By senior year, time at Penn starts to feel fragile—like something you could mis- place if you aren’t careful. Stephanie Skinner (W ’26) handles it differently than most. Every commitment lives inside a meticulously color–coded Google Calendar, each day planned down to the minute. On paper (or a computer screen), her life reads like the kind of LinkedIn bio that makes you wonder if you have been misusing your own 24 hours. As a senior at the Wharton School, she finds a way to juggle Quaker Girls practice, mentorship, community service initiatives, and, most recently, being the titleholder of Miss Philadelphia as part of the Miss America Opportunity program.
But sitting across from her, none of it feels performative. She does not speak in resume bullet points or rehearsed, interview–ready responses. There are no pointless preprofessional clubs that represent prestige rather than real work. Instead, her responses come across as thoughtful, as though she is used to gently translating a very full life into something digestible for others.
Name: Stephanie Skinner
Hometown: Philadelphia
Field of Study: Management and operations, information and decisions
Activities: Quaker Girls, Alpha Phi sorority, Wharton Marketing Undergraduate Student Establishment, Venture Lab
Can you start off by telling me about a bit about yourself?
I’m a senior at Wharton. I study OIDD and management. I think one of my favorite parts of Penn is being able to utilize the opportunities that it provides, especially in the sense of international opportunities. Wharton has been able to teach me that the best classroom is really the world. I’ve been able to be a part of the Global Research & Internship Program, do marketing and analyst programs, and study at the London School of Economics and the Institute of Moraine. I think all those experiences have equipped me to succeed personally, but also professionally, and in the atmosphere of pageantry as well. You obviously do a lot on campus.
You’re in Quaker Girls, APhi, and a bunch of other commitments. How do you go about balancing all of your responsibilities?
Prioritization is key. Sometimes you do have to sacrifice things. You want to do it all, but you have to pick and choose what is most important to you. I always say it’s not really a sacrifice when you’re doing something that you love. It’s important to know how to manage time properly. I use my Google Calendar like it’s my Bible, and I don’t know what I would do without it.
You recently won Miss Philadelphia. What does it mean to represent Philly?
For me, it represents a historic opening to show people how they can lead in the highest capacity, especially since Wharton is the first business school and Penn was the first–ever university in the United States. For me, it’s all about showing that women can and will continue to forge those opportunities that haven’t yet been made—those opportunities that are just waiting for someone to make them. And I get to hold this title during this historic year. I was also the first–ever Wharton student to hold this title, even though we’ve had 105 Miss Philadelphias. It’s showing how far we have come, but also how far we still have left to go.
Philadelphia is a place where people really take pride in where they live, whether or not people have grown up here. People have come here from different parts of the world, and they choose to stay, or they’re here for however long. But people really do embrace the city, and I feel like how much you love the city is how much the city will love and embrace you with that same energy back. I’ve tried to go in with that same spirit and give it all of my love and an open heart and open mind. What are your goals with this new role? What do you plan to do with the title? A big part of Miss America Opportunity, which many people don’t see, is the community service initiative. My initiative is part of my organization, Hands of Hope, which supports those who have adverse childhood experiences. I want to partner with the School District of Philadelphia to bring a HOPE curriculum into Philadelphia schools, which would stand for Help, Opportunity, Prevention, and Education. I want to talk about self–efficacy and the importance of confidence and positive relationship building in Philadelphia schools. I also want to partner with our mayor to make “A Day of Hope” in Philadelphia because I was able to do that with Mayor Eric Adams in New York. Philadelphia, as well as Pennsylvania more broadly, does not have a state–recognized day like that.
How has Wharton allowed you to do this?
Specifically for Wharton and Penn, I think something that is nice is having a depth and breadth of opportunities and classroom knowledge. Even within the business fundamentals requirement, you have to take classes in so many different spaces, which forces you to think and adapt in different ways that may take you outside of your comfort zone. For me, it’s given me a willingness and ability to lead in any space, but also a depth and breadth of knowledge. With marketing, for example, that’s similar to how we have to interact with sponsors or market ourselves with our community service initiative. I know how to pitch myself and also how to be confident or adapt my communication skills. I can think of WH 2010—those skills that you practice in a classroom for a grade end up being translated to real life activities. In my role right now, I’m using those skills so much more than I once thought I would.
Going back to the competition process, what’s the training like? How do you prepare both physically and mentally?
It’s a lot. It’s definitely a holistic process. It’s kind of like training for the Olympics—that’s the best way that I can put it. You have to make sure that mentally, physically, and spiritually, you are in the right place and mind. There are many different phases of competition. The interview phase of competition is a big chunk of our scores. We make sure that we are up to date and knowledgeable about what’s going on in our world because at the end of the day, it’s a job interview. The job is to be an ambassador for the city, for the state, and potentially for the country, if you make it to Miss America. You need to be aware, socially, of what’s going on in your environment and also be able to represent different people from different walks of life.
What are some common misconceptions about pageants?
The fact that Miss America Opportunity is a pageant. It’s not. It’s called a scholarship competition. Unfortunately, we’ve seen sometimes that all the Honey Boo Boos and the Miss Congenialitys have led to the misconception that this competition is completely external, or extrinsically motivated. In the end, it’s really about what you bring to the role and about being a selfless leader. It’s about what you can provide for others.
What’s your favorite memory from competing in pageants?
Even today, I went and I brought my crown to a girls’ center that I’ve been working with since freshman year. They were like, “Are you the queen of the city now?” and “Can I try it on?” I saw this little twinkle of hope in their eyes. I really want to show them, both visually and physically, that this is who you can become. My message is that this is who you can be with hard work and dedication, no matter where you come from. I’ve shown through my story over those four years with them, as well as with many other young women in our community, that your circumstances don’t define you. I think being able to see that message come to fruition and genuinely being living proof for these young women that, “Hey, this can be you in a couple years,” has been my favorite part.
As our conversation winds down, the subject of senior year inevitably arises. Stephanie admits to a persistent fear of missing something, of letting the small, ordinary moments slip away amid the rush of obligations. This awareness fuels her meticulous scheduling and her insistence on being present wherever she is. Penn, she knows, will end soon, and with it, this particular room for freedom and possibility. Rather than lamenting this inevitability, she chooses to meet it head–on, determined to experience as much as possible while it lasts.
When we part ways, Stephanie glances at her phone, already preparing for the next commitment. This time, it’s a 6 a.m. wake up to appear on the local news. She moves quickly down Locust Walk and through a city that has shaped her sense of what is possible. Somewhere in her bag, tucked between notebooks and yoga pants, the crown rests—not as an accessory, but as proof that she is not done yet. The crown is waiting for someone to carry it forward.
If you had to pick, would you choose pageantry or school? I’m privileged enough to be in a spot where I can do both.
Favorite class you’ve taken at Penn? “Grit Lab” with professor Angela Duckworth
Favorite pageant moment? Winning Miss Philadelphia and advocating for the New York City mayor to declare a Day of Hope.
There are two types of people at Penn … Those who use Google Calendar religiously and those who don’t.
And you are? Someone who very much does.
