What Penn Has to Offer Off-Campus

One of the first pieces of advice I received from upperclassmen upon arriving to Penn as a freshman was to "take advantage of Philly." For me, this means trying every local farmer's market, Sundays spent having brunch and thrifting with friends, and returning to the used bookstore I recently discovered in old city. On of my favorite parts of writing for 34th St Magazine was trying out local restaurants for our annual dining guide (ask me about the best birria tacos in the city) and attending concerts. Recently, I had the crazy and exciting honor of interviewing one of my favorite small bands for a piece I wrote. By the time I began to feel more settled at Penn, I also thought about what we, as students and socially-conscious individuals, can offer Philly in return. I sought opportunities to give back to the local West Philly community, and fortunately Penn provides many. Drawing from my debate experience in high school, last semester I began coaching the best group of middle schoolers in debate once a week at a local school through Penn For Youth Debate and eventually was inspired to take on a leadership opportunity within the club. One of the reasons I applied to Penn was their offering of Academically Based Community Service Courses, where students not only learn about social issues in the classroom, but use what they've learned in practice by working in local community organizations. My advice for anyone at Penn is to think about how they find meaning and excitement in all that Philly has to offer, and go ahead and explore!

- Samara H.