Meet the Civic Scholars – Class of 2020

Alana Adams

Bio coming soon.

Jordan Andrews

Bio coming soon.

Rachel Baum

Hometown: Long Island, NY

Majors/Minors: Biological Bases of Behavior (BBB), English

What is a social justice issu
e that you’re passionate about? Educational equity and mental health in education.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement at Penn. Under Netter Center’s Silverman Fellowship, I work at Comegys after school (and summer school) as a theatre teacher. I am on the board of West Philadelphia tutoring project and I tutor two hours a week. I work at CHOP as a childcare and research assistant for a parenting program at CHOP’s PolicyLab.

Catherine DePaola

Hometown: Scotch Plains, NJ

Majors/Minors: Major in Biological Bases of Behavior (BBB), minor in Law and Society

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Incarceration, Native rights.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement at Penn. I began volunteering at Why Not Prosper during my freshman year at Penn. I visited the site on a tour during PennCORP and was immediately drawn to its mission. The organization was founded by a formerly incarcerated woman for formerly incarcerated women. It assists women pre- and post-release. Before my senior year, I interned at Why Not Prosper for the summer. Additionally, I have been involved in WPTP for three years and I volunteered at the Workshop School during my sophomore year.

Noa Jett

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Majors/Minors: Major in Urban Studies, minor in Modern Middle Eastern Studies

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Criminal justice reform.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement at Penn. My freshman year, I volunteered with Why Not Prosper, an organization in North Philly that helps female returning citizens with the reentry process. Specifically, I assisted these women with creating resumes and job searches. Sophomore year, I volunteered with Pennsylvania Prison Society, which advocates for incarcerated persons’ fair treatment. Junior year, I interned with Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project, working on compiling reentry resources and assisting with casework research.

Jenna Liu

Bio coming soon.

Natasha Menon

Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ

Majors/Minors: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)/Legal Studies and History

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Immigration.

Describe your Civic Engagment involvement at Penn. I have volunteered weekly at Moder Patshala, a Bangladeshi education services center in West Philadelphia, for the past three years. I also serve as the President of the Undergraduate Assembly, one of the elected branches of student government. In this role, I lobby to administrators to work on issues such as wellness and sustainability, as well as to elevate the concerns of marginalized communities on campus and work to create better support systems for all students.

Yareqzy Munoz

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Majors/Minors: Major in Urban Studies, minor in Hispanic Studies & Latin American and Latino Studies

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Income inequality and workers’ rights.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement at Penn. Some of my favorite engagements during my time at Penn have been volunteering at Moder Patshala, an educational center for Bangladeshi students; interning for U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth; and organizing the Community Engagement Program through Civic House! I have also served as a NextGen Fellow, interned with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and conducted outreach for the Paid Sick Leave ordinance in Chicago.

Ton Nguyen

Bio coming soon.

John Ortega

Hometown: Cleveland, OH

Majors/Minors: Health and Societies

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? I am involved with helping provide quality education in Philadelphia.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement at Penn. Over the years I have been involved with a number of tutoring programs, including the Riepe Mentors Program, IMPAC (Impactful Mentorship at Penn for Adopted Children), and Puentes de Salud: Early Childhood Program. At the moment, I am working with the Penn Catholic Newman Center to re-engage a culture of service and to promote tutoring at West Catholic High Preparatory High School and Christ in the City, a homeless ministry program.

Bri Rodriguez

Bio coming soon.