Matteo Akbarpour
Peer Career Advisor

My name is Matteo (he/him), and I am a senior in the College studying for my Bachelors in English and Philosophy, as well as my Master’s degree in English. I am an RA for Stouffer College House and a TA for the Urban Studies department/Netter Center. I am from Los Angeles, so I naturally have come to love film-making and cinema. I also enjoy going on runs along the Schuylkill and reading Philosophy books whenever I can.
Herinah Asaah
Peer Career Advisor

Herinah Asaah (she/her/hers) is currently a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences intending on pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and minors in Music and Legal Studies and History. Her favorite volunteering experience was working with kids through a summer camp! In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. Her favorite study spot on campus is the Annenberg Library!
Dedeepya Guthikonda
Peer Career Advisor

Dedeepya Guthikonda (she/her) is currently a sophomore studying Economics in the College of Arts & Sciences and pursuing a tentative Statistics concentration in Wharton. Her favorite internship experience has been working on education policy research this past summer through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program. On campus, Dedeepya is a desk editor for Daily Pennsylvanian, treasurer for the Dean’s Advisory Board, and an instructor for Cosmic Writers, through which she teaches writing workshops to K-12 students across Philadelphia. She is an avid fan of iced chai, loves watching musicals, and enjoys going on runs outside and baking banana bread.
Alivia Jiang
Peer Career Advisors

Alivia Jiang (she/her/hers) is a sophomore in the Wharton School studying Finance and Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors for Business, with a minor in Design. Her favorite internship has been working for Forerunner Ventures, a consumer oriented venture capital firm in San Francisco, CA. On campus, Alivia serves as the First Year Mentor for the Wharton Dean’s Undergraduate Advisory Board and as a Shift Captain for the Kite and Key Society. Alivia enjoys running on the Schuylkill River Trail, following runway fashion, and drinking La Colombe. Her favorite pastime is trying new food trucks on campus!
Specialties and Interests
UndergraduatesRachel Lee
Peer Career Advisor

Rachel Lee (she/her/hers) is currently a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and minor in Statistics. This past summer, she worked at Citigroup as an Equity Research Summer Associate where she analyzed renewable energy companies and created financial models. On campus, she is actively involved in Wharton Korean Undergraduate Business Society, College Cognoscenti, and PEER Mentorship Program. In her free time, she enjoys solving logic puzzles, exploring new restaurants, and going to karaoke. Her favorite study spot on campus is Biotech Commons.
Specialties and Interests
UndergraduatesErica Messics
Peer Career Advisor

Erica Messics (she/her) is a senior in the College studying English and minoring in Cinema Studies and Philosophy. Interested in the entertainment industry, Erica’s favorite internship experience has been working in Content Development at PBS Kids and learning all about children’s media. At Penn, she enjoys learning about short film production with Bent Button and meeting other entertainment-oriented students in the Undergraduate Media and Entertainment club. Outside of work, Erica loves video games, watching cartoons, and watching new movies at the Cinemark on Walnut.
Amanda Moore
Peer Career Advisor

Amanda Moore (she/her/hers) is currently a sophomore in the School of Nursing pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Global Health. Her favorite internship experience so far has been participating in the Penn Abroad Global Research & Internship Program this past summer. She had the opportunity to promote early childhood education initiatives in underdeveloped rural communities in Uganda. On campus, Amanda is involved in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Student Nurses at Penn, Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Penn Democrats, Nursing Peer Advising and her sorority. In her free time, she enjoys running, rewatching her favorite rom-coms, and exploring new places around Philly with friends.
Specialties and Interests
UndergraduatesAnh Ngo
Peer Career Advisor

Anh Ngo (she/her/hers) is a senior at the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Economics with a minor in Consumer Psychology. Drawing from her internships in Consulting and Investment Banking, Anh enjoys assisting students with refining their resumes and cover letters for finance and business-related opportunities. As a Class of 2024 Penn World Scholar, Anh is dedicated to helping fellow international students navigate resources on campus for career development and recruiting in the US. Her favorite internship experience is her last summer job at Deutsche Bank as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst, where she is returning full-time. On campus, she’s actively involved in the Wharton Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Club and is a fellow in the Venture Initiation Program for the Food Innovation track. In her free time, Anh enjoys developing recipes, exploring Philadelphia’s food scene, staying active through running and Karate, and playing the violin.
Jonah Proepper
Peer Career Advisor

Jonah Proepper (he/him/his) is currently a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Political Science and Communication with a minor in International Relations. On campus, he is a member of the Kite & Key Society, the PAD Pre-Law Fraternity, and the POLIS Pre-Government Society. Additionally, Jonah spends a lot of time working with the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and enjoys volunteering with youth in the West Philadelphia community. In his free time, Jonah enjoys listening to educational and comedic podcasts, learning new cooking recipes, and exploring new restaurants in the city.
Ariel Zhou

Ariel Zhou (she/her/hers) is currently a junior in Wharton concentrating in Finance and minoring in Design. This summer, she worked at a Private Equity firm called Hill Path Capital, analyzing companies in the Travel/Leisure industry. On campus, she is involved in Penn’s Social Entrepreneurship Movement and Sigma Eta Pi, an Entrepreneurship fraternity. She enjoys watching films, photography, making jewelry, and journaling in her free time.
Joy Olatunde
Pre-Law Peer Coach

Joy Olatunde (she/her/hers) is currently a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, with a concentration in Political and Moral Philosophy and minors in Africana Studies and Legal Studies and History. As the Pre-Law Peer Coach, she enjoys guiding students to the many resources for pre-law students on campus and helping students plan their path to law school. On campus, Joy also plays an active role in Nigerians at Penn, Penn Undergraduate Law Journal, and Penn Democrats. In her free time, she enjoys reading historical fiction, window-shopping online, and walking to the farmers market near campus. Her favorite study spot on campus is the Van Pelt Shakespeare reading room.
Specialties and Interests
Pre-LawKatelyn Owusu
Pre-Health Peer Coach

Katelyn Owusu (she/her/hers) is currently a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a concentration in Choice and Behavior. As the Pre-Health Peer Coach, she enjoys assisting students in identifying their goals and locating campus resources, as well as determining ways to improve the pre-health experience on campus. Katelyn is a member of the PPE Undergraduate Advisory Board and is involved with The Women’s Network and the Penn Epilepsy Awareness club, amongst others. She enjoys reading, painting, listening to music, hanging out with her friends, and trying out new restaurants in her spare time.
Specialties and Interests
Pre-HealthGrace Chen
Master's PCA

Master’s in Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS), 2024, she/her
- Career goal/dream job: Therapist & Founder of a mental health private practice
- Favorite internship/work experience: I like my current internship at Family Therapy and Consultation Services because I have learned much about the Philly community.
- Favorite activity to do in your spare time: I love seeing various classical music concerts.
- Currently watching: You thriller TV series
- Dream vacation: I want to see the Paris 2024 Olympics game after graduation with my family. It will be a lot of fun!
Specialties and Interests
Master's StudentsD'Jonita Cottrell
Master's PCA

SP2, Master of Social Work, 2024, she/her
Career goal/dream job: Providing therapy and therapeutic support to individuals and groups from marginalized communities
Favorite internship/work experience: Working at Colgate’s Office of Admissions (getting to meet prospective students and hearing about the experiences of current students and Professors was incredibly rewarding!)
Favorite activity to do in your spare time: Cooking! Anything involving food and I’m there!
Currently watching: The Last of Us
Dream vacation: A lengthy Hawaii trip exploring, connecting with nature, learning more about indigenous Hawaiian populations/culture, and better understanding the impact of tourism on Hawaii
Specialties and Interests
Master'sSparsh Maheshwari
Master's PCA

Career goal/dream job: Working as a Monitoring and Evaluation associate with GiveDirectly
Favorite internship/work experience : My work with the District Administration with the Government of Haryana as a Chief Minister Good Governance Associate
Favorite activity to do in your spare time : Playing Chess
Currently watching : Re-run of The Office
Dream vacation : Alaska and Iceland to see the Northern Lights
Jesse Nothstein
Master's PCA

Jesse Nothstein (she/her/hers) is currently in her second year of the Counseling and Mental Health Services/Professional Counseling Master’s program at GSE. She is on the dual track to become a licensed counselor in Pennsylvania, as well as become a school certified counselor. Her career goals include becoming a public school mental health counselor and working with women in a community mental health setting. In addition to working for Career Services, she currently interns at Freire Charter School and works for the Chester County Mental Health Consortium.
In free time she likes to cook, read, play games, and do anything creative. She loves to spend time at home with her cat or go out for morning walks. She is currently watching The Bear and Ted Lasso. Her dream vacation includes visiting either Greece or Japan.