Arabella arrived at Penn thinking she’d eventually go to medical school, but while taking a Comparative Medicine seminar during her first year, she discovered that she was more interested in healthcare delivery, and the history and sociology of medicine. After taking classes in a variety of areas, Arabella decided to major in Health & Societies with a concentration in Healthcare Markets & Finance. She takes a big picture approach to medicine while satisfying her diverse interests in history, economics and healthcare. Last year, she took a course on the Affordable Care Act (Healthcare Reform and the Future of the American Health Care System), taught by one of its architects, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, Penn’s Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor. In the future, Arabella is interested in a career that focuses on healthcare finance and investing.

Recruited to Penn by Coach Andy Ma, Arabella is a member of the Penn Fencing team and thrives on juggling the demands of academics and athletics. Practicing five days a week, including private coaching and weight training, Arabella has found great friends in her teammates. For four consecutive years, the Penn Fencing team placed eighth at the NCAA Championships, and individually this year, Arabella placed 21st in saber. Arabella also attended the NCAA Championships during her sophomore year and received All-American honors by placing 10th.  She’s a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which builds camaraderie among athletes on campus and gives them a voice in athletics decision-making.

Arabella’s favorite class so far has been Introduction to Buddhism with Professor Justin McDaniel, the chair of the Religious Studies Department and a former Buddhist monk. McDaniel is known for his unconventional classes that instill a love of learning for learning’s sake. The class explored topics like learning about human nature and the idea of self. Connecting what she learned in the classroom more broadly gave her a different perspective of the world.

Covering news and sporting events, Arabella is a photographer for The Daily Pennsylvanian (DP), an independent student newspaper, that has been active at Penn for more than 130 years. In her role as a photographer, Arabella covered a recent visit from former Vice President Joe Biden, who has an appointment at Penn as the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor, where he leads the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.