Penn Arts & Sciences Pathways: Andy Eskenazi, C'22, ENG'22

Andy Eskenazi, C’22, ENG’22, is a believer in the power of an interdisciplinary education. As a student in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER), he came to Penn to explore all of the opportunities of studying in both the College of Arts & Sciences, where he majors in Math and minors in East Asian Studies, and Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Eskenazi says his courses in the humanities give him a more robust understanding of his work as an engineer and the world at large.

“Whether it’s East Asia, or sociology or psychology, it’s about understanding things from a more human perspective because sometimes we forget that we either do math or we’ll do engineering with one fundamental purpose, which is just helping people,” he says.

One might assume Eskenazi’s schedule is tightly focused on his core classes, but they would be mistaken. He is a member of the Penn Band, a pianist, an avid tennis player, and researcher. He says, “Research, I think, is one of the coolest things that you can do as a student at Penn because there’s so much going on … It’s like going into a candy store and wanting to buy every single candy that you see there, but you’ve got to choose. But opportunities are plentiful. I think that’s something that I value a lot about Penn.”

Pathways is a student series from Penn Arts & Sciences that highlights the academic journey of students in the College of Arts & Sciences and the transformational moments that have shaped their intellectual experiences.