DIVERSITY AT PENN LAW

Anya Grossmann '09

My first year at law school included other firsts, some anticipated and others not. I grew up in California so I knew I would have to adjust to my first real East Coast winter; fortunately, my German half did eventually kick in to handle the weather. On the other hand, I did not anticipate having to celebrate my two big family holidays, Thanksgiving and Passover, away from my family for the first time. Before coming to Penn I was a little apprehensive about the prospect of finding friends to go to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services with me since the high holy days occur at the very beginning of the year, but my fears turned out to be unfounded. I doubt I would have felt so at home, while so far away from home, so early in the year had I not been at Penn.

In the past I've been told that what helps the first-time blues is "getting involved" which in the past has meant picking an identity box and staying there. Here at Penn, I feel more than welcome to participate in other boxes.

For example, I have celebrated Chinese New Year by going to dim sum in Chinatown, and participated in APALSA karaoke events. I also attended LALSA events including their biggest, La Gran Fiesta and somehow managed to rope in a non-Jewish friend into observing Passover with me. Penn is the type of place where your friends and classmates are all distinct, yet familiar. This type of community makes the firsts and challenges of law school not only palatable, but worth it.