Meet the Civic Scholars

Class of 2020

Class of 2021

Class of 2022

Class of 2023

Gabriela Alvarado

Hometown: Sacramento, CA

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Migrant child detention and family separation.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. In an effort to retain more students of color and raise the GPAs of all students (as Ethnic Studies classes have been shown to do), I wrote and, with the club I started as a high-school freshman, Chicanx-Latinx Student Union, presented a proposal to mandate an Ethnic Studies course be taken before graduating from my high school, where minority students feel disinterested, unheard, and disconnected in class because their own histories aren’t presented adequately in the Eurocentric curriculum.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I hope to learn about non-dominant cultures and help overlooked communities in Philadelphia.

Evie Artis

Hometown: Media, PA

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Systematic racism in the education system.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. In high school, I had the privilege to be a part of and eventually lead as president of the Human Relations Club, which involved passionate conversations about social justices issues affecting our school system and the world beyond. I was also a member of the Media Fellowship Youth Coalition which aimed to foster a sense of unity between adult members already active in the community and young people looking to discuss with them and get involved through both travel and events.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I hope to develop a beautiful partnership with community organizations as a representative of Penn.

Ollie Dupuy

Hometown: Irvine, CA

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Education policy and mass incarceration.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. I served as lead coordinator for a program dedicated to teaching literacy to low-income ESL students through creative writing. In student government, I designed a series of events dedicated to building community partnerships and connecting the student body with the rest of the city. I also served as President of my Girl Scout troop and raised seeing-eye dogs with my family.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I’m looking forward to learning how to form sustianable relationships with the community.

Nia Flynn

Hometown: Matteson, IL

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Health inequities and food insecurity.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. In high school, I participated in a club called Go Extreme. I had the opportunity to make lunches, collect toiletries and clothes, and give them out to homeless people in downtown Chicago. As a member I sought to better understand the factors that contribute to homelessness and food insecurity. In addition, I also volunteered at my local hospital and tutored underclassmen in math, English, and Spanish.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I’m looking forward to bridging my interests of health/wellness and social justice.

Alisa Ghura

Hometown: Washington, DC

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Education justice and how education inequalities add to systemic oppression.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. As a head of my school’s community engagement organization, I planned and volunteered in a range of community engagement efforts from tutoring underserved students to partnering with the retirement home over a love of the arts. However, my favorite forms of civic engagement were designing and teaching my own political awareness and Model UN class to middle schoolers and partnering with the community center to create a mentorship program between my affinity group and young students of color.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I am excited to work with one of our community partners and learn about Philly and social justice.

Hailie Goldsmith

Hometown: Manhatten Beach, CA

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Affordable health care, especially health care support for the elderly.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. Throughout all fours years of high school, I volunteered weekly at a convalescent home where I visited an elderly resident each Tuesday afternoon. We became close friends! As a junior and senior, I was the co-chair of the Community Service Advisory Board where I planned and organized both on-campus and off-campus civic engagement opportunities. Additionally, I became interested in local Los Angeles County politics, so I interned at Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office during the summer of 2018.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I look forward to joining a community of justice-oriented, thoughtful, and driven students.

Sabria Henry-Hunter

Bio coming soon.

Delaney Holder

Hometown: New Rochelle, NY

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Ending poverty and closing the wealth gap perpetuated by uses of capitalism.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. Throughout high school, I was involved with my church’s community kitchen that works for those in need in my hometown. Weekly I served and prepared meals, and eventually focused on coordinating movie screenings in the afternoons and laundry services in the mornings through that ministry for our friends in need. These ideas came from listening directly to those being served. When designing these programs it was imperative their voices were kept at the forefront.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? Learning to combine business education with my social justice interest to create lasting solutions.

Keerthi Jayaraman

Hometown: Livingston, NJ

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Gender equity and education.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. The highlights of my high school experience were my Civic Engagement involvement throughout my 4 years. I served as president of my school’s Community Service Committee, during which I enjoyed extending different service opportunities throughout her school. I was also president of the GLAM’D (Girls Learning and Making a Difference) club in addition to serving on my school’s Diversity Council.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I’m really looking forward to working with community partners during my time at Penn.

Gabriela Montes de Oca

Bio coming soon.

Benjamin Moss-Horwitz

Hometown: Northampton, MA

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Stopping the climate crisis before it does irreversible global damage.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. I served the Massachusetts High School Democrats locally, in founding a Chapter, regional, as Western MA coordinator and as the statewide Advocacy Director. I helped lead an in-school town hall with my Congressman, organize a public debate between candidates in a state Senate election, and put together the regional March For Our Lives. Outside of MAHSD, I was a part of my school’s premiere Student Union and was one of the founders of the Pioneer Valley Students for Gun Control.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I’m excited to explore the huge community music education and music advocacy network in Philly!

Emilia Onounga

Hometown: Middletown, DE

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Criminal justice reform as well as inequity in the education system.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. In high school, I was a part of diversity council where we led discussions on a variety of issues such as sex trafficking, immigration, DACA, the second amendment, as well as many more. I also started a community service program called Big Red Writing at my high school where we reached out to local Trenton, NJ organizations and students. The objective was to help prepare and inform students about the independent school process and efforts to combat inequality in the education system.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I’m excited to learn more about West Philadelphia and myself during my four years!

Alfredo Praticó

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Equity in education, particularly in Pennsylvania schools.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. I grew up in a Philadelphia school system broken by budget cuts. Affected by this, I fought for all students in the city. Through various advocacy positions, I worked to improve access to career preparedness and counseling services. I wrote policies to increase access to AP courses, and to create a system of equitable student voice across the city. I had the privilege to serve as member of the new Philadelphia Board of Education, and I hope my work helps improve the lives of future students.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? To learn more about different Philadelphia communities while serving them as best I can.

Tom Statchen

Hometown: Stonington, CT

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? Ensuring equitable global health regardless of socioeconomic factors.

Describe your Cvic Engagement involvement in high school. In high school I focused on advocating for reforms within my school district. I co-founded an organization, Unified Voices, that brought together already existing youth groups to meet with school administration and advocate for change on a number of issues within the school including the introduction of restorative justice practices, a more diverse history curriculum, and improved resources for ELL students. I was also part of an advisory committee on diversity for the city Board of Education

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? I look forward to learning from my talented, passionate, and intellectually diverse fellow students.

Mennal Zafar

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

What is a social justice issue that you’re passionate about? The desegregation of schools.

Describe your Civic Engagement involvement in high school. My biggest commitment to civic engagement was starting a debate team at a Title I school in New York, and giving middle school students with learning disabilities a renewed sense of sense/self agency through the new technical skills they were gaining. On top of that, I was very politically and socially active with the organization of gun violence marches and human trafficking fundraisers. Additionally, I worked with IntegrateNYC to tackle the problem of inequity across schools in New York.

What is one thing about Penn you’re looking forward to? 
I want to learn about West Philly and positively engaging with it through consensual partnerships.