On October 22, 2010, the Penn Museum hosted a reception for international students and scholars from across the Philadelphia region. Among the 1,300 attendees was Mayor Nutter, a Penn grad himself who patiently posed for snap shots with a long parade of beaming students and scholars.
Many people have a hand in organizing this major event, but Prema Deshmukh, who also organizes our International Classroom Program, is really the driving force behind all the fun.
“International students and scholars from 65 colleges, universities and programs including Penn, Drexel, Temple, Philadelphia University, University of Sciences and as far as Bucknell University were in attendance. The Reception makes international students feel welcome and special as many are new to the Philadelphia area. The guests have an opportunity to make new friends from their own and other countries. I met students from Moldova and Cyprus who were hoping to make new friends from their country from other colleges. It was amazing to see international students and Girls High volunteers sharing their concerns, issues and excitement with such an ease with Mayor Nutter. This is one small step in bringing the world closer.”
- Pema Deshmukh, Office of Community Engagement at Penn Museum
Anne Waters, Executive Director, Office of International Programs at Penn, had this to say about this annual event:
“As the planning sessions for NSO and other social events for undergraduates get underway for next year, perhaps this format can be a useful model to consider. It was a vibrant, engaged, no-alcohol, fun event. Students made new friends and groups stayed to the very end.”
More about the International Students Reception
