By Caroline Varin, C’06

Sitting at my desk in Brussels, Stouffer seems a very long way away. And yet, the friends I have made there are closer than ever. In the past two years since I have graduated from Stouffer, I have met up with friends in Brussels, London, Paris, Bologna, Verona, San Francisco, New York, and of course, Philadelphia. And each and every time that I speak with a Stoufferite, it makes me nostalgic for what used to be, and a life I would love to return to.

So 6000 kilometers and two years away from Penn, I still muse with the idea of going back to the States for a graduate degree. It appears that I am not alone, so why is it that, after four years (or more) of grueling studies, and now that we are finally making money and discovering what lies beyond the ‘bubble’, we still remember Penn?

For my part, what makes Penn special, is the Stouffer Community. There are eight Ivies and a handful of other great schools in the States, which each offer fabulous faculty, exciting classes, some have a MUCH better climate than Philly or are surrounded by trees and parks. And while Philadelphia has its perks, there are many schools that, arguably, are as good or perhaps better than Penn. Indeed, our Alma Mater, as great as it is, is not what makes me wish to return there.

Yet when I envision my return, it is as a GA in Mayer, going to cookies on Wednesdays at the Nichols’, running from room to room chatting excitedly with my friends, stealing a turn on the foosball table, or attending a barbecue with the Goonsquad. Take Stouffer away from Penn, and the university becomes another name, like Harvard or Stanford, with a great reputation but no heart.

Where else can you live in the same home as all your friends, where there is no need to make an effort because your social life surrounds you and there is always an interesting conversation to be had? I miss Stouffer because of the community, the people, and my friends. Current Faculty Fellows Phil and Amy have created a wonderful and very large family on Spruce Street, and I am personally very pleased to be part of the Stouffer Alumni Association, where I hope to continue being part of this extraordinary experience that makes Penn the best university in the United States!