Wharton Stories: Social Impact

“What we were finding was that we were onto something big and something different, something that wasn’t just confined to my community, Tarkwa Breman, alone.”

How This Penn Alum Is Revitalizing Education and Healthcare Through Cocoa Farms in Ghana

The Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA) program gives students hands-on experience in impact investing. Four students reflect on lessons learned from assessing real impact venture capital deals.

What 4 WIVA Students Learned From Real-World Impact Investing Experience

Learn about Wharton Social Impact Initiative’s student programs, with opportunities in impact investing, consulting, social entrepreneurship, research, community building, and more.

Welcome Back to Campus: 7 Social Impact Programs for Student Changemakers

Mark Spector, WG’15, uses knowledge and tools from Wharton to negotiate real estate deals and lead development projects for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

How Wharton’s EMBA Program Impacted this Graduate’s Career at the Intersection of Real Estate and Government

Turner Social Impact Society member Stephanie Wu, W’20, consulted for Asociacion CREAR, an educational nonprofit in Costa Rica. Working on the ground in Costa Rica, she learned four important lessons about small nonprofits.

What I Learned About Small Nonprofits from an NGO in Costa Rica

Kathryn Gardner, L’20, WG’20 reflects on her WISE Fellowship with the Social Impact Accelerator, where she analyzed an innovative business model that helps a local staffing company tackle homelessness.

How a Staffing Company Can Tackle Pressing Social Issues

From academic courses to extracurricular involvements and internships, Michelle Jaffee, W’19, ensured social impact shaped her time at Penn. She offers tips for students looking for impactful opportunities.

How I Found My Social Impact Path at Penn — and How You Can Find Yours

A self-proclaimed “data nerd,” Ajjit Narayanan, C’19 worked on an urban analytics project through Wharton Social Impact’s WISE Fellowship throughout his time at Penn. Seeing tangible social impact outcomes, he decided to make the project the basis for his senior thesis and career.

Why I Decided to Turn My Urban Analytics Fellowship into a Thesis and Full-Time Job

Members of the Turner Social Impact Society, an undergraduate community managed by the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, visited several Philadelphia-based businesses to learn about how they’re driving social impact.

Business Meets Impact: What Penn and Wharton Undergrads Learned From 5 Philly Companies

Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA) gives students real-world experience in impact investing. The WIVA team helped raise $50k for its first deal in less than 24 hours.

Wharton Impact Venture Associates Secures First Deal with Blood-Testing Startup