Hey Day

On a warm day last April, I lined up with over a thousand of my fellow juniors donning bright red t-shirts, wooden canes, and styrofoam hats to parade down Locust Walk. Since 1916, Penn students have been participating in this tradition called Hey Day at the end of their junior years. Hey Day is a celebration to commemorate juniors becoming seniors. It is one of the only times that your entire class will all be gathered in one place, with the exception of Convocation and Graduation. All students wear this same outfit, and then gather on High Rise field to parade all the way down Locust Walk to College Green. Students take bites out of their friends’ styrofoam hats and run around to catch up with all of their classmates. Many students use this as an opportunity to reunite with their freshman hall mates. The current seniors line the way along with many alumni cheering as the juniors walk. When the group finally reaches College Green, the President of the university declares the class to be officially seniors.

Taking part in Hey Day was one of the highlights of my junior year. I felt so connected to Penn’s history and community, as well as all of my own classmates. It was crazy to see so many familiar faces and realize how far we’ve all come since our first year at Penn. It was surreal to think that my time at Penn was coming to a close, but it certainly made me feel proud of all of my progress and excited for all that was to come.

- Rachel W.