Sarah Simon

I am a student studying Political Science and Urban Education Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from the small town of Valparaiso, Indiana, I am interested in education policy and planning, as well as college access and career readiness!

I co-founded iCAN (Interactive College Access Network) in January 2014 with four other students at UPenn. iCAN seeks to reduce rates of "summer melt" in Philadelphia, which refers to students who apply to, are accepted to, and even pay the deposit to attend college but do not end up matriculating. In Philadelphia and similar urban districts, these rates can be as high as 40% of students who intended to enroll at college upon graduating high school.

I also am currently employed at Fels Consulting as an Intern Consultant. Fels is the graduate school of public administration at UPenn, and Fels Consulting, a branch of the school, provides consulting services to non-profits and the public sector. In my work there, I have conducted interviews with stakeholders, prepared reports, and conducted program evaluation for clients such as the National League of Cities, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and City of Philadelphia (under Mayor Nutter's administration).

When I'm not working, some of my other interests include politics, longreads, and following the Supreme Court's latest cases, all with a warm cup of tea.