Taking Attendance: Examining Penn's Role in West Philly Schools

"I came to Penn thinking, based on my personal experience, that the only reason you didn’t succeed in high school was because you made the conscious choice not to.”

College senior Jessica King is taking a break from CSSP planning one Sunday afternoon in the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships’ second floor office, at the corner of 38th and Walnut Street. “It’s so different here,” Jessica continues, shaking her head. “The kids aren’t not choosing success. Success isn’t even an option.”

Jessica is the director of Community School Student Partnerships (CSSP), a student–run club that coordinates over 200 Penn students to serve as mentors in the Netter Center’s five designated University Assisted Community Schools: Comegys School, Huey School, Lea School, Sayre High School and West Philadelphia High School. The Netter Center aims to provide these schools with University resources to empower the community.

Click here to get the whole story from 34th Street Magazine.