The mission of Penn First Plus is clear: to expand access to the full Penn experience through a robust suite of academic, social, and financial supports for undergraduates who are the first in their families to pursue a college degree and those with modest financial resources.
A New Take on Office Hours
Penn First Plus students travel to New York City to meet with alumni leaders in industry
Published: April 19, 2024
Grounded firmly in this mission, the program’s reach has soared—far beyond Penn’s campus to the bustling offices that dot the New York City skyline.
Traveling to the experts
On a sunny Friday morning in early April, 15 students boarded a bus bound for New York for a day of conversations with executives at some of the country’s top finance and technology firms. Made possible through a Career Launch fund supported by Sapna, C’93, W’93, and Ashish Shah, W’92, the goal was to introduce college students to industry leaders in technology, finance, and entrepreneurship, and inspire their career approaches.
The field trip was the first of its kind and the inaugural event for the newly launched Penn First Plus Alumni Leadership Series, an initiative designed to harness the talent and experience of the Penn alumni community in support of Penn First Plus students. Says Marc Lo, the executive director for Penn First Plus, “Alumni leaders have all been eager to have these conversations with students.” Future events will include additional on-site visits and opportunities to connect alumni leaders and students on campus at the Shleifer Family Penn First Plus Center.
With the insight of experience
That eagerness was mutual for economics major Gabriella (Gaby) Jean, C’27: “I wanted the opportunity to visit different companies, and in particular the financial side of things.” She found inspiration at the first stop, with the founding partner of Dominus Capital Ashish Rughwani, EE’95, W’95 (pictured in header image). “For me, he conveyed how I’m building my career when I’m sitting in class,” reflects Gaby. “That everything I do here at Penn has a purpose.”
The group also stopped at Lakewood Capital Management for lunch with founder and managing partner Anthony Bozza, W’98. Over the meal, Bozza spoke about his experience coming to Penn as a first-generation undergraduate student to now running a hedge fund. “There’s incredible value in these conversations for students because of these leaders’ own individual messages,” says Lo. “Anthony highlighted his first internship at a startup firm. Because he had to do a bit of everything, he learned the most from that opportunity, setting himself up to have choices later in his career.”
The final stop was Match Group, where students met with president and chief financial officer Gary Swidler, W’92. “What Gary did was phenomenal, too,” says Lo. “He brought members of his team from across the country to talk about their paths,” including strategic planning leads, communications, marketing, and human resources, and emphasized picking the path that aligns with your skill set. “Two or three of them were Penn alumni as well,” notes Lo.
Envisioning future routes
After the success of the inaugural trip, more members of the Penn community are excited to come on board. With a growing list of interested students and alumni, Lo is optimistic that the program will become a frequent opportunity. “They might have to keep the bus engine running,” he says with a smile.
Learn more about Penn First Plus and how to support the program’s work.
