The Philadelphia Center

We were lucky enough to check out Penn’s Landing this week! It had some amazing views and some fun and safe activities for all! #pennslanding

Hello everyone! My name is Darren Shearer. I’m a senior at Albion College and I am currently studying at TPC and interning with Northwestern Mutual! I will be taking over the instagram this week to give everyone a little more insight into the housing process and life in Philadelphia! #StayTuned

With more than a decade of experience in the areas of experiential learning, local-to-global partnerships and student development, Gretchen Mielke has been named the new executive director of The Philadelphia Center. The residential student internship program has been affiliated with the Great Lakes Colleges Association for more than 50 years; Albion College has been the Center’s facilitator since 2017.

TPC is excited to announce the hiring of our new Exective Director, Gretchen Mielke! Help us in welcoming Gretchen to the TPC team! I want to leverage the quality experiential learning that TPC has been providing and take it to the next level. We want to be innovative and encourage students to be innovative as well. We want TPC students to be architects of vital change and understand their sense of placelocally, nationally and internationally. TPC students will build their leadership and activate their global citizenship while they are simultaneously forging purposeful careers. https://www.albion.edu//14994-the-philadelphia-center-name

Philly has a great food scene! I’ve had a blast exploring all the great restaurants philly has to offer. The first picture is a lobster pasta from @barbuzzo . The second picture is seared scallops from @talulas.garden Learn more about studying at TPC at www.tpc.edu

Just a few pictures I took in Philly last week. Alumni: Comment what your favorite part of living in philly was! @streiffben

Hello everyone! My name is Ben Streiff and I am a senior at DePauw University. This semester I have the privilege of studying at The Philadelphia Center. I am going to be posting on TPC's facebook and instagram this week to give you all the inside scoop on my experience thus far. I am midway through my second week of my internship and third week of living in Philly and I love it so far! My internship is with PARC (Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation). PARC is a non-pro...fit real estate development/property management company. From the income that PARC receives from their properties- they reinvest back into neighborhood cleaning and beautification efforts. I am very excited to be working for such a great company this semester! I am taking two classes this semester at TPC, the seminar: "Race: Social and Political Issues" and the elective: "Urban Economics". Our courses meet once a week and have been very engaging and powerful so far! Due to COVID, city living looks a little different than what all you alumni might remember- but rest assured my peers and I are still finding a ton of fun things to do while following social distancing protocols! Stay tuned!!!

Though Philly is the 6th largest city in the country, there is so much to do outdoors! Did you know Fairmount Park (Philadelphia) is the largest urban park in the United States? Or for something a little less rustic, you can sit on top of Cira Green and catch the views of the Schuylkill Banks. Or you can visit the Shofuso, the Japanese House and Garden The city just opened indoor dining at 25% capacity this week, but that doesn't mean we all have to go inside, find something fun to do out in the city, breath the fresh air, and enjoy the city in a safe and socially distant fashion! https://www.uwishunu.com//how-to-get-outside-safely-durin/

Today was our students first day in their internships! We have a great group of students with a variety of placements, from working in a public health organization to financial planning to event management, working with refugees and immigrants, and even working in harm reduction with people suffering from addiction. These students are doing it all! But the first day jitters are real... What advice do you have for their first day? What are some tips to make a good impression o...n your first day of work? If you are interested in getting more insight into what the students are up to, make sure to check us out on Instagram @StudyInPhilly! Starting next week, we will have students taking over the account to show us insight into their day to day routine and sharing their thoughts on the city, the internship, and the experience that is The Philadelphia Center. You don't want to miss it!

One of the great things about being in Philadelphia is access to a wide range of events, speakers, lectures, trainings, etc across the city that you may not have on your home campus. Though COVID-19 has limited our ability to do in person gatherings, there are so many awesome opportunities that have moved online, so we can still participate and engage with events in the city (from the comfort of our own home!). The Free Library of Philadelphia has a whole calendar of free events online, from cooking classes to book clubs, from language exchanges to budgeting workshops. There really is something for everyone! #Philly #TPC #YourEducationInAction #ExperientialEducation #Internlife https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/virtual-programs/

Our Fall 2020 cohort arrived and has made it through orientation! We didn’t get a group picture because we were so busy this week getting to know the city, learning about experiential education, navigating @septaphilly, signing up for classes, finalizing internships, securing housing, taking resume workshops, talking with alumni, and generally getting to know each other! We have an awesome cohort of 9 students this semester, small but mighty, who courageously moved to a new c...ity amidst a pandemic and so much uncertainty. But as we always do at TPC, we will take care of each other and we know these students are well equipped to navigate city living, working, and experiential scholarship while staying safe and being responsible. We are so excited to see the amazing group grow and learn! Like this picture, the semester stretches in front of us with lots of moving parts, lessons, and experiences along the way, but we know the end of the road holds beauty and opportunity that makes it all worth it!! Share some encouragement, questions, or words of advice for our awesome #Fall2020 #ThePhiladelphiaCenter #students !

Are you dropping your child in Philadelphia for the new semester and you want one more nice dinner? Take them to the Capital Grille! This restaurant is located at 1338 Chestnut St, which is only one block from The Philadelphia Center!

Philadelphia has a lot of cool things to do for free whether it be seeing the Liberty Bell, or going to the Constitution Center like these students did. Learn more at tpc.edu

Our students at TPC work 4 days a week and take two classes, but they still find time to have fun and enjoy their time here! Learn more at tpc.edu

At The Philadelphia Center, you'll be able to meet students from across the world and make life -long friendships! Meet Wisdom Morris from Battle Creek, Michigan & Cynthia Lanor from South Africa. These students got together for a Black History photo shoot in Rittenhouse Square.