There's no place like home

The first several weeks at Penn provide new experiences for every freshman. For Justine Mumaw, it was the time for her first dependency on public transportation, her first college midterm and yes -- even her first beer.

"In high school we were never drinkers," she says.

So her first drink was at Penn, on about the third night of school. She and a couple of her friends crowded into a King's Court/English College House dorm room to pregame. Mumaw decided to have a taste.

A second beer followed shortly after that same night -- this one at a frat party.

A boy she had already met challenged her to be his drinking buddy. They would match each other gulp for gulp.

But after that one, Mumaw decided to stop.

"I always feel like you can get to that fun, happy state without having to put alcohol in your body," she says.

Her roommate, Martha Kienzle, is still friendly with that original group. She usually parties three nights a week.

Mumaw does not protest partying. She has even made an occasional appearance at the TEP deck. But she has decided that there can be more to Penn than that.

She has found her own niche.

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It was fitting, then, that Mumaw did not spend Fall break like many students, partying with friends at other universities or recovering from alcohol previously consumed. She spent it with close friends from her suite, exploring the culture of Philadelphia.

On Friday, she went to the Reading Terminal Market with three friends from her hall. They indulged in lunch followed by cheesecake and bought apple bread for the subway ride home.

Afterwards, Mumaw and her friends wandered around Center City. They discovered the landmark game pieces downtown -- Sorry people, dominoes, bingo balls.

"They had B13 -- I was really happy!" Mumaw explains (13 is her lucky number).

That night, Mumaw's group even took advantage of the student discount at the Walnut Street Theater. They saw She Loves Me from the orchestra section.

"The old people sitting next to us were paying like 55 bucks for the same seats that we got for $7.50," Mumaw boasts.

Mumaw -- a former actress herself -- loved the show.

Saturday, Mumaw stayed closer to home base. In the morning she trekked to 1920 Commons for brunch. That night, she watched Panic Room with friends in Gregory College House until 4 a.m.

At that point, Mumaw called 898-RIDE for transport home.

"I don't feel threatened at all on campus," she explains, "but I know that I should, so I called."

Sound like the Fall break of the perfect Penn poster child?

Maybe.

But Mumaw is not trying to impress. She does not boast about her habits or put others down for theirs.

"She's very tolerant... and she's really easygoing,'' Kienzle says.

She is just trying to take advantage of everything Penn has to offer.

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But exploration is not only something Mumaw decided to do over Fall break.

Mumaw has found that she does not need to do as much work at Penn as in high school.

"It's definitely less work --that's a bonus," she says.

So Mumaw has been freed up to survey extra-curricular activities throughout the week.

She has signed up to take private violin lessons subsidized by the Music Department and the college house system. She takes salsa and swing dancing lessons at the ARCH once a week. She has also volunteered for the Light Bulb Exchange sponsored by the Penn Environmental Group.

But perhaps the most challenging activity Mumaw has selected is the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project.

About a month ago, Mumaw and six other tutors piled into a red van and drove to the Middle Years Alternative School at 49th and Chestnut streets. There, they stood in the middle of the hall as a coordinator dealt out participating students.

Mumaw's pupil is a tall girl named Evelyn. She wore a blue skirt and a white shirt -- the uniform for MYA sixth-graders.

"I was really looking forward to it because I really like little kids, especially when they're devoted to you," Mumaw says.

But when Mumaw introduced herself to Evelyn she did not receive a warm response.

"I was asking the basic introductory questions, and I wasn't getting very much," Mumaw remembers.

Nods. One-word answers. Blank stares out the window.

"It was pretty miserable and everybody else's kids were excited," Mumaw says.

When the period ended, one pupil hugged her tutor. Evelyn did not even say goodbye.

But Mumaw returned the following week. With persistence, she persuaded Evelyn to open up.

By the end of the second session, Evelyn invited Mumaw to a special section of the library. There, the pair sat in lounge chairs with their feet propped on giant blocks. Evelyn read to Mumaw out loud.

Now, with a few meetings under her belt, Mumaw has learned ways to encourage Evelyn's productivity. They have plowed through math, reading and social studies homework.

"Obviously her problem isn't that she can't do it -- it's that she doesn't have the motivation," Mumaw says. "I'm hoping I'll be able to get her motivated."

Mumaw believes that this work is not only rewarding for her, but also important for Evelyn.

"If kids start slacking off then -- when they have the option to go to school, what's going to make them go?" she wonders.

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Opportunities like the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project are making Mumaw's time at Penn meaningful.

"I always wanted it to be a great new experience," she says. "When I was picking schools I was trying to find one that would fit me -- and this is definitely letting me do everything I want to do."

But it's not just Penn. Mumaw is doing her part, too.

Kienzle says the richness of Mumaw's experience has sprung from the attitude she brought with her.

"She has a really healthy outlook on what she should be getting out of college," Kienzle says. "She studies and she takes advantage of her education, but at the same time she wants to get involved with tons of stuff and have fun."

Mumaw is doing her best to meet those expectations. She is throwing herself into activities to meet new people and try new things. She is sticking to what she values most.

"I think that enjoying everything is a priority of hers," Kienzle says.

As a result, the transition to school has been a smooth one for Mumaw.

"She's never once expressed to me a sense of homesickness," Kienzle says.

But, Mumaw admits that she misses her cat and her best friends.

"I still kind of miss having the real close-knit friends," she says. "But they'll come eventually."

Other than that, Mumaw says she has adjusted well.

"After the first week it felt like we'd been here forever," she explains. "It's like my new home."

About this Series Each year, a new set of freshmen enters the University full of energy, enthusiasm — and nerves. Ready to meet new people and experience new things, these college novices are embarking upon a life-altering course. And this year, The Daily Pennsylvanian decided to follow three freshmen along for the ride. You will meet Justine Mumaw, Temi Omojola, and Andrew Tejerina and experience alongside them the joys — and pains — of first-year college life through article appearing intermittently in the DP. As you read, please share your freshman experiences with us in our freshman forums.

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