Applause filled Huntsman Hall’s Colloquium Hall this past Friday night as the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association presented members of the Philadelphia Student Union an award for their efforts in improving the West Philadelphia education system.
Each year in the spring, the BWUA hosts the Galvanizing Adolescents Towards a Legacy of Achievement award ceremony celebrating the achievements of a Philadelphia-based organization that “inspires the youth to take control of their lives,” said College junior Haywood Perry, director of community service events for BWUA.
PSU is a group of high-school students, faculty and sponsors that helps channel funds and resources into improving the quality of education in West Philadelphia.
The theme for this year’s ceremony was a celebration of social justice and institutional responsibility. “We chose a theme to highlight the BWUA pillars of globalization, innovation and the impact of social change,” Wharton junior and BWUA President Triston Francis said.
Groups from all over campus, including the women's varsity track team and the Society for Pre-Law Students of Color, sponsored tables at the event to help raise money for PSU initiatives.
The evening began with a keynote speech about civic responsibility from former Penn assistant professor of Religious Studies Leslie Callahan. “Penn bet on you … twice,” Callahan said. “Now it’s your turn to challenge yourself to help others.”
The BWUA then presented the GALA award to attending members from the PSU, which has organized a variety of events from protests to radio shows to help spread awareness and generate interest in educational initiatives in West Philadelphia, Perry said.
“It is so gratifying to be recognized for our work,” said PSU alumni and coordinator Koby Murphy. “It means that we are doing something right, and we are fighting a fight worth fighting for.”
The annual celebration was founded in 2009 by College senior Tiffany John-Lewis as an initiative to help empower Penn students to take the lead in giving back to the surrounding community.
“We realized that as Penn students, we could and we had to do more,” Lewis said. “Young people are in the ideal position to give their time.”
“We are truly blessed to be in such a position — a position to make such great change,” added Perry.
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