Alumni Stories

Penn alumni continue to cultivate existing connections while forging new ones, enriching their personal and professional networks. So yes, you'll leave Penn with a top-notch education, but it's the lasting friendships and networks you'll build that truly define your time here. 

HERE’S YOU, AND THE THINGS YOU’LL DO.

Obviously, these people aren’t “you” you, but these are maybe the kind of things you’ll do?

Steven Graham, NU'23

Penn Nursing

From the first time he was in a clinical setting, Steven was fascinated with the pathophysiology and pharmacology of oncology patients, noting, “cancer does not discriminate; it impacts individuals across all age groups and from all walks of life.” While he loved caring for patients at the bedside, Steven realized it limited how many patients he could impact at a given time, so in the Penn Nursing spirit of innovation, he decided to combine his fascination with cancer care and his clinical education to enter the pharmaceutical industry. Steven spent three years at Regeneron, assisting in designing, executing, and monitoring clinical trials taking place around the world, impacting the lives of thousands of patients at a time, globally. He is now back at Penn, pursuing a post-graduate education in Medicine.

Alexis-Amanda Malcolm, W'18

The Wharton School

During her time at Wharton, Alexis was amazed by the opportunities around her and the support she received from her peers and faculty. She took every chance she could to take advantage of this wealth of opportunities. While pursuing her concentrations in Environmental Policy and Management as well as Marketing, Alexis worked to found the first Black Ivy League-wide business conference, where she served as the founding conference chairman. She was the recipient of the Vice Dean’s Award for Service and the Sol Feinstone Award for her efforts. Today, Alexis is continuing to be a changemaker as Senior Manager of Product Marketing at a growing EdTech start up working to change how people learn on the job. After gaining real-world experience, Alexis hopes to start an environmentally friendly business and eventually support orphans in Jamaica to give back to her family’s country. 

David Thai, C'18

College of Arts and Sciences

David studied Health and Societies at Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences, and in true Penn interdisciplinary fashion, completed a concentration in Healthcare Markets and Finance through Wharton. Born and raised in Philly, David was determined to give back to his community during his time at Penn. As the first in his family to attend college, David found support through mentors at PAACH who encouraged him to get comfortable with the fact that he deserved to be at Penn. He focused on helping fellow FGLI students— co-founding Penn’s chapter of Philadelphia-based non-profit, Collective Success, as well as Seven|Eight, a group for FGLI AAPI students at Penn. After graduation, David continued giving back as VP, Chief Content Officer for Rise First, a company focused on empowering and supporting FGLI students. Still an advisor for Rise First, today David is putting his studies into practice at a consulting and technology firm focused on transforming health  

Serena Ghandi, E'23

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Serena joined Penn’s Digital Media Design program with a desire to work at an animation studio, centering her Independent Study project on Toon Shading, a technique used in animations like Into the Spiderverse. She also dedicated herself to creating community during her time at Penn, whether it was through teaching six fitness classes a week at Pottruck, or founding Penn’s chapter of Women in Animation. After graduating, Serena was able to continue exploring her newly sparked interest in Computer Graphics through an accelerated Masters of Science in Engineering in Computer Graphics and Game Technology at Penn. Today, she continues be very involved in fitness, teaching group fitness in Philadelphia twice a week, and working as a personal trainer both independently and at Penn's very own Pottruck. She also works at KittyCAD, a startup that builds software solutions for hardware designers which she discovered through Women in Anima.  

Owusu Akoto, C'04

College of Arts and Sciences

Owusu’s journey to Penn began as a student in Ghana where he served as a prime-time TV talk show host. With passion for storytelling and uplifting narratives, he set out to the Annenberg School for Communication at Penn, which stood out as a leader in the industry. Once he stepped foot on campus, Owusu discovered the interdisciplinary nature of the Penn experience as he explored his academic interests, leading him to study International Relations. Despite being far away from home, Owusu found community through the International Student Orientation, Africans Student Union, Model UN and time spent on Locust Walk where friendships were forged and ideas were exchanged.  The knowledge gained during his time at Penn prepared him for the world of international supply chains, where he honed his skills at companies like Unilever, P&G, and Nestle. Returning home to Ghana years later, Owusu founded FreezeLink, a venture that develops networks to distribute food and medicine. FreezeLink became the first company in the world to distribute the COVAX vaccines, during the pandemic, as profiled by The New York Times and others.  

Avanti Birla, C'10

College of Arts and Sciences

Avanti’s desire to study at Penn stemmed from the opportunity to engage and explore a diverse range of courses and extracurricular offerings. During her time as a student, she explored subjects ranging from photography and healthcare management to economics and cinema studies. Her ability to explore her multidisciplinary interests not only broadened her horizons but also honed her ability to think quickly and adaptively in real-world scenarios. Initially, she questioned the practical application of her varied interests but ultimately, her passions to serve others drove Avanti back to India. Avanti then went on launch the CK Birla Hospital for Women located in Delhi, India based upon her desires to provide accessible healthcare for women. With hopes of future expansions, CK Birla is committed to providing clinical care of international standards to build a supportive healthcare ecosystem for women across India.