Hope and help for wrongfully incarcerated Pennsylvanians With Project HOPE, President’s Engagement Prize winners Carson Eckhard, Natalia Rommen, and Sarah Simon will address the lack of support to wrongfully incarcerated people in Philadelphia and across the state. Carson Eckhard (left), Sarah Simon (center) and Natalia Rommen (right) won the President’s Engagement Prize for Project HOPE.
Philadelphia has one of the highest incarceration rates of any big city in the United States, and from 1996 to 2018 the city found itself at the top of the list. Adding to this notorious distinction is Philadelphia s relatively high wrongful-conviction rate. For Penn seniors Carson Eckhard, Natalia Rommen, and Sarah Simon, these rates were more than just unfortunate statistics; they were a catalyst for them to help make profound changes in the criminal justice system.
Class of 2021 President s Engagement and Innovation Prize winners announced upenn.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from upenn.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Each year the award is given to four to six graduating seniors, recent graduates, professional students, or current graduate students at Penn to fund two years of graduate study in the United Kingdom.
Penn announces five 2021 Thouron Scholars Penn announces its 2021 Thouron Scholars. From left, top: senior Emily Davis, senior Carson Eckhard, and 2019 graduate Ben Friedman. Bottom: senior Lauren Kleidermacher and senior Beau Staso.
Four University of Pennsylvania seniors and a 2019 graduate have received a Thouron Award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom.
Each scholarship winner receives tuition for up to two years, as well as travel and living stipends, to earn a graduate degree there. Because of pandemic restrictions, this year’s scholars can start their degrees in 2021 or in 2022.
Established in 1960 and supported with gifts by the late John Thouron and his wife, Esther du Pont Thouron, the Thouron Award is a graduate exchange program between Penn and U.K. universities that aims to improve understanding and relations between the two countries.
Penn was one of the few universities to keep the pass/fail grading option for the spring 2021 semester, a step in the right direction for grading equity and accessibility during the pandemic.