Pa. Governor's School alum helps recruit students to U.

While he may not be an admissions officer, Wharton senior Brett Weinheimer is doing his fair share of recruiting. A 1995 graduate of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for International Studies and now a resident advisor in Goldberg College House, Weinheimer hosted 30 students -- whom he met while returning to teach Economics and Business classes at the prestigious school this summer -- over the weekend in the Upper Quadrangle. The Governor's School, held at the University of Pittsburgh, is a highly selective academic summer program geared towards high school seniors with interest in politics, business and law on a multinational level. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the program offers 100 talented students full scholarships to learn in a diverse environment. Weinheimer spent the weekend showing the students some of the extensive opportunities Penn has to offer. Though a few students stayed over Saturday night with Weinheimer after attending the Penn-Villanova football game, most of the Governor's School alumni arrived Sunday to attend a campus tour Weinheimer conducted at noon. The weekend's events culminated in a reunion barbeque in the Upper Quad's McKean Courtyard. But according to several students, their host was so persistent over the summer in persuading them to apply to Penn that they were already filling out their applications. In fact, prospective student Marshall Kitain couldn't seem to narrow down his reasons for wanting to attend Penn. Reflecting on the essay he is currently writing for admission, Kitain said with frustration, "I wrote about three pages and now I have to go home and cut it down to one." The visit to campus, students said, was a chance to catch up with friends from the summer since they already knew a lot about the University. "Brett spent five weeks [this past summer] propagandizing Penn," Kitain said. And Governor's School classmate Jocelyn Campanaro stated simply, "Brett is Penn." "At least 10, maybe 20 or 30 will apply to Penn," Weinheimer predicted based on the strength of current interest in the University amongst the program's most recent graduates, adding that in the past Penn has accepted approximately 10 students each year from the school. "I was amazed," second-year Governor's School staff member Christine Sedua said, recalling the overwhelming interest in Penn that students expressed on their first day of classes. According to Sedua, roughly 20 out of 25 students in one Economics class section wished to attend Wharton. Both students and staff members alike stress that Weinheimer has played a huge role in fostering this interest. "Brett is very persuasive," Sedua added. "He represents Penn well."