Karen Kim, C'21, grew up in a Korean home in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in North Philadelphia. She had originally planned to pursue a degree in medicine, but classes with Heather Williams, Presidential Term Professor of Africana Studies, and Grace Sanders Johnson, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies, influenced her decision to become an Africana Studies major.
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 experience.
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Politics in Perspective
A first-year seminar taught by Michele Margolis, an associate professor of political science, applies the lessons of political science to a consequential election—and leans into difficult conversations.
Students of the Occult
In a class this semester, Becky Friedman, C’10, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of English, leads students down the dark, historical spiral of witchcraft, examining its persecutorial past and transition to palatable and raucous entertainment.
On the Record
Launching a podcast about the experience of being first-generation college students opened up a new world—and skills beyond STEM—for biochemistry major Khaliun Dorjmenchim, C’25.