Wharton Stories: Business & Policy

Alex with his team outside in the snow standing in front of the White House gate
Alexandru (Alex) Zanca, W’21, was originally a biochemistry major at Penn. Now, he’s concentrating in statistics at Wharton and pursuing his passion for promoting equity.

Why This Statistics Undergrad Spent Winter Break Volunteering in Washington, D.C.

Graphic with transparent bar charts, a grid, and globe on top of a blue and orange gradient.
Wall Street veteran and Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat, WG’87, shares four lessons from the global financial crisis that she says are “relevant today for all industries.”

The 4 Lessons Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat Learned from the Financial Crisis

Stephanie Wu wears glasses and smiles from the center of a group of girls. They wear t-shirts and some have backpacks.
An eye-opening internship in Bangalore took Stephanie Wu, W’20, through the history of women’s roles in Indian society, and to the forefront of how those roles are changing today.

What This Undergrad Learned During an Internship Empowering Women Supervisors in a Bangalore Garment Factory

Three students, two girls and one boy, smile and talk at a table in a classroom. They have computers, and one is red.
Learn about student programming with the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, with opportunities in impact investing, consulting, social entrepreneurship, research, community building, and more.

Welcome Back to Campus: 6 Social Impact Programs for Students

Christian Butts performing with Penn's a capella group
Christian Butts, W’18, explains how he balanced his interests inside and outside the classroom with a variety of work experiences and research opportunities at Penn.

Do What You Enjoy: Recent Wharton Graduate Shares What Kept Him Grounded

A headshot of a person wearing a dark suit and white shirt, standing outdoors with trees and greenery in the background.
Transferring to Penn in his sophomore year, Will Welland, W’19, quickly found a community in the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative Student Group. Now entering his final year, he’s excited to lead the group as president.

How This Wharton Undergrad is Rallying the Next Generation of Public Policy Trailblazers

PETER WANG HJEMDAHL, Svanika, Arvind
Social entrepreneur Peter Wang Hjemdahl, W’19, tells what he learned as a Hult Prize regional finalist with rePurpose.

6 Lessons Learned From a Wharton Undergrad’s Social Entrepreneurial Journey

Jonathan Lahdo standing in front of the
Huntsman Program student Jonathan Lahdo, C’20, W’20, grew up in Dubai, UAE, to Syrian and Lebanese parents. At Wharton and Penn, he’s not only gaining the business and language skills to make a difference after graduation, but he’s also involved in student and community organizations to make a difference now.

How an Undergrad Club Is Empowering Refugees in the Philadelphia Community and in the World at Large

Amazon HQ2 to Philly Case Competition winners and judges in a group photo in front of Wharton banners
When Amazon asked cities to bid to host its second North American headquarters, Wharton students answered with two competitions to persuade the tech retail giant to choose Philadelphia. The winners and finalists presented to judges and Philly Mayor Jim Kenney on October 13, 2017.

Wharton Students Make a Case for Bringing Amazon’s Headquarters to Philadelphia

Headshot of Jeffery Gao outside. He has short, dark hair and is wearing a blue shirt.
“I think as an entrepreneur, in the tech field specifically, there is a necessity of knowing the current regulatory landscape. That is a piece of the innovation puzzle that no aspiring tech entrepreneur can afford to ignore.”

Combining Tech and Public Policy to Promote Social Welfare