Alumni Stories

Share Your Story

Penn GSE welcomes news of how our alumni are educating, leading, and innovating to shape the future of education. We hope you will draw inspiration from the stories we’ve shared on Penn GSE social media and take a moment to share your work with us.


Learn More About Our Share Your Story Campaign


The Practioner–Scholar: The PennCLO Podcast title card, featuring a view of Philadelphia City Hall's clocktower from North Broad Street set in blue
October 4, 2024

The podcast was recently renewed for a second season after a successful pilot run, and producers are planning an even more engaging and interactive experience for listeners.

  • Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Leadership
  • Alumni
Fabiola Lara stands wearing a medical mask with a woman artisan outdoors in Oaxaca, Mexico, holding and examining a pile of threads, with more threads hanging behind them.
August 20, 2024

Fabiola Lara’s business, tlali•pani, emphasizes providing education to the artisans that they partner with. 

  • Global Initiatives
  • Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Language, Literacy & Culture
  • Leadership
  • Alumni
August 7, 2024

Dan Lazar says he constructed the idea of what kind of leader he would be during his time in the educational leadership program at Penn GSE. 

  • Philadelphia Impact
  • Leadership
  • Alumni
Penn GSE alum Rina Madhani sits cross-legged on the floor surrounded by elementary schoolchildren, all reading books and laughing together
August 2, 2024

Rina Madhani and Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova have each founded literacy nonprofits that put books into the hands of children who need them.

  • Philadelphia Impact
  • Race, Equity & Inclusion
  • Language, Literacy & Culture
  • Alumni
Krista Cortes stands, hands folded in front of her, laughing in the middle of her office surrounded by decorations showcasing Latin American culture.
July 30, 2024

Cortes transforms her office into a dynamic cultural hub, where academic insights and personal touches spark conversations and foster a sense of belonging among students.

  • Race, Equity & Inclusion
  • Higher Education
  • Language, Literacy & Culture
  • Alumni
Covers of children’s books written by Penn GSE students and alumni, clockwise from top left: Every Child Deserves by Zaden and his two Dads, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite, ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish by Cynthia Weill, and The Lost Umbrellas of Lexington by Meredith Newman
July 22, 2024

Penn GSE’s community reshapes stories for young readers with diverse voices. 

  • Race, Equity & Inclusion
  • Language, Literacy & Culture
  • Alumni
Penn GSE Associate Professor Brooks Bowden leaning against a chalkboard
April 30, 2024

A. Brooks Bowden, now a tenured associate professor at Penn GSE, transforms her early passion for psychology into influential educational policy research, driving change and shaping futures from the very institution that once inspired her own.

  • Education Policy & Analysis
  • Alumni
April 1, 2024

These seven Penn GSE alumni will be recognized May 18 during the Celebration of Educators, alongside teacher honorees and other annual award recipients.

  • Alumni
Julee Gard, wearing a red cap, a navy blue and white striped shirt, and a brown apron, is focused on serving sausages at a soup kitchen in Joliet, Illinois, alongside her University of St. Francis colleagues.
March 12, 2024

Gard developed the Financial Viability Index, a color-coded tool designed to help small, tuition-dependent colleges analyze their financial health efficiently and take actionable steps to avoid closure.

  • Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Higher Education
  • Leadership
  • Alumni
Taylor Hausburg and Zachary Herrmann at the UN.
March 5, 2024

Penn GSE alumni are addressing the challenge of climate change across various sectors, including film, finance, communications, and education, as highlighted in the Penn GSE Magazine.

  • Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Alumni

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