Welcome New Alumni
How do you sum up a life-changing experience in 3 minutes? It's not easy,
but at Wharton graduation on May 16 in Philadelphia and May 2 in San Francisco, several
intrepid student speakers expressed the meaning of their years at Wharton before
classmates, faculty, friends, and family.
This year Amal Devani, W'04, C'04, addressed the undergraduate class on Penn's
Franklin Field, while Nancy Park, WG'04, and John Jolly, WG'04, spoke to newly minted
MBAs from the traditional program and MBA Program for Executives respectively. In San
Francisco's Herbst Center, Jane Lin-Baden, WG'04, addressed the second graduating MBA
class from the Wharton MBA Program for Executives at Wharton West.
Lin-Baden, who commuted to Wharton in San Francisco from Shanghai every two
weeks, stated her belief that a Wharton education has meaning beyond a degree. "It is a
faith, passion and responsibility. For many of us, this program has opened a new chapter
and perspective in our careers and lives," she said. "Earning an MBA 'degree' has never
been my reason to join the program, but a chance to learn from a group of brilliant and
talented people. I have now achieved that."
Wharton graduates also heard from renowned speakers as varied as musician/activist
Bono; Klaus Zumkinkel, WG, 71, CEO of Deustche Post; and Ann McLaughlin Korologos,
WG'88, vice chairman of RAND, and former Assistant Secretary of Labor.
This academic year, Wharton awarded about 650 undergraduate degrees, 31 PhDs,
821 MBAs from the traditional program, 100 MBAs from the Philadelphia executive
program, and 74 MBAs from the San Francisco executive program. During the May ceremonies,
faculty, administrators, and alumni welcomed the graduates into the ranks of
Wharton's 77,000-plus alumni worldwide.
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