Undergraduate Fellows Alumni
Class of 2024
Sydney Sun
Graduated 2024
Sydney Sun was a University Scholar who studied neuroscience and healthcare management at the University of Pennsylvania. She founded the Penn Epistle, the only Christian publication on campus, and revived the Veritas Forum at Penn, an organization dedicated to hosting discussions about different worldviews and asking life's most difficult questions. Sydney was involved in homeless outreach with the Newman Center and developmental psychology research. As an aspiring physician, Sydney was introduced to Collegium through the Medical Humanities Fellowship, which helped develop her interests in bioethics and health equity.
Sofia Wawrzyniak
Graduated 2024
Sofia Wawrzyniak studied International Relations and Computer Science, with a minor in East Asian studies. Her academic interests surround the intersection of technology and politics, with especial focus on the emerging field of cybersecurity and privacy law.
Charlie Xie
Graduated 2024
Zhangyang (Charlie) Xie studied Africana Studies and Science, Technology, and Society. He has a variety of academic interests including but not limited to religion, race, sociology of science, and propaganda and censorship in non-democracies. His recent research focuses on how an intersection of race, economy, and politics influenced American denominations' perception of evolution circa 1920. In his spare time, Charlie likes to watch movies, sing, and cook.
Emma Søndergaard Jensen
Graduated 2024
Emma majored in Philosophy and also attained Master of Bioethics (Perelman School of Medicine '24). At the Collegium, she took part in the Philosophy of Finance fellowship, the Catholic Humanism fellowship, and served on the Executive Committee as Treasurer. Emma enjoys reading philosophy --specifically Catholic philosophy and the philosophy of science. Outside of the Collegium, she was a Writing Fellow at the Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing, President of Penn Ballet, and a member of Phi Alpha Delta, Sigma Kappa, and the John Marshall Pre-law Honors Society.
Justin Ruiz
Graduated 2024
Justin Ruiz studied Digital Media Design, a computer science major with a concentration in graphics. He assisted in leadership for the Penn Newman Center and Veritas Forum. In his spare time, he enjoys creating various artistic works from writing to 3D modeling.
Joseph Wilbur
Graduated 2024
Joseph Wilbur studied Classical Languages & Literature in the College of Arts and Sciences. His interest in Collegium began when he attended Collegium’s NSO Preceptorial during his freshman year. Apart from Collegium, he was a varsity athlete on the Penn Lightweight Rowing team, and also involved with Penn's Newman Center. Joseph appreciates the opportunity to engage in intellectual and theological dialogue related to the intersection of faith and reason.
Miriam Shah
Graduated 2024
Miriam Shah studied Intellectual History with a concentration in Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Madeeha Mirza
Graduated 2024
Madeeha Mirza studied Cognitive Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jason Milch
Graduated 2024
Jason Milch studied Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Siddharth Kanderi
Graduated 2024
Sid Kanderi studied Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sophie Horvath
Graduated 2024
Sophie Horvath studied Communications and Political Science at Penn. Hailing from DC, she is fascinated by politics and likes to dwell on the impact ideology, principle, and commitment to civil service have on governance and policy making. Having served as a chorister at the Washington National Cathedral for six years, she enjoys staying connected to spiritual life.
Sheila Hodges
Graduated 2024
Sheila Hodges studied Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. She is interested in using journalism to foster empathy for marginalized and misunderstood groups. At Penn, Sheila was a West Philly Beat Reporter at the Daily Pennsylvanian and the Chair of the Intercultural Committee at the Penn Newman Catholic Center.
João Estaca
Graduated 2024
João Estaca is from Lisbon, Portugal. He studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is very interested in Philosophy and how it has evolved over the years. Being an undergraduate fellow at the Collegium Institute was an opportunity to deepen his knowledge and interest in scholastic philosophy. He also likes to learn new languages and play fencing.
Isaac Gateno
Graduated 2024
Isaac Gateno is from Houston, Texas and got a major in Political Science (concentrating in American Politics), a minor in Survey Research and Data Analytics, and a Spanish language certificate at the University of Pennsylvania. Above all, his interest is in exploring the deepest questions of existence. He is drawn to the philosophical enigmas of consciousness, cosmology, and purpose. Isaac came to Collegium in search of a community dedicated to discussing the pressing questions of our age.
Julia Fischer
Graduated 2024
Julia Fischer was Benjamin Franklin Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania from Northern Virginia, pursuing politics/law, philosophy, and Hispanic studies. Outside of class, Julia enjoys reading, writing, painting, playing piano, and exploring other cultures and perspectives. Julia was introduced to Collegium through its “Socrates on College” preceptorial and its “Food for Thought” modules her freshman year. Through her role as an undergraduate fellow, she engaged deeply in Collegium’s mission of pursuing truth through civil and thoughtful conversation.
Shane Better
Graduated 2024
Shane Better studied Philosophy and Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania. Along with being a Collegium Undergraduate Fellow, he was also a Humanities at Hertog Fellow and the International Business & Development Coordinator for Leadership Initiatives.
Erika Acosta
Graduated 2024
Erika Acosta studied Health and Societies with a concentration in Health Policy and Law and minors in English and Asian American Studies. She was both a Medical Humanities Fellow and a Legal Humanities Fellow, interested in the intersections of healthcare, law, and the humanities. She was also the Mass and Program Coordinator of the St. Agatha-St. James Parish Filipino Youth Ministry, a role that enabled her to help share Filipino Catholicism with the Philadelphia community. In her free time, she enjoys cross-stitching, acting on stage, and engaging in deep conversations.
Class of 2023
Joshua Anumolu
Graduated 2023
Joshua Anumolu studied Physics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Andrew Basile
Graduated 2023
Andrew Basile studied English at the University of Pennsylvania.
Cianan Conefrey-Shinozaki
Graduated 2023
Cianan Conefrey-Shinozaki studied Mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Callista Dyer
Graduated 2023
Callista Dyer studied Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bailey Hanson
Graduated 2023
Bailey Hanson studied Philosophy and Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Esther Lee
Graduated 2023
Esther Lee studied East Asian Languages and Civilizations and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Caroline Magro
Graduated 2023
Caroline Magro studied Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania.
Wes Matthews
Graduated 2022
Wes Matthews studied Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Layla Murphy
Graduated 2023
Layla Murphy studied Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tomilola Oyasiji
Graduated 2023
Tomilola Oyasiji studied Health and Societies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Austin Plotica
Graduated 2023
Austin Plotica studied Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sophie Qi
Graduated 2023
Sophie Qi studied Health and Societies and History at the University of Pennsylvania.
Delia Russo
Graduated 2023
Delia Russo studied Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ayana Shirai
Graduated 2023
Ayana Shirai studied Philosophy and Health Care Management at the University of Pennsylvania.
Andrew Sontag
Graduated 2023
Andrew Sontag studied Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Karina Strauch
Graduated 2023
Karina Strauch studied Economics and Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Santiago Velazquez Iannuzzelli
Graduated 2023
Santiago Velazquez Iannuzzelli studied Mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Joshua Weiner
Graduated 2023
Joshua Weiner studied Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Madison Weiss
Graduated 2023
Madison Weiss studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Alex Worrall
Graduated 2023
Alex Worrall studied History and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Joshua Yang
Graduated 2023
Joshua Yang studied International Studies and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Class of 2022
Lisa Eshleman
Graduated 2022
Lisa Eshleman studied Health and Societies and French at the University of Pennsylvania.
Christopher Gaeta
Graduated 2022
Christopher Gaeta studied Neuroscience and Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ali Hamandi
Graduated 2022
Ali Hamandi studied Neuroscience with minors in Math and Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania.
Andrew Lowrance
Graduated 2022
Andrew Lowrance studied Physics with a concentration in Business and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ben Zeisloft
Graduated 2022
Ben Zeisloft studied Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Julia Mitchell
Graduated 2022
Julia Mitchell studied Economics and International Studies with a minor in French (Huntsman Program) at the University of Pennsylvania.
Gabriella Thomas
Graduated 2022
Gabriella Thomas studied International Relations with minors in Hispanic Studies and Global Human Rights at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kaden Stenger
Graduated 2022
Kaden Stenger studied Economics with a minor in Legal Studies and History at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mateen Tabatabaei
Graduated 2022
Mateen Tabatabaei studied Philosophy and Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Suzanne Carpenter
Graduated 2022
Suzanne Carpenter studied History and Music at the University of Pennsylvania.
Vito Acosta
Graduated 2022
Vito Acosta studied East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania.
Joseph Squillaro
Graduated 2022
Joseph Squillaro studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
William San Pedro
Graduated 2022
William San Pedro studied Diplomatic History and Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mahi Pinho Daugirdas
Graduated 2022
Mahi Pinho Daugirdas studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.
Class of 2020
Carolyn Chow
Graduated 2020
Carolyn Chow studied Health and Societies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Theresa Dierkes
Graduated 2020
Theresa Dierkes studied Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Aaron Chen
Graduated 2020
Aaron Chen studied International Relations and Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Gabrielle Ramos
Graduated 2020
Gabrielle Ramos studied Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Roshan Benefo
Graduated 2020
Roshan Benefo studied Robotics, Engineering, and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Puti Cen
Graduated 2020
Puti Cen studied Cognitive Science and Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sydney Gwynn
Graduated 2020
Sydney Gwynn studied Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tommy Stevens
Graduated 2020
Tommy Stevens studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Vivian Li
Graduated 2020
Vivian Li studied Finance and Statistics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Qiaochu Nova Guo
Graduated 2020
Qiaochu Nova Guo studied Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
