2025-2026 Pals

  • Person

Maria Awadalla

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…

  • Person

Avia Weber

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…

  • Person

Deniz Sari

Contact Ask Me About… Studying abroad in London was my first experience traveling to the UK and Europe while navigating a different academic culture alone. London taught me independence, and I learned how to truly take care of myself. Of course, while at Penn, you also learn to be independent, but starting from scratch in…

  • Person

Jacob Gruttner

Contact Ask Me About… One unique aspect of my study abroad experience that other students should ask me about is what it’s like to be fully immersed—in language, culture, academics, and community engagement—all at once. I studied in Sevilla, Spain through a small program of about 25 students, which created a tight-knit community and allowed…