Dedeepya is a freshman studying Economics in the College of Arts & Sciences. She is also a writer, both journalistic and creative. On campus, she is a desk editor for the Daily Pennsylvanian, and writes for 34th Street Magazine and the Penn Undergraduate Law Review. Among her favorite authors are Jhumpa Lahiri and Jenny Zhang. Dedeepya also teaches writing workshops to students across Philadelphia as part of Cosmic Writers, a Penn-based nonprofit.
Dedeepya hopes to combine her interests in both quantitative fields and the humanities, specifically exploring ways to combine journalism and economics. She is particularly interested in education reform and narrowing the opportunity gap, and hopes to further explore the intersection between economics and education. She has years of tutoring experience, and wants to continue working with students and families that are new to the American education system, and may come from underprivileged backgrounds. She is interested in breaking down the societal, economic, and familial factors that contribute to the achievement gap and wants to explore how education can be leveraged to break chains of structural inequality.
On campus, Dedeepya is also part of the College Dean’s Advisory Board and Penn student government. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running outside, and spending time with friends and family. Though the Paideia program, she hopes to gain valuable experiences in exchanging dialogue and incorporating service into her life.