The Standout College Essays That Got Philly’s Class of 2026 Accepted
Meet six Philadelphia public-school grads, and read the wise and witty words that helped launch their college careers.
We received dozens of essay submissions for this piece — all of which confirmed that Philly’s future looks bright. / Selfie photographs by the Class of 2026
Congrats, class of 2026.
These Philly public-school kids were in fourth grade when the Eagles won their first Super Bowl and in sixth grade when the pandemic hit. Now they’re off to college. Here, some excerpts of the wise and witty essays that got them into their schools of choice. (Yes, we’ll all be working for them someday.)
Khai Ward, 18
High school: Science Leadership Academy @ Beeber
College: Widener University
“Meeting my dad for the first time at thirteen was a moment I’ll never forget, not because it answered all of my questions, but because it gave me permission to start asking them. For most of my life, I carried so much confusion and sense of not belonging all due to this one situation. But in this moment, I began to understand that identity is not only shaped by presence, but also by absence. It helped me realize that moving forward meant opening up to truth and healing. Resilience isn’t always loud and dramatic and sometimes it’s being brave enough to be hopeful for the future while meeting the past. The encounter taught me something powerful: Situations don’t always arrive in calculated and expected ways, but when we choose to forgive and keep going, we create space for some new beginnings.”
James Way, 18
High school: Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA)
College: Point Park University
“I am James Way, a Queer Black student, a senior, a son, a cook, a skater, a dancer, a best friend, an athlete, but not a writer. All of these identities have combined to create every version of me I’ve ever been and they will always combine to create every version of me that I’ve yet to be. Unfortunately this can’t tell you everything about me but, for now, that is where I Am From and Who I Am (today at least).”
Jianshan Li, 18
High school: George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science
College: University of Pennsylvania
“Hey you, stop, come back!” shouted a staff member as I casually strolled past. “You’re supposed to stay in the lunchroom until the first bell for advisory.”
“The first day of freshman year, and I was already in trouble. Surrounded by a sea of new faces, in a new landscape, all I wanted to do was disappear at that humiliating moment.
“Immigrating to America at age three, with no grasp of English and no knowledge of the school system, I learned early to adapt by watching others. Whenever I spotted another Chinese classmate, I’d approach them hoping for connection — only to discover they spoke Mandarin while I only knew Cantonese. That small hope of belonging turned into another layer of isolation. I realized I couldn’t grow by mere observations anymore; I needed to act.”
Cairo Brown, 18
High school: Central High School
College: West Chester University
“All of my friends refuse to watch Cat in the Hat with me anymore, and for good reason. Because when I turn off the lights, let nothing but that hazy blue of a TV screen fill the room, get that plasticky, buttery scent of bagged popcorn wafting through the whole house, then it’s just me and the screen. And though I like to think all humans are born with passion, I didn’t know its true depths until I met The Cat.”
Daniel Girven, 17
High school: Science Leadership Academy @ Beeber
College: Community College of Philadelphia
“Being an older brother never really ends. I’ve always felt like my younger brother’s guide, even before I fully understood what that meant. When we moved to the United States, everything was new — new language, new school, new environment. I realized quickly that if I wanted to guide my brother, I had to grow and adapt first.
“As I got older, I understood that being a role model isn’t just about doing the right thing, it’s about helping someone else find who they are. Whether we were watching documentaries, talking about the world, or training together on the soccer field, I tried to lead by example every day.
“Now, as I prepare to leave for college, I know guiding him isn’t about staying close, it’s about showing him what’s possible. I’m not leaving him behind. I’m leading the way.”
Una Cutrone, 18
High school: Academy at Palumbo
College: University of Pennsylvania
“[When I discovered crossword puzzles] I started off slow, naively lacking the vocabulary of the most commonly used words, like ire and ebb. But then one day it clicked––I could feel which letters fit, and where, and suddenly, my completion times grew faster and my strategy more nuanced. I beamed, looking at my 12-second solve time, my personal record. I had learned much since I began: the word for tribute poems (odes), that ‘spelt’ is a type of ancient cereal grain, and that progress doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful.”
Published as “The Next Frosh Crop” in the June 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
