The Daily Pennsylvanian editorial team documented the stories of 2025 — both at Penn and in Philadelphia. In a year filled with athletic victories, on- and off-campus activism, and federal scrutiny, these images capture a pivotal moment in history.
Larry Jameson was officially appointed as Penn’s 10th president following a 15-month tenure as the University’s interim leader. As political scrutiny and mounting financial pressure for higher education institutions increased, Penn students, staff, and faculty protested in support of academic freedom. Student unions also continued to organize rallies and undergo negotiations with Penn administrators, with Penn’s graduate student union voting to authorize a strike in late November.
In all of these moments, the DP’s photographers were eyewitnesses to the biggest stories of this historic year. Here’s how they captured the moments of 2025, day by day, from January to December.
Jan. 13 — Philadelphia Mayor and 2016 Fels Institute of Government graduate Cherelle Parker hosted a press conference to announce the Philadelphia 76ers’ plan to build an arena in the Sports Complex, rather than in Center City. Community members from local activist groups affiliated with the No Arena Coalition gathered in front of the Friendship Archway in Chinatown, celebrating the new arena plans as a victory of community organizing and cross-racial solidarity.
Jan. 20 — Penn celebrated its 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Symposium with a variety of events. Volunteers engaged in a series of community-oriented projects, and later in the evening, the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority hosted a candlelight vigil. Penn’s Center for Africana Studies honored historian and Harvard sociology professor Orlando Patterson with the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award. Later in the week, the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith and Awards Commemoration recognized five community involvement awards and featured a keynote speech from Princeton professor and bestselling author Eddie Glaude.
Feb. 9 — The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX, with thousands from across the city flocking to Broad Street to celebrate the victory — including many students from Penn. On Feb. 14, Penn suspended normal University operations for the Eagles' championship parade, which saw over 1 million attendees.
Feb. 14 — For 34th Street Magazine, an editor undressed per the theme of the February print magazine, “Renaissance in Love.”
Feb. 18 — Several Wharton clubs organized a joint fireside chat with James Gorman, chairman of the Walt Disney Company and chairman emeritus of Morgan Stanley. Gorman spoke for over an hour at Huntsman Hall to an audience of several hundred undergraduate and MBA students.
Feb. 19 — Over 300 individuals gathered together in Center City to protest recent funding cuts to academic research. The rally, held outside the office of Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) in Center City, saw Penn community members as well as several local politicians speak against the Trump administration’s changes to federal funding.
Feb. 25 — Former Penn baseball left-handed pitcher and 2025 College graduate Will Tobin posed at Smokey Joe’s to pay homage to his Southern roots, discussing his final season as a student-athlete.
March 7 — The “Stand Up for Science” rally drew roughly 1,000 attendees outside of City Hall as part of a larger nationwide movement with events in 32 cities. The demonstration featured various speakers — including Penn affiliates — from a wide range of scientific disciplines, who spoke about the Trump administration’s attempts to halt funding for research and gut diversity, equity, and inclusion programming.
March 20 — Author John Green spoke about his new book “Everything is Tuberculosis” with Wharton professor Adam Grant at the Penn Museum as part of the Authors@Wharton series.
March 27 — For 34th Street Magazine’s Ego of the Week series, Eileen Wang, a former Penn women’s tennis player and 2025 Wharton graduate, discussed going to the NCAA tournament, being raised by a parent-coach, and using TikTok as a platform to share her love of cooking.
March 29 — Then-senior breaststroke specialist Matt Fallon finished in second place in the 200-yard breaststroke finals at the NCAA Division I men’s swimming and diving championships. The victory marked his fourth career All-America honor in his last collegiate swim meet.
April 4-5 — The Social Planning and Events Committee hosted the 52nd annual Spring Fling on April 4 and 5. The concert was opened by singer-songwriter Jay Sean, and rapper and singer Sexyy Red was the headliner.
April 8 — Over 150 individuals gathered in Center City to protest and demand the reversal of federal funding cuts to research, health, and higher education. The demonstration was part of the second “Nationwide Day of Action” — organized by Labor for Higher Education and Higher Education Labor United — and served as the continuation of an initial day of protests in February.
April 24-26 — The Penn Relay Carnival returned for its 129th iteration over the last weekend of April. Over the course of three days, high school, college, and professional track and field athletes competed in one of the most prestigious meets within the sport. Penn saw a variety of victories from alumni, student-athletes, and high school commits.
April 18-24 — Class Board 2026 faced criticism from students after a series of issues with the distribution of P-Sweaters, including unexpected brand changes, embroidery errors, and delayed refunds.
May 1 — The Class of 2026 celebrated Hey Day, a tradition dating back to 1916, wearing plastic hats, holding wooden canes, and sporting bright red T-shirts.
May 15 — Ten Penn seniors discussed their professional goals in response to changes under the administration of 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump for 34th Street Magazine’s Penn-10 Issue.
May 19 — Graduates of the Class of 2025 gathered for the University’s 269th Commencement ceremony. The ceremony featured remarks from Penn President Larry Jameson and the Commencement speaker, 1996 College graduate Elizabeth Banks, an award-winning actress, producer, and film director.
June 12 — Research Associates and Postdocs United at Penn rallied outside of a University Board of Trustees meeting, demanding that the University allow them to vote on unionization. Over 1,000 authorization cards in support of unionizing were signed and submitted in April by postdocs and research associates to the regional branch of the National Labor Relations Board. On July 16 to 17, Penn’s postdocs and research associates overwhelmingly voted to unionize, making RAPUP the sixth union to join Penn's campus in the last five years.
Aug. 26-28 — The Office of Student Affairs hosted the biannual Student Activities Fair on Locust Walk. This year, the event followed significant policy updates — including the elimination of Student Activities Council recognition and a more comprehensive registration process. Student leaders and organizations across campus voiced criticisms of low communication and support from OSA.
Sept. 12 — Penn College Republicans hosted a vigil to honor the life of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated two days prior while speaking at a college campus in Utah. The event saw around 40 undergraduate and graduate students gather with candles around the Peace Symbol sculpture near Van Pelt-Dietrich Library.
Sept. 22 — Former Benjamin Franklin Professor of Practice and former United States President Joe Biden visited Penn’s campus, dining at the White Dog Cafe on 36th and Sansom streets.
Sept. 27 — For the DP’s annual Football Preview issue, senior wide receiver Jared Richardson, senior quarterback Liam O’Brien, senior linebacker John Lista, senior wide receiver Bisi Owens, senior linebacker Kadari Machen, and junior defensive back Josh Narcisse “suited up” ahead of the team’s season.
Oct. 4 — Senior quarterback Liam O’Brien celebrates after a touchdown during Penn football’s home opener against Dartmouth. The 36-24 victory kicked off Ivy League play with a Penn win over the two-time defending champions.
Oct. 18 — Thousands of people marched through Center City to protest the second Trump administration. The Philadelphia protest was part of a series of over 2,700 demonstrations across the country organized by the “No Kings Coalition.”
Oct. 26 — Philly Truce, an organization focused on empowering Black men, commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Million Man March with a 5k march and rally at LOVE Park. The 1995 Million Man March gathered over 400,000 Black men at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to unite against social inequality and promote Black unity.
Nov. 3 — Graduate Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania hosted a press conference with local elected officials to formally announce its strike authorization vote. The vote, which took place from Nov. 18-20, passed with an overwhelming majority and authorized GET-UP’s bargaining committee to call a work stoppage at its discretion.
Nov. 4 — Over 2,100 members of the Penn community voted in the 2025 election, more than double the voter turnout for the previous off-cycle election in 2023. Throughout the day, students volunteered at the polls and organized tabling events on Locust Walk.
Nov. 5 — The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History honored former Penn President Amy Gutmann with the Only in America Award at their gala. Gutmann delivered a keynote speech, and the gala saw many members of Penn’s central administration and Board of Trustees in attendance.
Nov. 7 — In the team’s first game under new head coach Fran McCaffery, a 1982 Wharton graduate and Philadelphia native, Penn men’s basketball dominated Division III Rowan 119-72, becoming the highest-scoring game in program history.
Nov. 8 — Despite record-breaking performances at Cornell the year before, Penn football lost its Homecoming game against Cornell, who defeated the Quakers 39-17.
Nov. 11 — One person was injured in a shooting at the intersection of 40th and Walnut streets during the weekend of Homecoming. The Penn Police and Philadelphia Police Departments implemented additional precautionary measures following the incident.
Nov. 24 — The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Jameson for a conversation, discussing the implementation of the “Penn Forward” strategic framework and Penn’s relationship with the federal government.
