But for Dear Pennsylvan-i-a

 

 

Last week I was honored to be invited to multiple events related to the inauguration of Elizabeth Magill as the 9th president of my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. I have a lot of Penn pride, and owe this institution so much. Two degrees. Countless memories. All my kids have been or are being educated by a neighborhood K-8 school supported by Penn. My neighborhood's economy is anchored by the economic footprint of this institution. Penn is a client of my firm's. And, perhaps most momentously, I met my wife at Penn.

Though I live but a few blocks from campus, I'm not actually on campus that that much. So it was nice to spend basically the whole day one day last week, shuttling between events, catching up with old friends, getting the latest and greatest updates on all the amazing things Penn folks are up to, and of course getting inspired by the ambitious vision of our incoming president.

The day was a bit of a blur, not in the least because as always I had to juggle a full itinerary with work and home responsibilities. Thankfully, there were pockets of time in between events to check in on office emails and kid updates. But I managed to claim those pockets of time to also soak in this hallowed institution. I took some pics of picturesque scenes. I reminisced about a younger version of me from decades ago.

And, most of all, I observed the campus in action, particularly the students. The week was full of meaning with the historic inauguration and all this transition holds. But individual scenes were the opposite of that: just normal, mundane interactions of students walking to and from, holding conversations, being in the moment. It is a special place, this campus of students from diverse backgrounds talking excitedly about classes and clubs, research projects and social outings.

Penn is an amazing place filled with amazing people. It was good to take a day to just soak all that in. How fortunate I am to have this access. How fortunate I am that I was once one of those students too. I have been forever impacted by the experience, an experience that I am lucky enough continues to this day.