Cristina, W’21

Cristina takes full advantage of the opportunities that Penn has to offer. Harnessing her entrepreneurial skills and varied academic interests, she is involved with the Wharton Council, which she says feels like a family, and is also a Penn Abroad ambassador. These experiences have helped Cristina develop her ability as a public speaker and confidence as a communicator—especially important because she grew up in Romania and did not take courses in English until her freshman year at Penn. Her way of giving back is to share her knowledge by coaching students in local Philadelphia high schools.

“It is a dream to study at Wharton. Without a donor’s generosity, despite all of my efforts and willingness, this would not have happened.”

Last summer, Cristina traveled to Chernobyl, the largely abandoned site of a 1986 nuclear accident in the former Soviet Union, while on the final leg of a trip to conduct research on the Republic of Moldova, a country that borders her native Romania. She is grateful for the overwhelming support she has received to explore her many interests, including travel. Says Cristina: “It is wonderful to know that there are people who believe in me and generously support me and other students as we pursue our goals.”