PhillyGoes2College (PG2C) is PEF’s online college access solution. Through this online platform, students can gain access to critical college advising and counseling resources. Each year, PG2C partners with the Wawa Welcome America Festival to give Philadelphia High School student a change to show off their talents and win prizes through the I Am Philly Contest. Students submitted original work in one of four categories: music, art, spoken word, or investment, which is a new category this year in partnership with Vanguard. Their work is a celebration of students’ own futures and the future of our city.
Congratulations to this years winners! They will be highlighted at Wawa Welcome America’s Our America Now festival event on June 20th at Love Park where they will receive their prizes and have an opportunity to showcase their work.
Poetry: Aziza Hamza I am Aziza Hamza, a student at Paul Robeson High School. The love I have for poetry is like no other, and all my friends and family know that best. I was introduced to the I Am Philadelphia Contest by my counselor, Mr. Brogan, and was immediately sure I was going to join and check it out. I have never made a better choice. I am so happy and thrilled that I have had the opportunity to work with such amazing teachers, such amazing peers. Thank you so much, I can’t appreciate it enough. Check out Aziza’s winning submission here.
Visual Art: Nevaeh Brown I’m Nevaeh and I started doing photography when I was 9 years old. My strong suits are portraits, events, and especially street photography. I entered the contest because I have lived in Philly for my whole life, and I love it. It is not just the fact that it’s where I live, but that it is a place full of memories, community, and love. In the future, I plan on going to NYU to major in social media and marketing, while minoring in either photojournalism or editorial photography. I’m 16 years old now, and I plan that with whatever I make of my life, that I will feel fulfilled and passionate about what I’m doing. Check out Naveah’s winning submission here.
Music: Sofia Kempa: Sofia Kempa is an aspiring singer/songwriter based in Philadelphia. She majors in Vocal Music at the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush, and has been writing and producing her own music since January of 2022. Music is something she’s loved since she was little, and she hopes to study and pursue music production as a career in the future. Check out Sofia’s winning submission here.
Investment: Theodore Loshi Theodore Loshi is a current sophomore attending Julia R. Masterman High School living in the Northeast of Philadelphia. Initially, he joined the competition for extra credit in his English class but then once he realized he could use this to present his passion and knowledge of the topic, he took initiative and worked on submitting his best work. As of now his plans after high school are to study and pursue a career in business/finance. Of his work, Vanguard investment professionals commented on Theodore’s understanding of risk tolerance, liquidity, diversification as protection against market downturns, and the interest rate risk inherent in some investments.
