Faculty Expert
Caroline Watts, senior lecturer and director of the Office of School and Community Engagement at Penn GSE, is serving as the faculty advisor to one of the four recipients of this year's President’s Engagement Prize.
Watts is mentoring the student team behind HAVEN (Home for Arts, Voices, Enrichment, and Nurturing), an in-shelter after-school program designed for families experiencing homelessness at Jane Addams Place, a family shelter in North Philadelphia. The three students behind HAVEN—College of Arts and Sciences fourth-years Chloe Chang, Darlene Leohansson, and Connie Ni—will spend the year following graduation designing and implementing the program with the support of the Prize.
HAVEN reimagines homeless shelters as spaces for childhood development, creativity, and growth. The initiative addresses gaps in literacy, emotional development, and prosocial play for children while also creating leadership pathways for local high school youth and helping reduce employment barriers for caregivers.
“This project reflects an exciting vision for building capacity to support families as they strive for independence,” said Watts. "This team is focused, creative, and meaningfully connected to the community, and watching their ideas move towards action has been incredibly rewarding.”
Awarded annually, the President’s Engagement Prize provides each winning team with $100,000 in project funding and a $50,000 living stipend per team member, alongside close mentorship from Penn faculty or staff advisors. Watts’ role reflects Penn GSE’s continued commitment to community-engaged scholarship and education initiatives that advance equity and opportunity in Philadelphia and beyond.
More from Penn Today.
Media Inquiries
Penn GSE Communications is here to help reporters connect with the education experts they need.
