Welcome! The beginning of the school year is such an exciting time—and our team is especially excited to highlight the different opportunities for students interested in social impact.
Who are we? Wharton Social Impact Initiative — or WSII for short — strives to inspire, facilitate, and support the Wharton community in creating sustainable solutions with a focus on impact now. More and more, students turn to us to learn how to create financial and social value in their business careers. Last year was our busiest yet for social impact on campus.
By the numbers:
- 50 students hired as Social Impact Fellows, resulting in 4,000 hours of student research and project work
- 500+ students involved in social impact student clubs/activities at Wharton and Penn
- 35+ social impact courses offered across 8 departments
- $150,000 in internship funding provided last year
- $160,000 in MBA loan forgiveness given through the Bendheim Fund
This afternoon, we shared who we are and what we do with a large portion of the incoming class. In case you missed the presentation, our website is the best resource to find opportunities for this school year— so get ready to be very very busy!
Here’s what you can do right now:
- Find courses that include social impact content—from social entrepreneurship to corporate social responsibility
- Make your mark—take the Wharton Social Impact Pledge!
- Learn how to become a Social Impact Fellow with WSII, or explore opportunities with the Social Impact Consulting Corps
- Apply to join the Wharton Social Venture Fund, and build your knowledge of impact investing:
- Check out the different MBA clubs with a social impact focus, such as the Wharton Social Impact Club, Wharton Community Consultants, or Global Health Volunteers
- Browse the career resources page to learn more about loan forgiveness, recruiting, and social impact career advising
- Tune in to SiriusXM for “Dollars and Change,” the two-hour social impact show hosted by WSII. Learn more about Wharton’s Business Radio channel here.
- Support the new Summer Social Impact Fund: money raised provides funding for Wharton MBAs taking on unpaid/underpaid social impact summer internships
Still want to learn more?
Read our collection of Impact Stories to see real examples of students, alumni and faculty using their business acumen to do good while also doing well. Browse our blog throughout the semester for more information, student perspectives, and a weekly events round-up.
Keep in touch by liking us on Facebook or following on Twitter to stay abreast of upcoming events, opportunities and other news.