Griffin is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is fascinated with the intersection of water- and agro- technology, economics, and poverty alleviation. Paideia’s four pillars—dialogue, wellness, citizenship, and service—epitomize Griffin’s approach to education. She is deeply passionate about building systems to facilitate, clean, and efficiently allocate water equitably across all communities.
Griffin believes that good citizenship involves interdisciplinary learning involving thoughtful dialogue and community engagement. In high school, her education took place inside and outside of the classroom. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Andrew’s School where she was Captain of the Varsity Basketball and Women’s Rowing teams. At St. Andrew’s, she integrated her faith with service, leading community garden initiatives, weekly visits to a local Senior Center, and serving on the school’s Vestry. At this time, Griffin also explored her passion for international studies and open dialogue competing on the national level for Model UN and the National High School Ethics Bowl.
Prior to Penn, Griffin wanted to continue her experiential learning. She completed a gap year where she interned for the World Bank in the Agriculture & Food Global Engagement Practice and on Capitol Hill for Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) for her national defense and foreign relations legislative teams. At the World Bank, she studied adolescent obesity and prepared a literature review for the department researching technological prevention solutions. In Senator Gillibrand’s office, Griffin produced daily updates to the Intelligence and Foreign Relations legislative team regarding ongoing affairs in Ukraine. She attended multiple briefings a week on behalf of the legislative teams, summarized briefings through congressional memos, and answered telephone calls from New York constituents. Both of these internships provided the opportunity for Griffin to deepen her interest in agriculture and foreign relations, working closely with a diverse array of professionals dedicated to service.
At Penn, Griffin is a member of the Women’s Rowing team. She is a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, serving as the Executive Vice-President of the BFS Undergraduate Advisory Board. She is also a teaching assistant for Professor Stephanie Creary through Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management where she focuses on evidence-based management practices for making transnational organizations more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. She is looking forward to further exploring the intersection of equity, environmentalism, and technology in her next three years at Penn as a SNF Paideia Fellow.