Laying the Foundation

Pennoni’s Program in Civic Foundations serves as groundwork for two psychology majors

By Erica Levi Zelinger

Among the audience members at the Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities at President Lincoln’s Cottage historic site and museum in Washington, D.C. in October were Alexandra Goodin, psychology ’25, and Lex Gorman, psychology ’25, both from the first cohort of Pennoni’s Program in Civic Foundations (PCF).

In his lecture, titled “The Question of Reparations: Our Past, Our Present, Our Future,” Andrew Delbanco, the president of the Teagle Foundation, addressed reparations for slavery in the United States.

“The populist anger emanating today from both left and right present an opportunity to turn antagonism into alliance,” Delbanco said in his powerful address, the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.

And Delbanco’s sentiment was apropos to the two Drexel students in the PCF, funded by a Teagle Planning Grant, not just because of the Teagle connection but because he reinforced the spirit of the program — learning from the ideas that have shaped America’s civic space in order to reflect on the challenges of the future.

The 2021-22 pilot cohort of 15 students engaged in concepts of community, identity, and the systems of power that frame our current civic landscape — while all around them society experienced political upheaval and a milestone moment for activist movements.

Trips to local institutions like Eastern State Penitentiary and the Museum of the American Revolution, allowed students to develop connections between their classroom experience and topics such as prison reform and economic inequality.

“Alexandra and Lex were chosen to attend the speech because of their ongoing and active engagement with the Honors Program,” says Dr. Kevin Egan, director of Pennoni’s Academic Programs. “All the students who took part in our inaugural cohort are outstanding representatives of the Program, and Alexandra and Lex have carried that through by serving in a number of different capacities on behalf of the Program. They have really embraced the kind of involvement we hoped to cultivate in participating students.”

While Alexandra and Lex are both sophomore psychology majors, their interests and career goals diverge — and yet the Program in Civic Foundations provided a lens through which they both could examine their coursework and society.

“This program has given me such a well-rounded awareness of social justice and being able to engage in the current social climate,” Alexandra says. “For the STEM students in the program, they wanted to make sure they didn’t lose the humanities aspect of their education. For me, the program so naturally complements the psych major. As I was learning about these civil rights and social justice topics, I was thinking about them from a psychological standpoint and how they were manifested.”

Lex, who Alexandra describes as very intentional and articulate, was intrigued by the program because she’s always had a strong interest in civil rights and social justice.

“I was excited to be with people who had the same excitement and interest in politics and the basis of democracy,” she says.

Originally from Connecticut, Alexandra wanted to gain a particular awareness of and be a part of the Philadelphia community.

“I volunteered at schools and a local library in high school, so I was drawn to this program not just for the lessons in civic engagement but because I was going to be a part of a new and different community. I am interested in working in impoverished school districts or low income communities, and this program has given me a solid foundation for my future career.”

Alexandra, who Lex admires for her organizational skills and sense of self, is now considering career options — she’s contemplating getting a master’s and PhD in clinical psychology or mental health childcare. Lex is thinking about a research career in forensic psychology or law school.

Another benefit to being a part of this program, Alexandra adds, is being given the space to talk and take the conversation in whatever direction the cohort needs to.

“We had a mutual respect. It was about our knowledge and our interpretation of the texts,” she says. “I hadn’t experienced anything like this before. It was really helpful and empowering when you’re a first year and at the most vulnerable time in your life.”