College junior Sarah Katz died on Sept. 10 at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Interim Vice Provost for University Life Tamara Greenfield King notified students of Katz’s death in an email sent on Sept. 11 on behalf of President Liz Magill and Interim Provost Beth A. Winkelstein.
Katz’s family wrote in a statement included in the email to the Penn community: “We are devastated by this tragic passing of our beloved Sarah. She loved the University of Pennsylvania so much and was so happy and thriving.”
Katz grew up in Jersey City, N.J., and graduated from Elisabeth Irwin High School in New York City.
She took a gap year before coming to Penn, as she received a full merit scholarship to learn Mandarin at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu, China.
At Penn, Katz studied international relations and health and societies with a minor in East Asian languages and civilizations.
Katz was committed to community health initiatives inside and outside of the classroom. She worked as a research assistant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and served as Rep Cap Ambassador with the American Heart Association where she taught CPR in high schools and underserved communities since 2011.
As an involved member of the Penn community, Katz served as a membership coordinator and CPR training project chair in the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education and was a student leader in the John Marshall Pre-Law Honor Society, a member in Penn Hillel, and was the social chair of Sigma Kappa sorority.
Katz had recently begun an internship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a health communications intern.
The University held an in-person support session from 4 to 5 p.m. in Houston Hall’s Class of 1949 Auditorium today. Also, the Let’s Talk program at Counseling and Psychological Services will also have staff available for confidential drop-in conversations throughout the upcoming week.
CAMPUS RESOURCES
The HELP Line: 215-898-HELP
Counseling and Psychological Services: 215-898-7021 (active 24/7)
Student Health Service: 215-746-3535
Office of the Vice Provost for University Life: 215-898-6081
University Chaplain’s Office: 215-898-8456
Reach-A-Peer Helpline:
215-573-2727 (every day from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.)
215-515-7332 (texting service available 24/7)
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