Grateful students and proud donors gathered last night in Wynn Commons, with financial-aid recipients interacting with the people who have made their education possible.
The event also served as an opportunity for Penn President Amy Gutmann and other administration officials to call attention to Penn's ongoing capital campaign and encourage donations to Penn's financial aid programs.
As students and donors mingled over hors d'oeuvres and wine, it seemed as if everybody had a story to tell.
Wharton ombudsman William Whitney chatted with Wharton freshman Adam Brown, the recipient of a $1 million scholarship endowed in Whitney's honor.
Brown said the scholarship had made a "phenomenal difference" in his life and was the reason he was able to come to Penn.
Brown's appreciation was a common refrain throughout the event, which was attended by about 600 students and donors.
College senior Angie Gentile told an assembled crowd how the Class of 1973 scholarship had allowed her "love affair" with Penn to come to fruition.
Wharton senior Brian Brazinski echoed Gentile's thoughts, saying that he "would not be standing here today if it weren't for the generosity of our donors."
Gutmann attended as both a representative of the University and a donor.
College freshman Rachel Romeo was the first recipient of Gutmann's endowed scholarship.
Romero said the scholarship was intended for "someone who wouldn't be able to go [to Penn] otherwise," and this was "100 percent true" in her own case.
"There is nothing more important for Penn's excellence, indeed our eminence, then our scholarship program," Gutmann said during a speech to the assembled crowd.
George Weiss, the chairman of the capital campaign, said that since the University had announced raising $1.6 billion dollars last month, it had raised an additional $80 million dollars. That comes out to be about $2 million dollars a day, Weiss said.
The scholarship celebration is typically held twice a year, once on campus in the fall and once in New York City in the spring.
"For me, it's one of the most inspiring and important events" for Penn, said Gutmann.
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