the jerome fisher program in management & technology

April 2012 Vol. 6
THE JEROME FISHER PROGRAM
IN MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY
Penn Traditions
Football Toast 1
Skimmer 3
Alumni Connections 4
Spring Fling 5
Penn Relays 6
Hey Day 7
The Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology. 3537 Locust Walk, Suite 100. Philadelphia, PA. 19104. mgtech@seas.upenn.edu. (215) 898-4145.

Here’s a Toast to
There are few things that are more
memorable than having hundreds of
pieces of toast dumped on you. Especially
when you go through this experience
voluntarily, and do it every single week.
This is one way to describe one of the most
well-known (and my personal favorite)
Penn traditions—the toast throw.
Of course, the toast throw didn’t
just come out of thin air; it has a definite
history throughout the evolution of Penn
as a university. For what must be around
200 years, one of Penn’s many fight songs
was “Drink a Highball.” This classic is
always sung at the close of the third quarter
of every single home football game. Of
special importance to this tradition is the
last line of “Highball” which is “Here’s a
toast to dear old Penn!”
Prior to the 1970’s, the toast throw
tradition had a lot less throwing and
Dear OldPenn
By Jason Rudin
significantly more toasting—the drinking
age was 18 and people were able to bring
drinks into Franklin Field and literally
toast to Penn. However, once the drinking
age was raised to its current level of 21,
Franklin Field became a dry stadium. This
left Penn students at a loss, how were they
supposed to continue an age-old tradition
of toasting to Penn? Well, of course this
change wouldn’t cause Penn students to
stop all together. So what people began
doing instead was bringing in actual
pieces of toast to the games. Now, the
tradition has entirely shifted to bread, and
Penn Athletics actually provides the toast
to be thrown at home games. Don’t worry:
all of the bread is at least a day old so it is
not like it is wasted food!
Now that you understand the
tradition a little bit better, what actually
makes it so special and important? For me,
Vol. 6 M&T 1

the evolution of the toast throw is especially
significant as it represents one of
the highlights of the Penn community
overall. Penn students as a whole truly
love and identify with their school. They
internalize traditions and enjoy living
and learning at the home of the red and
the blue. It is this fact, among others, that
draws many people (including me) to
UPenn—rarely do you get the opportunity
to attend a school with both worldclass
academic resources and significant
school spirit. Penn pride manifested
itself in this situation, Penn students
holding fast to a tradition and ensuring
that it lived on, albeit in a modified
manner.
For the toast throw, I believe that it
is this student-originated origin that
makes it one of the most popular traditions
on Penn’s campus. People go to the
football games not only to enjoy some
quality football but also to unwind and
throw a few pieces of toast. Not only is
the toast throw a random, quirky tradition,
it is a real manifestation of the
powerful Penn spirit.
Jason Rudin is currently a sophomore in the
Jerome Fisher Program (M&T’14) from Dix Hills,
NY. He is concentrating in Finance and Management
in Wharton and majoring in Digital
Media Design in the School of Engineering and
Applied Science. Jason’s extracurricular activities
include being a Campus Tour Guide, Yen
Cohort Director, and Marketing Undergraduate
Student Establishment.
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What it means to be a Quaker:
Skimmer Balloon Ride
A big aspect of being a Quaker is
getting to participate in the myriad of traditions
that go from class to class. In the beginning
of the fall semester I attended Skimmer, a
celebration of Penn’s football team, by the
sophomore and junior class. At the event there
were a ton of activities ranging from caricature
paintings to a hot air balloon ride!
What I really love about these Quaker
traditions is that they provide an easy medium
to reconnect with your friends whether you go
on a balloon ride together or chat amongst
each other while waiting in line in anticipation
of an activity. In fact, that day I remember
going from a Wharton Trading Group meeting
directly to Skimmer. I think this shows a lot
about the integration of professional pursuits
with social activities at Penn.
Also, I was pretty excited to run into a
bunch of M&Ts at this event; not surprisingly
some of my closest friends are M&Ts. In
sophomore year all M&Ts take a class together,
and I would say I definitely made some
lifelong friends in that class.
At the end of four short years, your time at
Penn will be what you make of it. Nevertheless
it is easy to see that there are definitely no
obstacles in balancing work and play. In fact,
the “work hard, play hard” mantra is very
deeply entrenched in Penn’s culture.
By Connie Wu
Connie Wu is currently a junior in the Jerome
Fisher Program (M&T ’13) from Princeton, New
Jersey. She is concentrating in Finance in Wharton
and majoring in Electrical Engineering in the
School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Outside of the classroom, Connie is involved with
the Weiss Tech House Innovation Fund, Wharton
Private Equity/Venture Capital Association, and
the Wharton Small Business Development Center.
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Connecting the past to the future with
M&T Alumni
I have always been told that the best
part about being in the Management and
Technology Program was the great community
that surrounds and supports all of the
students. After my first year at Penn, I
believed wholeheartedly in the community
because there was always someone ready with
advice about everything. To me, the extent of
the M&T community fell between the
upperclassman’s advice and my peers studying
with me. How wrong I was!
At the beginning of the fall semester I
was elected as Vice President of the Professional
Committee for the M&T Club. My
committee plans all of the events with alumni
of the M&T Program including lunches for
returning alumni and one large trek to New
York City for students to meet alumni. A year
ago we planned a small version of the NYC
event and it went great, so this year we
planned an event that was even bigger and
better than before. My committee decided we
wanted recent graduates to impart their
knowledge onto the students about how best
to continue in their life after Penn. We had an
overwhelming response, and 27 alumni
agreed to meet us in NYC. The bus to New
York could only accommodate 50 students
and when registration opened, all of the spots
were filled within 20 minutes. Every student
was so excited for a chance to meet with
alumni and hear their advice.
The alumni, who all had graduated
within the past ten years, had a wealth of
information that they were readily willing to
share with all of the students. We learned
about career paths, how to make a resume
stand out, and tips for activities to do before
we graduate from Penn. Everyone had such a
great time mingling with all of the alumni and
the event ended all too soon. On the bus ride
By Jenna Kanterman
home, I realized how wrong I had been about
the M&T community. The community is by
no means limited to the advice that current
students give; it encompasses a much greater
circle. The alumni were so excited to meet us
and so happy to tell us about their time at
Penn and beyond, that I realized the alumni
are also an integral part of my experience in
the M&T Program. The M&T Student –
Alumni Reception was my favorite activity for
this year and I can’t wait to plan an even better
event for next year!
Jenna Kanterman is currently a sophomore in the
Jerome Fisher Program (M&T’14) from Butler, PA. She
is concentrating in Management at Wharton School and
majoring in Systems Science Engineering in the School
of Engineering and Applied Science, with a minor in
Mathematics. Jenna is the Vice President of the M&T
Club Professional Committee, as well as, a member of
the Engineering Deans’ Advisory Board, Alpha Phi
Sorority, Wharton Women, and Advancing Women in
Engineering.
M&T Administrative Director January Stayton, Neha Mathur
(M&T ‘14) and Jenna Kanterman at an M&T alumni event in
New York City.
Vol. 6 M&T 4

Celebrating the end of the
academic year at Spring Fling
By Karan Dhruve
Spring Fling is an annual carnival held
on UPenn’s campus in the middle of April. It
extends for two days and is famous for being
the biggest college party on the East Coast. It
was first hosted in 1973, and is organized by
Penn’s Social Planning and Events Committee.
The carnival begins on Friday in the fields of
the Quad (a College dorm) and features
games, food, inflatables and live performances.
On Friday night, Penn brings out a
headlining musical performance for a concert
held on Franklin Field. Past performers have
included Akon, Ludacris, Snoop Dog, Kid
Cudi, Ratatat and Flo Rida. This year’s
performers are Tiesto and Passion Pit. The
stadium is usually packed with students, and
all students compete for floor tickets. This
year, people even camped out all night so they
could get floor access to the concert.
The festivities in the Quad continue
through the day on Saturday. Most campus
groups perform a short 10 minute piece.
Performing with Penn Masti for the last 3
years, I can confidently say that this is one of
the most fun-filled performances throughout
the year. Fling usually ends with a Carnival
hosted on College Green on Saturday night,
with free food, games and music.
Throughout the week of Fling, the
campus is buzzing with excitement. This large
event attracts college students and friends
from all over the country. There are parties
and events hosted all through the week, on
and off-campus. All in all, students are excited
for Spring Fling throughout the year.
Karan Dhruve is currently a senior in the Jerome Fisher
Program (M&T ’12) from Mumbai, India. He is concentrating
in Finance in Wharton and majoring in System
Science Engineering in the School of Engineering and
Applied Science, as well as pursing a minor in Mathematics.
Karan’s extra-curricular activities include the
South Asia Society, Penn Masti, Tau Beta Pi, Teach for
India, PAACH Student Programming Committee,
Wharton India Economic Forum, and the West Philadelphia
Tutoring Project. After graduation, Karan will be
joining Bain & Company in New York as an Associate
Consultant.
Vol. 6 M&T 5

Going the distance with Penn Relays
By John Foye
Every year, the University of Pennsylvania
plays host to the world of track and field
as premier high school, collegiate, and professional
athletes converge on Franklin Field for
the Penn Relays. If you are ever on campus
during this time, you’ll know: athletes jog off
in every direction for their warm-ups, traffic
along Walnut grinds to a halt, and the air
begins to faintly smell of Jamaican jerk
chicken. As a member of the Penn Track and
Field team, I rank the Penn Relays only behind
Christmas.
The intoxicating levels of competition
are compounded by the historical significance
of the meet. For over a century, athletes have
been running, throwing, and jumping inside
Franklin Field, setting various high school and
collegiate marks, as well as a world record or
two. The Relays are in the late spring, the start
of the championship season for most of the
athletes. The dream of winning a relay - and
possessing a Penn Relays Wheel - can be
painful. The pure desire the athletes have for
lifetime-best performances makes for a spectacle
unlike any other. I can’t describe what it
was like watching Usain Bolt sprint down the
final stretch as fifty thousand bona-fide trackies
(read: track nerds) cheered alongside me .
And every race – not just the glamorous ones –
has the passionate support of the crowd,
whose cheers seem to bring energy to your
lactic and oxygen-craving legs. And the best
part: the crowd always cheers loudest for the
red and blue stripes of Penn.
John Foye is currently a junior in the Jerome Fisher
Program (M&T ’13) from Salt Lake City, Utah. He is
concentrating in Finance in Wharton and majoring in
Material Science Engineering in the School of Engineering
and Applied Science while pursuing a minor in
Mathematics. John’s involvements outside of the
classroom include being Vice President of PennSolar,
being a member of Phi Gamma Delta and Eco-Reps
Programs, and working at the Weiss Tech House.
Vol. 6 M&T 6

Three years down, one to go:
Rejoicing at Hey Day
Every April, the junior class partakes
in an event called Hey Day. This is a unique
Penn tradition that marks the official
advancement from juniors to seniors. The
junior class, dressed in matching red t-shirts,
wearing Styrofoam hats, and carrying canes,
assembles on the green near 40th street for
the class picnic. Soon after, the Penn Band
leads a procession of juniors down Locust
Walk towards College Green, where the
students are greeted by Penn’s President
and the junior class board. After a few
words from Penn President Amy Gutmann
and the junior class president, the students
are officially declared seniors.
Hey Day marked the second time at
Penn that I marched with my class down
Locust Walk and assembled on College
Green (the first being Convocation at the
beginning of freshman year). It was great to
reunite with the entire class and catch up
with fellow classmates that I hadn’t seen in a
while. One of the memorable traditions
from Hey Day was taking bites out of the
hats that my friends were wearing. Every
time I ran into someone I knew we’d
exchange bites in each other’s hats. During
the march down Locust Walk, you could see
everyone’s hats, covered in holes and bite
marks. With the unified junior class on
College Green, Hey Day reminded me about
the three great years I had at Penn. As we
were officially declared seniors, I began
By Bryan Chiang
looking forward to the new and great experiences
I would have during my final year at
Penn.
Bryan Chiang is currently a senior in the Jerome
Fisher Program (M&T ’12) from Piedmont, California.
He is concentrating in Finance in Wharton and
majoring in Computer Science in the School of
Engineering and Applied Science. Bryan’s extracurricular
activities include the Pan-Asian Dance
Troupe and Innoworks. Bryan has accepted an offer
to work at Greenhill & Company in San Francisco
after graduation.
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