Manjay Konneh is a freshman from Guinea living in Philadelphia, studying Health and Societies on the pre-med track. This semester, she will travel to Gaborone, Botswana through a Penn Global Seminar to explore Botswana’s healthcare system with the emergence of cancer, and explore how traditional medicine is incorporated in the system. On campus, Manjay serves…
Lumi Christensen is a junior from Oak Ridge, TN studying Mathematics with a minor in French and Francophone Studies. This semester, they’ll be traveling to Paris through the Penn Global Seminar “Paris under the German Occupation and Its Places in [Non-] Memory” over spring break with Professor Mélanie Péron. Lumi is a QuestBridge Scholar, and…
Anthony is a senior from South Carolina majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. This semester, he’s been studying the fascinating chemistry behind wine, from the biochemistry of fermentation to how terroir and regional practices shape the flavor profiles of wines around the world. Through his Penn Global Seminar “The Biochemical Engineering of Wine”, he is…
Contact Ask Me About… While we were in the Galapagos, we had no WiFi access nor connection to the outside world. This meant we were fully immersed in getting to know each other and embracing the experience, which made the trip truly transformative! Hiking and snorkeling every day was also outside of my comfort zone,…
Contact Ask Me About… My Experience Abroad My global seminar perfectly bridged my healthcare-adjacent major (Bioengineering & Robotics) with my passion for Spanish – we were studying the healthcare system of a Spanish-speaking country while living in it. Throughout the semester, we analyzed differences between the U.S. and Chilean healthcare systems, but being in Chile…
Contact Ask Me About… My experience is unique because, as an Egyptian born in America, I had always been connected to my roots but through the lens of my parents’ perspective. Every 8 years, we’d visit Egypt, staying primarily in the village where my family is from. These visits were special but often limited to…
Contact Ask Me About… Students should ask me about navigating study abroad as an adoptee returning to my birth country while still learning the language. My semester at Fudan University in Shanghai was not just about classes, but it was a personal journey. As a Chinese adoptee raised in the US, I looked like many…
Contact Ask Me About… As I’m already studying in a country that isn’t my own as an international student, people could ask why I’d choose to go abroad again. For me, each new environment pushes me to re-learn how I operate, from the way I approach assignments, to how I communicate in group settings, to…
Contact Ask Me About… Starting with GRIP: Power Up Gambia, my first-ever summer internship was also my first time working in Africa. What made this experience unique was learning how to navigate a completely new culture while carrying out my first professional role. I was adapting to new work expectations, living in a rural setting,…
Contact Ask Me About… I’d love for other students to ask me how I built real connections with local communities while studying abroad in Beijing, China, and Braga, Portugal. In Beijing, during the Penn Global Seminar program, I didn’t just stick to the classroom. I joined calligraphy workshops, savored traditional music, and explored vibrant food…
