Dear PEER community and alumni, Wow...this year has flown by so incredibly fast. It feels like just yesterday when I stepped on campus for the first time with my family for move-in day. I remember feeling so overwhelmed, excited and scared at the same time. I had a difficult time making friends in high school and was scared that

Most memorable moments from PEER:

  • PEER Retreat: being bus buddies with Varun (Cinnamon Toast Crunch!) and talking about PEER, being second-generation Indian Americans
  • Joining Atma after being convinced and inspired by Aparna and Vedika!
  • Scavenger hunt: going to Chinatown, getting bubble tea and afterwards going to Skimmerfest with Kanika, Vedika and Heta and taking a selfie with Kiiara! (and getting good tacos from a food truck)
  • Getting PEARed with Kanika (had to literally run through bushes and trees to find her - I remember my heart was pounding bc I wasn’t sure who I was going to get paired with! Finding out it was Kanika was the best moment ever!!)
  • Kanika always always always being there for me: bringing me chai when I was sick, making me breakfast and letting me work on her bed, making me a care package when I was swamped with multiple finals before one week, getting FOOD (Beiler’s, bubble tea (our first lunch together getting Ochatto was my first ever experience getting vegetarian sushi and now I’m OBSESSED))
  • Waking Wenting up before her final and eating breakfast together in McClelland! Also our shared love for Disney/Pixar/any animated movies, Inside Out and Big Hero Six <3
  • PEER date with Rudmila!
  • PEER snipes (the GroupMe was EXPLODING those few weeks we were doing this)
  • Waking up every morning with notifications from the PEER GroupMe or PEER Snapchat
  • NYC trip and meeting the amazing and astonishing alumni! Made me realize how impactful PEER truly is beyond the mentor-mentee pairs - inspired me to continue building upon this large, established networ
  • PEER fam coming to SAS show (my first ever performance with Atma) and getting a poster full of everyone’s signatures and heartfelt messages
  • Admiring the view from 20th floor Rodin while Kanika made me pasta <3
  • Running into Eaton on Locust and talking about the Math 114 Final lol
  • Psych 001 with Melisa <3 (and studying in ARCH basement on late Sunday night armed with Frontera)
  • PEER taking Eagles Day Parade (with pancakes!)
  • Mediating the argument between Mo and Shaina about whether Philly or NYC is better
  • Going to Schmear with Jesse on the very first day it snowed!
  • Getting my very first succulents at PEER Secret Santa from Kenneth (the Marxist)
  • Talking about BBB and life with Casey on the Love Your Park Service Day
  • Watching Kanika, Joebert and Albert absolutely kill it on stage at the Em Sachs performance
  • Mo’s performance on the recorder at the PEER Talent Show (truly truly epic)

    • Hopes and dreams for future PEER class:

  • Continue to build the alumni network and bonding with past, present and future PEER classes
  • Collabs with other PAACH groups as well as Makuu and La Casa Latina
  • More movie nights! (I really really want to go into a random classroom at night and just watch a movie with everyone else)
  • Continue to explore the Philly food scene with my favorite people
  • Spread a message of inclusivity (PEER is a very special close-knit community, but I want us to include as many people as possible)