Michael Lentskevich, W’24, came to Penn from Belarus via Chicago.
Raise a Glass to the Class of 2024
Penn's traditions bring students—and classes—together in shared experiences that link Quakers across the generations
Spring 2024
Like most members of his class, he arrived on campus in the second semester of his first year, during the height of the pandemic, when everything—from classes to club activities—took place on Zoom.
The first time his class came together as a community was for one of Penn’s newest traditions, U-Night, where sophomores celebrate the midway point in their Penn careers at the end of their second year.
“The Class of 2024 has a different relationship to Penn than the other classes,” Michael explains. “The pandemic made us aware of the importance of residential life, clubs, and the full college experience. We learned that earning a degree, important as that is, is only part of the experience. This gave our class a strong sense of community and purpose, and a commitment to giving back.”
Rising fourth-year students march across the Class of 1949 Bridge on Hey Day, a Penn tradition that dates back more than a century.
Michael is already giving back to his soon-to-be alma mater through his work on the Seniors for The Penn Fund (S4TPF) Committee, which raises funds for the class gift and educates classmates on the importance of staying engaged after graduation.
Michael helped organize First Toast, one of the signature events of S4TPF, where students raise a glass to their class. More than 1,000 seniors turned out for this year’s donor appreciation event, on February 1 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. First Toast also marked the kickoff of Feb Club, a series of events just for seniors, to bring them together as a class in their final semester.
Another member of S4TPF is Huseyin Cakir, Nu’24, who reaches out to his fellow Nursing students as the Nursing Chair on the committee.
For Huseyin, a first-generation, modest-income student who came to Penn thanks to scholarship support, the work of S4TPF is deeply personal. His family immigrated to the United States from Turkey when he was four. He attended a vocational high school and worked as a personal trainer before coming to Penn Nursing. He was the first student from his high school to be admitted to an Ivy League university in over 150 years.
Penn has given me a lot. My quality of life has improved substantially since I came here. I hope to give back in return.”Huseyin Cakir, Nu’24
He takes pride in the fact that his class typically has a great turnout for Penn traditions and other events. “We missed out on things at the beginning, so we are eager to take part in events now.”
Other seniors are participating in Penn Traditions, which strengthens the Penn community by building bridges between students and alumni.
Joyce Davis, C’24, a neuroscience major from Philadelphia, serves on the board of the Class Ambassadors program, part of Penn Traditions. Student members work with milestone reunion classes to help them plan their Alumni Weekend celebrations. “The Class Ambassadors program is a great volunteer opportunity for students interested in meeting alumni who share their interests or work in their fields,” Joyce explains.
Like Michael and Huseyin, Joyce is eagerly anticipating the many great spring traditions at Penn, including Spring Fling, Final Toast, Alumni Weekend, and, of course, Commencement. All three look forward to staying involved with Penn once they graduate and join the alumni community.
Connections with alumni strengthened his own college experience, Michael notes. “It’s only right to give back to the next generation.”
