From FemTech to Filmmaking: My unique adventure at Penn
Callie (Yuyi), one of the Exchange at Penn Correspondents, shares her experience here at Penn during the Spring 2025 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.
Long before I stepped onto Penn’s campus, entrepreneurship was already on my mind. In London, I have developed a social venture with my friend to promote cultural tourism, drawing on our expertise in spatial planning and design. That early project lit the spark, but it was Penn that truly ignited my entrepreneurial spirit and set me on an amazing journey—both academically and personally.
My time at Penn was an adventure that extended beyond the classroom. I enrolled in a technology entrepreneurship course where I connected with a group of like-minded innovators and one of my favorite professors—a female leader who guides founders from the idea stage to pitching in front of VCs. I learnt that entrepreneurship is about building with purpose and persistence. In class, my team developed a business in the emerging field of FemTech that I had never touched before. With these experiences and ongoing conversations with my professors, I got whole new perspectives and valuable guidance and that helped me see new growth opportunities for my own project.
Free from compulsory course requirements, I also took film production courses as personal interests. I poured my creativity into scripting original stories shot in Philadelphia, handling everything from casting and creating a lookbook to planning a full documentary shoot. This creative freedom deepened my artistic skills and filled my life at Penn with energy and joy.
Then came Alaska—a truly transformative chapter. During spring break, I traveled into the Arctic Circle with friends, also armed with my camera and tripod. Despite temperatures plunging to -20°C and my hands and feet growing numb, I was so thankful and grateful at the moment when I captured the auroras dancing overhead. Standing in this foreign land, I almost cried, feeling a deep, lifelong connection to my journey. It reminded me that following my heart and embracing my unique path is what matters most.
From Europe to the U.S. and back to my hometown in China, I’ve been fortune to have so many cross-cultural experiences at my early 20s and rediscover my core at every new environment. Every conversation with professors, mentors, and friends at Penn has inspired me. Especially a recent talk with my documentary interviewee—a passionate astrology lover, musical actor, and brave solo traveler—deepened my understanding of topics ranging from entrepreneurship and feminism to the gifts of the universe. I realized that I could leverage my experience at Penn to create something truly transformative and niche for my own project back in London, all fueled by the brave, dynamic, and fun spirit of Penn’s community.
Before coming to Penn, I promised myself I’d do something completely different from my life in London. Now, I can say that not only have I kept that promise, but I’ve also grown in ways I never imagined. Penn offered a systematic, hands-on approach that sharpened my ideas and strategic thinking. I have to say this is a very important and memorable adventure for me, my project and the protagonists in my film scripts.
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