Upenn Arts Archives - Tony Ward Studio

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Adrian White

Kinsey has loved swing music for the longest time, but she finally got to start learning how to swing dance last summer with the Lindy and Blues Organization in Philly. She went to as many events as she could in order to pick up the skill she’s desired to learn since the age of thirteen. Learning any skill presents challenges, and when she started, Kinsey felt really bad about asking people to dance with her because she was not very good, and did not want to ruin their good time. With the desire to achieve her dream in mind, Kinsey pushed past all the missteps and the frustrated partners and kept practicing. At summer’s end, Kinsey really started to develop a sense for swing dance.

By the time the school year rolled around, Kinsey decided to try out for UPenn’s West Philly Swingers. After an intense tryout process, the West Philly Swingers welcomed Kinsey as one of their newbies. With the Swingers, Kinsey found a close group of supportive people who share her love for swing dance.

Kinsey considers swing dancing to be her happy place. She will have the privilege of choreographing a piece for the West Philly Swingers’ next show, showing how far she has come on her swing dancing journey. She promises to always stay true to the love of swing dance. According to her, nothing compares to the “feeling of dancing with a fantastic lead.” Swing dance has become and invaluable part of her life, and any time she is having a bad day she can turn to swing dance to cheer her up.

About the Author: Adrian White is a senior Psychology major at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015.

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Esther Tong

Jin is a sophomore who studies economics at Penn. He is also a follower of Christ. People describe him as a very gentle, kind and friendly person. However, if you know who he was before, you would never imagine this is the same person you meet now. As a very good friend of Jin, I want to share his story and tell you how Christ changed his life.

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Jin used to live in a well-off family in New York. When he was four, his dad lost a law case which caused his family to lose millions of dollars. His mom decided to take care of his younger brother and sent Jin to a private boarding school in China. He spent two years by himself, lonely in the school until one day he received a phone call from his dad.

He was full of excitement and expectations coming back to the States. However, when he went returned to New York, everything changed. His parents got separated and his dad lived in an apartment that he shared with another woman. He became an alcoholic and very cynical. Once his father almost turned the knife towards Jin and tried to kill him while he was drunk. Growing up in this circumstance, Jin became very emotionless and had no understanding about what love really meant for him. He became very angry about life and didn’t understand why all these terrible things happened to him.

However, when he encountered God at the age of 15, his world flipped upside down. Even though he did not receive the love from his own father on this earth, he understands how much the father in heaven has so loved him that he sent his own son to die for us. Jin started to change unintentionally. He is no longer emotionless and has become passionate to Christ. He understands how God really loves him and he became a caring and loving person because he really believes he received the love and grace from the Lord and wants to share it with others.

While he was studying at Upenn during his freshman year, God instilled the thought of missionary work in his heart. He was praying about where God was leading him and got a chance to join a mission group to Turkey. He went with a team of five people during a recent winter break. The trip was unforgettable for him. Especially during the time while he and his teammate were walking in zero degree snowy weather, and were trying to find a place to stay. Random people just came to them and invited them to their house and provided free food and a place to sleep. Jin was able to experience God’s faithfulness and love strongly in that place.

Coming back from Turkey’s trip, Jin became more mature and he has grown so much more in his faith and has greater vision. Now he is ready to work wholeheartedly with God until the day Jesus come back again.

About the Author: Esther Tong is a senior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015.

Tag: Upenn Arts

Adrian White: The Swing of Things

Esther Tong: Faith Hope Love