ‘We’re all in this together’
Career Services moves online to help students navigate employment, internships, and even mock interviews during uncertain times.
New changes for Open Enrollment for 2020-21
There are new changes for the Open Enrollment 2020-21 plan year. Sue Sproat, executive director of benefits in the Division of Human Resources, outlines the changes to benefits for eligible Penn employees.
An online celebration to mark a very special day
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.
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.
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.
Penn’s wellness goals reach far and wide, together or apart
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 News
What’s it like to come home from prison? Reentry simulations let people experience it firsthand
With support from the STAR program, Aslam Ashari was able to enroll in an entrepreneurship course at Penn after his release from prison.
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He started college in prison. Now, he is Rutgers-Camden’s first Truman scholar
Tej Patel, a third-year in the Wharton School and College of Arts and Sciences from Billeria, Massachusetts, was one of 60 college students nationwide chosen to be a Truman Scholar.
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A collector donated 75,000 comic books to Penn Libraries, valued at more than $500,000
Alumnus Gary Prebula and his wife, Dawn, have donated a $500,000 collection of more than 75,000 comic books and graphic novels to Penn Libraries, featuring remarks from Sean Quimly of the Kislak Center and Jean-Christophe Cloutier of the School of Arts & Sciences.
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How did a white woman come to write the newest definitive text on Philadelphia’s Black history?
Penn alum Amy Jane Cohen is profiled for her new book “Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape,” which examines Black history through the lens of events, institutions, and individuals across the city. The book includes a reflection from Penn chaplain Charles Howard.
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Homeward bound: When a Penn Medicine nurse was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she turned to the service dogs she helped to train
A profile highlights Maria Wright of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, from her volunteer work connecting people with service dogs to her cancer diagnosis and her own journey applying for a service dog.
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