We claim to be the “Social Ivy.” We say that we “work hard,” but “play harder,” blending together the best that both academia and life at a party school have to offer college-age kids like us.
In actuality, though, I don’t think that Penn students are an extraordinarily “social” breed. We aren’t particularly outgoing or entertaining, nor do we throw the best parties or have the most fun. But we are unique; here at Penn, we have an unrivaled passion for living. We are set apart from our peers by a rare kind of wholehearted and unspecific passion — the kind that lends itself to a desire to excel in our studies equally as much as it fuels an inclination to relish in the exuberance of our youths. We are inspired to learn but also to enjoy.
This dichotomy of passion was perhaps best captured by Charlotte’s Web author E. B. White in a 1969 interview with The New York Times. “If the world were merely seductive,” he said, “that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” Or, in many of our cases, this makes it hard to “arise” out of bed in the first place.
Penn is a place where, no matter my workload, I can find fellowship in a social scene (in a large part thanks to the Greek organizations whose controversy so often graces the pages of this very publication) that is relatively accessible, welcoming and genuine. But Penn is also a place where, no matter how wonderful the drink special may be, the faculty, curriculum and city we learn from have never ceased to inspire me to reach higher in my academic pursuits.
I firmly feel that this campus — this place that I’ve been so lucky to call home for the past four years — is a place like no other. I’m a sucker for its traditions — I cherish each memory of the toast, the canes, the “hurrahs,” our one-sided rivalry with Princeton and the holiday lights that float above Locust Walk each winter. I’ve loved heckling the hordes of wandering freshmen from the comfort of my Spruce-side porch during New Student Orientation and processed proudly as a junior last Hey Day with a bottle of chocolate syrup down my shirt and a cracked egg in my hair.
However, Penn’s true endurance isn’t in its yearly customs but in the lasting impact that time spent on this campus leaves on each and every one of us.
During my time at Penn, I’ve found friendships that will last far beyond Commencement and discovered interests that will keep me curious for a lifetime. I’ve filled many roles — a student, a friend, a girlfriend, an editor, an architect, a colleague and a mentor. I’ve developed a healthy obsession with Wawa Coke ICEEs. I’ve transformed from just a name on an empty Penn InTouch worksheet, to just a name on a diploma, excited to take a step further into my future.
These halls, this campus and all ye loyal classmates, as I wrote in my final 34th Street Letter from the Editor, “have seen me grow from a doe-eyed freshman to a jaded senior, ready — finally — to leave.”
Sarah Beth McKay, a former 34th Street editor-in-chief and design editor, is a College senior from Atlanta. After graduation, she will spend the summer working in Turkey on an archaeological dig and plans on going to graduate school for architecture.
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