9 Philadelphians Share Their Most Defining College Memories

Kristen Mills, Alumnus

I am connected to Temple University on a number of levels. I graduated with an MFA in Painting from Tyler School of Art in 2012; I co-founded a business on campus in early 2013 (Cloud Coffee - food truck), and I am also a current adjunct assistant professor at Tyler in the graduate, undergraduate and upcoming summer programs. With all that, I believe my most defining Temple moment was a late-spring afternoon in 2014: I was sitting on the lawn in front of Tyler talking with a fellow artist about some collaborative projects, and it was in that conversation I realized the support and encouragement I was receiving was also something that I was fostering. I now witness this reciprocity within the Temple community and view it as accessible and contagious, extending far beyond our physical Philadelphia location. That moment of awareness was a game-changer.

Merideth Ketterer, Alumnus

Throughout my undergraduate career at Temple University, I experienced countless life-changing moments. The first day I stepped on campus for a tour, I felt at home. When I joined my sorority during freshman year, I found a group of people who not only accepted me, but celebrated who I was. At my internship with Susan G Komen Philadelphia, I felt passion and drive to make the world a better place. Studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain gave me exposure to a new culture and a different worldview. However, my most defining moment was on March 10, 2016, when I received my acceptance letter to the Temple University Beasley School of Law. Temple Law is my dream school and I can proudly say that I'm an Owl for life.

Malcolm Kenyatta, Alumnus

During my time at Temple, one of my friends committed suicide. I — with great support from student activities and from Dr. Teresa Powell, SVP of student affairs — organized an event called STEPS: Student Together Ending Pain and Suicide.

There were performances and there were survivors and people who had gone through depression themselves speaking about their stories and what they did to get extra support during what can be an extremely difficult time for folks.

Brandon B. Johnson, Alumnus

My most defining Temple moment was when our football team played Notre Dame on Halloween last year. Both teams were undefeated, “College Gameday” came to Philadelphia, and you could feel the buzz around campus. While we ended up losing to the Irish, there was a moment during the game where I was overcome with emotions. From seeing the team play in a mostly empty stadium just two years prior, to playing in a sold-out, nationally televised night game against a top-10 team, my Temple pride had never been higher. That night we may have lost the game, but I gained an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life!

John Allen Paulos, Faculty Member

I always appreciated the unpretentiousness of Temple. When my book Innumeracy made the New York Times bestsellers list, former president Peter Liacouras called me up and said, "Let's celebrate." So we went to his favorite Greek food truck and enjoyed steak sandwiches while discussing the book and our Greek forebears.

Ryan K. Rinaldi, Alumnus

It’s tough to narrow it down to one, but this past summer, I interned with [Goldman Sachs] on Wall Street. First and foremost, Temple and my experiences there prepared me for [this experience]. But there’s [one thing] I’ll never forget: I went in [on the first day] and sat at a table with all the other interns in my division. We were asked to introduce ourselves, say where we were from and our school. I’m sitting there, nervous in this intense environment, and the three people before me say they’re from New York University, Cornell and Harvard. My proudest moment in four years is being able to say — in that type of environment with that crowd of people — that I went to Temple. Without [Temple], I wouldn’t have been able to capitalize on all the opportunities that I’ve had, whether it was as student body president, studying abroad or in the Fox School of Business and Management.

Kathy Hirsch Pasek, Faculty Member

The most defining moment is working with Temple students, and the reason for that is because Temple students are really awesome, and they’re people who really can go anywhere. Often they don’t have the faith in themselves that they can do it, so I always view my role there as someone to let the students know how truly great they are. To me that’s what Temple is all about. I was the first one in my family to go to college, and that’s true for many of my students. What people like us need is a chance to shine, a chance to grow, a chance to believe in ourselves, to see and realize our potential. As a professor at Temple working with honors students, I, every day am given the opportunity to help others see their potential and, to me, that’s the defining Temple moment, or moments I guess I would say.

Tiffany D. Sykes, Alumnus

I’d have to say my most defining moment at Temple was when I won the Samuel L. Polsky Moot Court Competition. I was so nervous when I tried out for moot court and excited when I got the call that I had made the team. When the final four was announced, I was so nervous—I had never competed before in any sort of oral competition. I had always been told I talk too fast, so the days leading up I practiced. I talked to myself in a mirror and forced myself to slow down to a pace that literally was causing me to question myself. The day of the competition came, and I was still nervous. I paced the hallway while the first two competitors went. At the end of it all, when they called my name, my emotion was simply this: proud. I was so proud of myself.

Johndi Harrell, Alumnus

I would say probably my most defining Temple moment was actually being accepted into the social work program. I did 18 years of incarceration and I had come home in 2009 and I was working toward my bachelor’s. I had applied [elsewhere] and they didn’t want me on the campus because of my criminal background. At the time I didn’t apply to Temple because I wanted to start college immediately. So, I went to finish my undergrad and a couple years later, I applied to the Temple [School of Social Work] and they welcomed me with open arms. My classmates were incredible and my teachers were exceptional. I think that being a part of the Temple community has been meaningful and so profound. I would say that being accepted into the program and being part of a vibrant social work community who really cares about the community and who seeks to go out into Philadelphia and the world and bring change was my most defining moment.