Penn World Scholars Class of 2026

Academic Areas of Interest: "I intend to study Political Science and Economics, learning even more about international politics and discovering how political elements, such as the adoption of public policies or civic education, directly impact the economic development of different regions worldwide."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Overall, I am a tremendous enthusiast of Model UN, debates, and anything that involves diplomacy, public speaking, or leadership. I regularly work in Instituto Diplomun, the company I created that became the organizer of the largest MUN in Latin America and the most prominent Brazilian institution in young people's public speaking and leadership education. Furthermore, I admire different forms of art, so it is not uncommon to find myself contemplating a work by Van Gogh, listening to music by Arctic Monkeys, discussing the ending of Fight Club with my friends, or writing poetry about my feelings."

Future Plans: "I plan to use the education and network that I will develop at the University of Pennsylvania to continue promoting political education measures, especially in the Latin American region. I want to combine policymaking with international economic analysis to create education measures that increase global young people's civic awareness, enhance their public speaking and leadership skills, and enable them to reduce socioeconomic and educational disparities."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I have got a wide range of interests - Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Finance, Economics and Real Estate."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Reading autobiographies and memoirs, magazines, newspapers (anything readable); binge-watching YouTube videos. I also research into blockchain and the financial markets occasionally."

Future Plans: "I look forward to working with an investment bank of hedge fund. I also want to establish an organization that provides education in financial literacy and consulting in personal finances, starting with my home country, Ghana and subsequently, Africa."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I am in the School of Nursing and hope to either specialize in midwifery or pediatrics. I have also started learning Spanish, which is already becoming my favorite language."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Before I came to Penn, I was involved in a variety of volunteering initiatives that helped multiple charities within my local community. I worked closely with Mencap charity, which contribute to improving the quality of life for people with a learning disability. I hope to continue volunteering while at Penn because I am passionate about helping those in need and raising awareness of issues that many people are uneducated about. I was also a part of my local netball club, the Cynon Comets. My hobbies include reading, watching marvel movies, hanging out with friends and most importantly playing exploding kittens (I recently started playing this game and it is the best!)."

Future Plans: "I would like to travel abroad and work with organizations that help undeveloped countries with antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care. After graduation, I see myself working in either Europe or the US because I am interested in working within hospitals that focus on fetal medicine as I am passionate about research. As well as this, I would hope to work within labor and delivery or the NICU unit."

Academic areas of interest: "They’re too many — literature, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, history, and international policies. I plan on majoring in Science, Technology and Society in the College of Arts and Sciences."

Personal interests and hobbies: "I enjoy learning new languages; one of my goals is to be able to speak up to 5 languages. I also love reading and writing, the latter being one of my biggest passions. My other hobbies include drawing, public speaking, and watching old movies."

Future plans: "I see myself working in different fields, either in research studying the relation between cognitive science and artificial intelligence, or in diplomacy developing policies around the use of technology for social good." 

Academic Areas of Interest: "Although still somewhat undecided on my final Wharton concentration, I have a deep passion for both behavioral economics and legal studies and ethics. I have always been drawn to the more human element of business and I am sure this is an area I will be inclined to major in. Outside of this, I have a deep interest in philosophy (primarily Ancient Greek) and will be working towards gaining a minor in this field."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Self-improvement guru. I love journaling, experimenting with morning and evening habit routines, listening to podcasts and reading. I am also a very active person and love going on early morning runs down Locust Walks, visiting Pottruck for a lifting session in the afternoon and joining the Penn Rugby team for practice in the evenings."

Future Plans: "Without a doubt, my future plans include returning back home to my beautiful country, South Africa. The educational outreach programs I created in the rural areas of Kwa-Zulu Natal exposed me to the depth of suffering experienced on a day-to-day basis. Although I am not entirely sure of my final business path, I know I will take the skills and connections I have made over my time at Penn and Wharton back home with me to Africa and make the large-scale impact my country desperately needs."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I am planning to concentrate in Business, Energy, Environment, and Sustainability with a minor in environmental studies or data science. Overall, I would say that I am passionate about the current transitions that our world is going through - specifically, environmental and digital - and about the future of our societies."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Philosophy, making music and singing, fiction, and photography."

Future Plans: "After completing my bachelor’s degree, I would like to pursue a masters in development science. My ambition would be to build and lead a company whose goal would be to implement sustainable energy in developing countries. I hope to be a part of the profound changes that our societies are currently undergoing and to use that to contribute to make a positive impact on populations."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I am planning to major in computer science with a special interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning. I also like entrepreneurship and management, so I plan to minor in engineering entrepreneurship."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Civic engagement, traveling, cycling, socializing."

Future Plans: "After graduating from Penn I plan to do a master’s degree in an AI related field and get an MBA before entering the market. I hope that I will still be able to explore my passions in every way, connect with people and help those around me."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I am interested in exploring different subjects such as economics, sustainability, biology, entrepreneurship and computer science."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "In my spare time I mostly like to engage in physical activity. My favorite sports are swimming and running. Besides that I also enjoy exploring different cultures, try new things, civic engagement and listening to music."

Future Plans: "Although I am not sure of what I want to do in the future, I would like to engage in innovation in sustainability and assist companies transform their industries to be more climate neutral."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I am planning to major in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental and Sustainability Management. I am also thinking of double-majoring with PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics)."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "I love sustainability, nature, advocacy, community service and arts in general. Besides, I enjoy music of any kind, Broadway musicals, going on boba and coffee runs with my friends, and anything outdoors."

Future Plans: "I deeply care about sustainable development and human well-being; thus, I hope to work at the intersection of policy, human development and sustainability. After graduation, I will travel around to different communities, using the tools and knowledge from Penn to foster positive societal changes."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I have a wide range of interests in Economics, Neuroscience, Political science, History and Public Health."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Watching and playing sports, watching documentaries, reading books or newspapers, debating and advocacy."

Future Plans: "I would like to further my education and use it to identify and pursue a mission to make the world a better place and to become a researcher, writer and expert in my field of study."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I love to talk about our global economy as well as investing on the stock market and any other financial investments. I have always been interested on how investments have been changing, or globalizing, over the past years. Also, debating on politics is something I truly enjoy."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "I enjoy weightlifting and everything related to the fitness industry. I love animals and enjoy petting them as well as volunteering on shelters."

Future Plans: "I plan to start my own research on economic disadvantages third world countries in Latin America possess. In the future, I would like to intern at a top company at Wall Street and acquire experience on what I truly enjoy . Eventually, I plan to return to my home-country Honduras, and continue my professional pursuits there."

Academic Areas of Interest: "Molecular and Cell Biology with a focus on genes and gene editing techniques. The genetics field is a new field that deals with genes and gene editing."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "I enjoy listening to music and I listen to it a lot! I also find peace in the time I spend doing photography and photo editing. My favorite sports are table tennis and soccer. I also enjoy doing small projects with Arduino and coding."

Future Plans: "Currently, I am doing the VMLS (Vagelos Molecular and Life Sciences) program which will help me to direct me into a research based path. In this program, I will be focusing on Biology/Molecular Biology in order to be able to get closer into the genetics field. This should help me get a career as a researcher in a lab."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I’m planning on pursuing a double concentration in Finance & Business economics and Public policy at the Wharton School of Business. I’m also considering minoring in computer science."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "So many! I’m passionate about women’s rights and civic engagement. Thus, I’m interested in joining the board of Wharton Women and putting forth ideas on how to support women in Business. I also love theater, and I'm excited to audition for the play "dryland" this fall. I also love coffee and hanging out with friends."

Future Plans: "In the coming years, I plan on taking advantage of the different study-abroad opportunities at Penn. I aspire to deepen my world view even more and be a global citizen. After completing my Bachelor degree at Penn, I’m considering pursuing a  Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA). Career wise, I can see myself working for an international consulting firm, and eventually launching my own business in Tunisia."

Academic Areas of Interest: "I’m planning to study Mathematical Economics in the College with a minor in Data Science."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Two of my main passions are volleyball and math; I have competed in both of them since I’m 10 years old. On the other hand, I also enjoy spending some time volunteering in different NGOs. Additionally, I like reading non-fiction books, doing exercise, and going out with my friends."

Future Plans: "In the future I hope to use my job as a way to improve my country’s situation. Now my dream is to become a development economist and research how to solve poverty in Paraguay and Latin America. Still, I am open to exploring other possibilities and areas but always keeping in mind my purpose of helping others."

Academic Areas of Interest: "Bachelor of Science in Economics at Wharton School of Business. Planning to concentrate in Marketing & Finance. Passionate about marketing, its interdisciplinary nature (how it balances both creativity and analytics) and marketing's importance in promotion of social projects. As a part of the Joseph Wharton Scholars program, I am also interested in research in neuroscience and its application in business."

Personal Interests and Hobbies: "Taking photographs and videos to capture the memories. Exploring the world – learning something new, meeting new people, visiting interesting places. Having an active lifestyle and hiking."

Future Plans: "The next four years at Penn will definitely change me, my life perception and future plans, which is why I remain open-minded. But I believe in application of business knowledge in development of social projects, and I am interested in working in business in tech, digital & education. I also hope to use the knowledge I will gain here to improve the quality of education back in my home country, Kazakhstan."