Penn Abroad Ambassador Veronica Baladi

Programs:

• PGS: American Race: A Philadelphia Story

Ask me about...

Students should feel free to ask me about presenting original research while abroad; this includes navigating the language barrier of presenters, ways to connect with other researchers, and how to find credible places to share work with. Students who are interested in research or collaboration in the social sciences and social impact are extra encouraged to reach out.

Another is how students can build long-term relationships with organizations over a short-term trip.  By visiting different social impact groups, my time was most well spent by asking lots of questions, being genuinely interested in the change made, and staying actively engaged. Working with many nonprofit partners usually stemmed from a cold email and tedious planning in advance. With a focus on Athenian healthcare, food security, and education, the groups are niche but super open to conversation.

Additionally, I was the Penn Global Correspondent for my trip, another relatively new position for global seminars. With the experience of creating two blog posts, three Instagram posts, and essentially being the go-to person in the class for anything Penn Abroad related, I am happy to to discuss not only how to approach that role but also how to photograph/video-graph time abroad to make it the most memorable and educational possible. This was my first time in Greece, and I’m glad I got to document it.

My Experience:

When I traveled to Athens, Greece with my Penn Global Seminar, my experience connected me with US-Greek government officials, nonprofit leaders, and NGOs. My academic interests lie at the legal intersection of urban food security and education policy. Preparing for my time in Greece, I conducted and presented research on the digital documentation of community fridges stratified by race in New York City. While I was able to share this research professionally at the SNF Paideia Cultural Center, I also asked grassroots organizations more informally about how they approach giving.

Athens is distinct because organizations are steps away each other.  For example, the Saffron Kitchen Project is a community kitchen serving as a modern and healthier alternative to existing food options, giving over 300 free meals a day. I discussed with their leaders how approaches to neighborly food giving differs in Greece. Just downstairs was Anchor, an upcycling group. I was exposed to another avenue of work, as sustainability plays a key role in food consumption. After all, the very community fridges I researched are not only “take what you need” but also “give what you can,” preventing food waste in a similar way that Anchor uses discarded boat materials to create anything from bags to aprons. Thus, my experience abroad supplemented my global seminar of “American Race” as I directly engaged with change making agents regarding the work they are doing as well as the work I hope to do starting my own fridge.

Other Highlights:

• One highlight of my Penn Global Seminar was playing a soccer game with ActionAid Hellas, a local community center for migrants. We began hearing a lecture with all of the data points of ActionAid’s impact in Greece and internationally. But our class got to witness their community-building by taking part in a soccer game with their youth. Even though my teammates (most of the class opted for the sidelines) were ten years younger than I was, I came out of defense sweating. Interestingly enough, the winners of the game were not only determined by goals but also by sportsmanship. Our referees, some of my classmates, had a sit down discussion with each team at the end of the game to determine the level of each team’s decorum, which could make or break the game.

• Another highlight was using some of the program’s down time to hike Lycabettus Hill with friends. We were able to catch the sunset over the entire landscape of Athens, from the ocean to Acropolis to homes.

• Finally, I could never the pistachios I ate on the island of Aegina. I did not realize I was visiting the pistachio-growing capital of the world, and the overzealous Greek marketing of free samples worked on me. After having the freshest pistachio ice cream, I brought home plenty of pistachios and pistachio butter to family.