Oscar Wang ’14, a political science major, attributes his initial engagement with the Philadelphia education scene to a Haverford class, “Grassroots Politics in Philadelphia” with Steve McGovern. In this senior level seminar, Oscar was assigned to Philadelphia Public School Notebook, which covers the local education scene. As an educationational studies minor, Oscar developed deep understanding of how education relates to issues of equality and access, teacher quality and funding, and race and identity.
Oscar is now the executive director of Mentor for Philly, an organization he founded with Benjamin Wohl '14 when they were seniors. The program works with students from Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and the University of Pennsylvania who empower local high school students to take ownership of their post-secondary journeys. Helping them build the soft skills they need to succeed in the college application process will also help them once they enroll.
“I am blessed to wake up every day doing something that I love and think critically about how to bridge our city's ‘college success divide’," Oscar says, “I get to build partnerships, fundraise, and focus on people, strategy, and execution.”
Oscar encourages current Haverford students to find a way to get engaged in the city through programs and resources at Haverford such as Eighth Dimension and the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship.