Undergraduate Student Profiles

Name: Natalie Vargas
Year: 2006
Major(s): Biomedical Science
Minor(s): n/a
Hometown: Morristown, NJ

What is your favorite part of Penn?
My favorite part of Penn is its location. Not too many Ivy League schools can boast such an accessible, historic, and entertaining location as Philadelphia. Philadelphia is a great backdrop for Penn; there are many diverse opportunities to balance your education outside of the classroom. This is one of my favorite things about Penn because I place very high value on learning from experience in addition to traditional classroom learning. Another one of my favorite things about Penn is the resources available. There are numerous comprehensive libraries as well as knowledgeable people that, together, create an amazing network of information and people. Penn has shown me the art and advantage behind networking, essential for life after college.

What is your most memorable experience at Penn?
My most memorable experiences at Penn would have to be each year during Spring Fling, our spring festival. Most Penn students are so busy all year long with their noses buried in books or hovering in front of a computer screen. But when Spring Fling comes along, something magical happens when Penn kids stop being Penn kids and everyone transforms into regular college kids that just want to have a good time. And in a close second place, another most memorable experience at Penn was meeting the people who shaped my four undergraduate years. Penn fosters a spectrum of personalities and from each, I have taken admirable aspects and have tried to incorporate them into my own personality. Coming from far away New Jersey, I never expected to meet so many people from different walks of life. I will always remember Penn for how tough it was to pass Math 241 and how long it took me to manage my time wisely, but I will never forget Spring Fling and the people with whom I shared it.

What makes you different from a stereotypical engineer? How has Penn contributed to that?
I am not the stereotypical engineer. I am very involved on campus, mostly in activities that are not engineering related. Penn has created the opportunity for me to dedicate myself to prevalent issues on campus as well as recreational activities. I have become a passionate member of salient groups (some small, some big, all with a mission) such as the following: United Minorities Council (Treasurer), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (Treasurer), Latino Dialogue Institute (Session Coordinator), Grupo Quisqueyano (Co-Founder/Secretary), and intramural volleyball (captain). Penn is such a large institution with many resources in many different fields. As such, I've been able to hold many interesting jobs, for example, at the National Center on Adult Literacy, the Greenfield Intercultural Center, and the Investigational Drug Service at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

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