Written by: Beth Mannella, Program Director
On May 26, I had the opportunity to visit Deborah Diamond and Jen Devor at the Campus Philly office in the heart of Philadelphia. Growing up 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia allowed me to visit Philly often throughout my childhood, but I appreciate the city much more now in my adult life! Deborah Diamond is the President of Campus Philly, and Jen Devor is the Director of Partnerships – Campus Philly is a national model for student engagement and retention. I have been consulting with both women over the past few months about the inaugural Fellows Program, as they helped us build the foundation for the Fellows Program in Greensboro. My conversations with Campus Philly have been extremely helpful because Deborah and Jen share guidance, insight, and feedback about the direction of the program.
During my visit, I met the Campus Philly staff and checked out the office, which overlooks Love Park (under construction) from the Penn Center! During lunch, Deborah, Jen, and I discussed the most recent additions to the Fellows Program, which included the mentorship program, kickoff event (June 5th), and entry survey for Fellows.
The process of developing and executing the 2016 Fellows Program over the past four months has been fun, rewarding, and a great learning process. It has been especially helpful to have Deborah and Jen as sounding boards throughout the planning process – thanks Deborah and Jen for all of your support and insight! Meeting the Campus Philly staff in person was a treat! If you have never been to Philadelphia, it should be added to your list of cities/destinations to explore!
