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Jennifer Bratton is a native Texas, and quite proud of
the fact. However, she has lived in many different places throughout her
life: Las Vegas, NV; Exeter, NH; New Orleans, LA; Austin, TX;
and now Philly, to name a few. Coinciding with her wandering nature, she
has attended several different schools and explored many different
majors, but got her BA in the Ancient Greek Language from University of
Texas at Austin in 2003.
Always adamant as a child that she would NOT be a
doctor, she finds it quite amusing how things work out. After working as
an EMT-B, shadowing some physicians, and a few other experiences, she
came to the conclusion at the end of her senior year that she did, in
fact, want to become a physician. So, she came to Penn to fulfill the
prerequisites and take some advanced science classes. Philly has really
grown on her, and she loves exploring the city and trying new things.
During here first year, she personally experienced the
difficulties of meeting people and the lack of community for post-bacs.
Therefore, at the beginning of her second year, she decided to become
more involved in solving that problem and ran for President.
You can usually find her studying in the bookstore, Houston Hall, or
Van Pelt. In her spare time, she enjoys learning new obscure dead
languages and making movies with her best friend. She is friendly and
easy going, and always available if people need help. She especially
likes having philosophical debates with friends over a few beers and
playing card games like poker and bridge. There is always room for a few
extra players. |
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Philip Fava was born and raised in Miller Place, New
York. This small town home body left his rural comforts for Penn in
order to pursue a career in dentistry, a hard sought and late found
love. Graduating from College of the Holy Cross as a Religious Studies
major, he tends to be thoughty and sincerely concerned for others.
Though this may not be obvious upon first meeting because of his rather
laid back and lively attitude. Quick to lend a hand, or a joke, you can
easily spot him either talking at length to pan handlers or carrying
other people's groceries.
A bit of a gym rat, Phil is frequently in the gym if he is not
studying with his partner in crime, Jennifer Bratton. Philadelphia has
been an unexpected pleasure to Phil, although he doesn't particularly
care for its public transportation. The Starr monopoly has not helped
his financial situation, but greatly increased his knowledge and idea
base for his own future restaurant. Lastly, he has one of the most
distinctive noses on campus. |
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Heralding from the far away land of Texas, Richard
Watson, like many other post-bacs, found an after-undergrad calling to
the field of medicine. He was attracted to the Penn Special Science
Program because of its location, reputation, stellar success rate, and
because it makes him feel truly special. Richard spent his undergrad
years at Tulane (in New Orleans). He believes that whatever you have
heard about Mardi Gras is not true because Mardi Gras is crazier than
words can describe.
At Penn, Richard is always up for a good time and
hopes to improve the camaraderie of the post-bac programs. If you ever
need someone to share a story and a laugh with, look no farther than
your local PPS officers. |
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Jeffrey Valdez grew up in the quaint southern town of
Goose Creek, SC. Eager to leave the South and try someplace new, he
instead moved up the road to Clemson University at Clemson, SC to study
Computer Science and Biochemistry. Circumstance (the "dot com" bust)
convinced him to seek his fortune in the lucrative field of psychology,
pursuing his master's degree at Yale University. Using his new-found
skills in magnetic resonance imaging and influencing people, he found a
job and home in Philadelphia, where he currently works as a research
coordinator in fMRI studies on schizophrenia.
In his spare time, Jeff spends his time taking post-bac
and bioethics courses. In his spare time that is actually fun, Jeff
spends his time eating Jelly Belly's, listening to commentary on DVDs,
and visiting with friends in various metropolitan areas on the East and
West coasts. If you see Jeff around West Philly, be sure to carefully
avoid him; he's probably dangerously biking around, listening to music
on his iPod. Without a helmet. |
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RICHARD T. KIOK (richard@kiok.com)
Rick is the Founder and Chair Emeritus of PPS. He
served as the first and only PPS Chair from 2003-04 before becoming the
inaugural member of the Steering
Committee. Originally from the friendly farmlands of rural
Michigan, he now considers himself to be a Philadelphian. After
completing his undergraduate work in Bioengineering, he stayed at Penn
in order to complete the Master of Biotechnology program in 1999. The
effects of the extended stay in
Philly are evident; he says things like "wooder" and can correctly
pronounce the name of the river that separates Center City from West
Philadelphia. Can you?
Prior to returning to Penn for the post-bac program,
Rick was a business consultant for both PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and
Synygy, Inc. working with clients such as Major League Baseball, Merrill
Lynch, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, and Schering-Plough developing data warehouses
and calculating incentive compensation. He is well known to
be a die-hard fan of the Michigan Wolverines, Penn Quakers, and the
Philadelphia Eagles. In his spare time, he enjoys playing games such as
Quizzo, Trivial Pursuit, and Poker with his friends; competing in sports
such as basketball, football, and golf; and traveling to exotic lands.
Friendly and approachable, he is easily recognized by the distinctive
angular haircut. Stop him along Locust Walk or introduce yourself
over a beer. |
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Daniel Shin was raised in West Orange, a small
suburban town in northern New Jersey. A naturally inquisitive man, he
graduated Yale University in 2004 with a BA in philosophy and a belated
desire to become a doctor. It was this desire that brought him to Penn,
where he is finishing his pre-med requirements and enjoying the wonders
that Philly has to offer, particularly the culinary delights of Steven
Starr and the state-of-the-art mass transportation.
Dan, as he likes to be called, enjoys singing and
fretting about ethical conundrums in his spare time and can always be
counted on for some good conversation over a pint of local brew. Be sure
to ask him about his globe-trotting adventures this past summer and how
he’s doing with his newly purchased squash racket. |
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LEARN MORE ABOUT PPS
You can learn more about PPS by reading our
history,
constitution, and biographies of our Executive Board
and Steering Cabinet. |
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