Frank Fan

“Over the two and half years I worked with January, she was crucial to my academic planning and many other aspects at Penn. Before Penn started, January was the first person who reached out to me to discuss with me a four-year plan for what major I would consider and what classes I would take. Just by doing that, January made me feel prepared and less nervous when I first arrived on campus. Throughout her time working with M&T students, I was able to constantly adjust my course plan to best tailor my academic interest, and January was always accessible. One particular strength of January is that she was able to aggregate information from various students she has worked with and pass along that information to students who needed help. That was extremely helpful for me because at a busy place like Penn, it is hard to talk to everyone in your program and know what they have been through, what January did solved my problem. Same skill applied to faculty/professors as well; January always knew the right person we should talk to if we want to pursue a specific research project, independent study, and etc. Academic planning aside, January was always behind her students’ back in tough situation. I still remembered that I went through a couple stressful incidents in my freshman year. Besides my closest friends, January was the person I felt most comfortable talking to. She calmed me down and gave me clear guidance on how to deal with those tough situations. Without her help, I would not be able to handle well such situations.”