The Defining Decade: A Penn Love Story
"The same credit card. The same last name. All that little stuff. There’s a richness to that."
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"The same credit card. The same last name. All that little stuff. There’s a richness to that."
The last time Cinema Studies professor Linda Simensky C’85 graced the pages of Street, she was an undergraduate dressed up in a Santa suit, vying for a title in the 1983 "Funny Photo Competition." Regrettably—and to her surprise (sort of)—she and her friends left bearing the title of Street’s "Stupidest Photo" instead.
Thanks to her insatiable obsession with both photography and baking, Alaina Chou (C'22) has run a baking blog called Crumbs & Nibbles since the age of 13. The passion project functions as a kind of time–capsule, effectively capturing her journey as she ventures through the multifaceted world of food media. In recent years, and in line with her aspiration to work in the food industry, she's crafted a brand for herself—expanding Crumbs & Nibbles to Instagram where she hosts bake–alongs with her growing community of fans and food–lovers. This past spring, Street highlighted how Alaina was able to inspire and mobilize inexperienced yet aspiring bakers in quarantine to attempt their own banana bread or sourdough.
The COVID–19 pandemic has scattered the Penn community across the globe—broadening the boundaries of our West Philadelphia home. Never before have we had such a unique and rare opportunity to create change across the larger world. And never before has it mattered more.
This summer was undeniably a great challenge for everyone; however, many people found an opportunity within the abundant time to explore unique interests or begin new passion projects. In the midst of quarantine blues, Suditi Rahematpura (E ‘21) and Suhita Kodali (C ‘21) decided to do just that, so they came together to create a podcast.
When the spring semester took an unexpected turn, student groups were left to figure out how to finish the semester remotely. This posed an interesting challenge for groups such as the Pennchants, a performing arts group that was in the middle of planning their spring show when everyone was sent back home.
Today, snapping a quick picture is easier than ever. Camera rolls are filled with thousands of photos, many of which are completely insignificant (hello photos of powerpoint slides that will never be seen again). Pictures no longer hold the sentimental value they used to hold, nor represent people’s special moments— Paintru is here to change that.
The pandemic brought about difficult changes for everyone. At worst, it led to death and major economic complications. At best, it led to being stuck at home for months, with no clear end in sight. As students were forced to evacuate campus and go home, they had to reinvent their daily routines, letting go of their usually packed schedules.
It’s been a long dry spell at Smokey Joe’s historic bar on 40th Street these past four months—no crowds gathering for Sink or Swim Wednesday nights; no green tea shots tossed back to mark 21st birthdays. In fact, no students at all to carry on the beloved traditions of the “Pennstitution.”
In the last several weeks, student groups have been making an effort to circulate resources regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. Some of these groups, including the Penn Black Pre-Law Association, are compiling lists of classes for students to learn more about history and race dynamics at Penn.
In the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody, people throughout the United States and the world have rallied to protest police brutality. In addition to protesting, this recent attention to the systemic racism in the US has inspired people to swarm social media, sign petitions, reach out to their local officials, and donate to Black organizations. Divya Ramamurthy (W ’22), Simran Chand (C ’21), and Mahima Sangli (W, C ’23) wanted Penn Masti, the university's South Asian coed fusion dance team, to take part in the action.
Tiger Zhang (W ‘20) looks back on his time at Penn fondly, recounting memories of his favorite activities with his favorite people. He graduated from Penn this past May with concentrations in Finance and Accounting, and is looking forward to going into investment banking in the future. When talking about his Penn experience, however, he highlights the impact his extracurricular activities have had on his college years.
Over three weeks ago, George Floyd's murder was the spark that ignited protests against police brutality and racial discrimination toward Black people across the country. While many have taken to the streets to march, others have resorted to creative ways of supporting the cause remotely. In tandem with the physical protests, social media feeds were flooded with posts meant to support the Black Lives Matter movement and share educational resources on the issue of racism.
Chad Vigil (C’20) is going to be a doctor. He’s graduating from Penn with a degree in neuroscience and a minor in chemistry, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a medical professional quite yet.
Locust Walk bustling with students rushing to get to class. Late nights studying in Van Pelt. Sink or Swim at Smokes'. There are countless quintessential parts of the Penn experience that students are missing due to the pandemic. For Lucy Corlett (C’20), it’s getting a coffee at Wilcaf.
The first thing you notice about Catherine de Luna (C‘20) is her warm, inviting smile. It’s pretty difficult to exude anything but awkwardness on a Zoom call with someone you’ve never met, but somehow it doesn’t even faze her. It's immediately clear she’s the kind of person you want to be friends with: funny, nice, outspoken, thoughtful, and honest—she doesn’t mince words when it comes to describing what she believes, and she is incredibly passionate about everything she does.
Although our meeting is virtual, I can almost feel the sunshine radiating off of Jazzy Ortega’s (E ‘20) screen on Zoom. Maybe it’s because she’s video calling from outside her home in Southern California, with a backdrop of blue sky and healthy green trees. Or maybe it’s because from the moment we started the meeting, Jazzy hasn’t stopped smiling. Although the second half of her semester has been—to put it nicely—not what she expected, her optimism doesn’t waver throughout the interview.
From the way Sam Friskey (C'20) speaks, it’s clear she’s a writer. She is eloquent; her sentences are smooth and rhythmic and her word choices are crisp and precise. She speaks slowly, carefully, with thoughtful pauses replacing the “um”s typically sprinkled throughout colloquial dialogue. I’m not surprised when she tells me she’s an English major. But I am awed when she tells me that she’s an award–winning playwright.
When Jacob Hershman (C’20) was fourteen, he was pretty sure that the world was going to end on December 21st, 2012.
AJ Brodeur (W ‘20) has been playing basketball for as long as he can remember, learning the sport as soon as he was “big enough to stand up and pick up a ball.”
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