During his undergraduate journey at Penn, Om found his extracurricular involvement to be just as enriching as his academic coursework. Through his extensive partnership with the Netter Center, Om gained tangible experience in civic engagement and community building that helped to inform his path forward. “I’ve learned so much in the classroom,” Om says, “but the core of my education has come from the learning I’ve done outside the classroom—the skills and lessons I can apply in real-world settings. Working with the Netter Center has created a bigger and more impactful educational experience than I thought possible.”
Om started working with the Netter Center during his first year on campus, which coincided with the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While navigating his own Zoom class schedule and adjusting to an atypical University environment, Om learned more about the Netter Center’s programming and began volunteering virtually with a middle school math class at West Philadelphia’s Andrew Hamilton School. While he was already interested in teaching and administrative policy, this volunteer experience strengthened Om’s passion for educational equity and helped shape his teaching philosophy. “Through volunteering during the pandemic, I learned the value of empathy, the value of centering my students as people as opposed to just learners, and to make sure I’m consistently paying attention to the whole student and their emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing.”
Om deepened his relationship with the Netter Center each semester, and in October of 2022, he partnered with the Center to launch an after-school math tutoring program at the Hamilton School. Through this program, approximately 40 Penn students visit the school each week to provide math support that serves as an extension of their classroom learning. While Penn tutors guide their middle school students in honing their math skills, the impact of their mentorship extends far beyond textbook equations. “Math skills are connected to the students’ sense of confidence and their perceptions of themselves as learners,” Om remarks. “We want to help cultivate that confidence within students that translates far beyond math, into how they feel about themselves. It’s mutually beneficial, too—we’re learning and growing from our experience working with the students.”
In the coming year, Om will continue his Penn journey at the Graduate School of Education. He has applied for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Laos and plans to embark on a consulting role post-graduation. He hopes to work against educational inequality over the course of his career. He sees his undergraduate journey continuing to shape his endeavors well into the future: “Penn centers students in the world and encourages them to learn and grow and try new things. Through their experiences, undergraduates learn more about themselves and are inspired to become change agents in their communities. I’ve had a transformative journey at Penn and the opportunity to cultivate many meaningful relationships that will stay with me as I continue on my path.”
Favorite Penn Tradition
Favorite Penn Memory
