For Marjorie Chee, C’02, distance has only made her heart grow fonder for Penn.
Many alumni can tell you about the moment they learned they had been accepted to Penn and the joy they felt upon tearing open that envelope or clicking that link. Few alumni, though, have a story like Marjorie Chee, C’02.
I stay involved because my time at Penn was one of the biggest influences on my life, both professionally and personally. I want others to be able to have the same experience.
MArjorie Chee
Marjorie lived in Guam, where a typhoon had knocked out all of the island’s power. “I literally called Penn Admissions with a fluorescent lantern as my light,” she remembers. “I held my breath, hearing the tapping of a keyboard and rustling of papers, before she said, in the most somber of tones and with the longest pause, ‘Well, Ms. Chee…I just wanted to say…congratulations on being admitted to Penn!’”
That was the start of a life-changing experience for Marjorie. “Penn opened my eyes to the fact there’s a big world out there for the taking and provided me a safe environment to explore my interests while continually pushing me to step outside my comfort zone,” Marjorie says. “As a history major, I could take finance, management and accounting classes to diversify my profile. Penn teaches you that anything is possible as long as you’re motivated and willing to put in the hard work.”
Marjorie now lives in London and works as an Executive Director for IHS Markit. Despite being separated from Penn’s campus by the Atlantic Ocean, she is actively engaged as an alumna. She is a Benjamin Franklin Society Associate and a Penn Fund Ivy Stone Society Gold Member. She also volunteers her time as a member of The Penn Fund Executive Board as well as the UK Europe Leadership Committee, the Penn Alumni Interview Program and the Class of 2002 Gift Committee.
“I started volunteering because it was a great way to meet people that shared a common interest,” Marjorie says. “I stay involved because my time at Penn was one of the biggest influences on my life, both professionally and personally. I want others to be able to have the same experience.”
As a UK taxpayer, Marjorie gives to Penn though Penn’s UK registered charity, the University of Pennsylvania (USA) Foundation Ltd. Gifts and pledge payments to Penn’s UK Charity qualify for both UK and US tax benefits and enable many donors to claim Gift Aid and increase their gift’s value by 25%! Click here for more information on various tax-advantaged giving opportunities available for our international supporters.
