The transition from high school to college is both exhilarating and uncertain. Sapna Choksi Shah, C’93, W’93, and Ashish C. Shah, W’92, believe those earliest days help set the trajectory for a student’s entire Penn experience.
Forging a Path to Success
A new gift from Sapna and Ashish Shah strengthens Penn First Plus and reimagines the transition to college
Published: March 31, 2026
That belief is at the heart of their $1 million commitment to establish the Shah Family Goldman Sachs Gives Roots of Success Seed Fund, a five-year investment designed to strengthen Penn First Plus and reimagine how students who are the first in their family to attend college or those from lower-income backgrounds begin their Penn journeys. The new fund will launch Penn First Plus FORGE, Fostering Opportunity, Resourcefulness, Growth, and Excellence.
This new program will offer an innovative pre-first-year experience for approximately 125 students in the Penn First Plus community who are unable to participate in the program’s intensive four-week summer offering. Through a two-day, off-site experience connected to New Student Orientation, Penn First Plus FORGE will help students build community, confidence, and a strong foundation for academic achievement. The program will welcome its first cohort this summer, with support from a wide range of campus partners and insights from a dedicated group of second- and third-year students who will serve as mentors to the inaugural class. Follow-up programming will continue on campus during the spring semester, reinforcing participants’ sense of community and support.
Supporting programs like Penn First Plus helps students build community and confidence from the start of their Penn experience.
“We both remember how transformative the start of college can be,” says Sapna Shah. “We want every single student to feel prepared, welcomed, and empowered from their first day on campus. Penn First Plus is already doing extraordinary work, and we hope this program deepens that impact.”
“Education opens doors, but only if students have the support to walk through them,” adds Ashish Shah. “By investing in this new model, we’re helping to ensure that talented students from all backgrounds can thrive at Penn and beyond.”
We know that a strong start matters. With the Shah family’s partnership, we can expand access to meaningful pre-first-year programming, strengthen peer and mentor connections, and create a model that not only benefits our students, but can serve as a blueprint for other institutions committed to advancing student success.”Marc Lo, PhD
Executive Director of Penn First Plus
For Sapna and Ashish Shah, the gift is a reflection of their gratitude and an investment in the future. “Penn shaped who we are,” says Sapna. “If we can help even one student feel more confident, more connected, and more certain of their place at Penn, then this investment will have done exactly what we hoped.”
To learn more about supporting undergraduate financial aid and Penn First Plus, contact Maryann O’Leary Salas at maryanno@upenn.edu or (267) 885-4877.
