Philadelphia high-schooler Priscilla Clinkscales remembers clearly a pivotal moment in her life: the day her uncle was sentenced to jail for a crime she is convinced he did not commit.
Clinkscales was just seven years old at the time, but it changed her. She started watching Court TV and soon had big dreams of becoming a lawyer.
Thanks to Penn, she is one step closer to making that dream come true.
This summer, Clinkscales was part of a small group of juniors and seniors from Philadelphia public high schools who participated in the inaugural Penn Summer Mentorship Program.
Paid for in part by the Office of the Provost, the program was intended to show students that they could succeed in college.
Participants were divided into three schools- medicine, education and law - in an effort to expose students to different career tracks. All participants attended free of charge.
Students worked in small groups with Penn graduate students and professors. Each of the three programs accepted 10 to 12 students from about 120 applicants, who learned about the program from teachers and counselors at their high schools.
The program gave students a look at the lives of professionals in their fields of interest.
"We sat in on a trial for a guy who got 50 years for attempted murder, but wanted to appeal," said Clinkscales, who participated in the law program. Law students also visited minority lawyers, which Clinkscales described as a "beautiful experience."
Students in the medicine program saw medical oddities at the Mutter Museum and real-life crises at local hospitals. Those in the education school saw early-childhood education in action at area summer camps.
The program was held from July 5 to Aug. 4.
While the mentorship program gave the students opportunities that many of them would likely not have otherwise had, given their backgrounds.
"Some of the students had overcome tremendous challenges in their personal lives, but continued to succeed in high school," said Jo-ann Verrier, a vice dean at the Law School. "We wanted to reward these students."
Personal challenges included living in foster homes, being homeless, learning English and taking on adult responsibilities in single-parent families, according to Jack Lewis, director of the Medical School's Office of Diversity and Community Outreach. The program looked to show students that college was a possibility, Lewis said, "especially those who had never had exposure to a college campus."
"I learned a lot about the college admissions process," said Clinkscales, who is "definitely going to apply to Penn."
At the end of the program, students from the three schools came together and gave final presentations on what they had learned.
"The closing ceremony was a very proud moment for me," said Amy Nothelfer, a second-year School of Social Policy and Practice graduate student, who helped coordinate the medicine program.
"The students had spent a lot of time preparing and had done a fantastic job. I think they even surprised themselves with how well they did," she added.
Coordinators are looking to expand the program next summer to include other schools across Penn, as well as more local high schools.
