Initiation: A Philly Transplant’s Before & After Point of View of the City

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stuck somewhere between a New York City metropolis and a Gotham City of despair. After a few more moments of thought, the pendulum usually swung much closer to the latter.

At least that’s how I saw it before I touched down.

Sure I knew about the sports culture, brought up plenty of times on First Take or some other morning segment. There was the steep American history. There were cheesesteaks…I guess. But beyond that, my prevailing image of Philadelphia was a towering fortress of grey: grey buildings, grey skies, grey emotions. Hell, I wasn’t even sure the sun came through at all.

Despite that impression, university brought me to West Philly for four years. As I stand now, only one of those years remains.

For the first two, though, I would hardly consider myself a resident of Philadelphia. I stayed within my multibillion-dollar bubble: the University of Pennsylvania. There were fraternity parties, excursions into Center City and back, and walks between high-rises that stood where homes and communities of native Philadelphians once had. 

However, I can say with pride that I didn’t stay within it. 

Due to a last-minute pivot, I became a summer teacher at West Philadelphia High School during the summer of 2025. What I expected to be a summer filled with multiple trips home instead became a summer spent almost entirely in Philadelphia. More importantly, it became a summer that reminded me what my purpose in life is, to guide and to give. 

While I taught the basics of financial literacy to high school students in the various paid, summer education programs through UPenn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships, those students taught me something far more valuable. They taught me that to become part of this city, you’ve gotta earn your stripes.

I grew up a shy kid, and even today I tend to be reserved, but Philadelphia is a city built on shared experiences. One could say the whole “Brotherly Love” spiel is pretty accurate after all. Through my students and casual conversations west of my bubble, I found myself connecting with people I had only just met. It didn’t matter that I was a suburban kid with a slight Southern accent. Family situations were transferable. Interests were transferable. Loss was transferable. Love was transferable.

I learned that a smile could break through walls of uncertainty. I learned that vulnerability established trust. Most importantly, I learned that behind the laughs, jeers, and jokes, what most people are searching for is something remarkably simple: kindness.

Philadelphians are protectors. They keep what they know, where they come from, and who they are sacred. To many outsiders this can be a turn off, but to the select few who are not afraid, it is the start of something truly special. 

Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area gave me my first taste of city life, but at times it felt disconnected. People rushed off to government jobs, stayed within their circles, and moved through the city without ever seeming to belong to one another. Philadelphia restored my hope in what city life could be and reshaped my understanding of what it means to be an active resident of a city.

A city should spew fire. It should drag people out of their houses. It should give you moments that make you wish you could freeze time and live inside a still picture forever.

So if you ask me now what I think of when I hear “Philadelphia,” my answer is very different.

There are still grey clouds, but everything else has changed.

I see a city of grit, family, love, and, most importantly, hope. From TikTok dances near SEPTA stops to a three-wheeler draped in Eagles apparel cruising down the street, this city reminds me that there is always hope for a better day. There is always an opportunity to be found. Best of all, there is always a new friend to make.

Philadelphia has also pushed my dreams to new heights. I no longer want only to guide the next generation through instruction. I want to build something that extends beyond the classroom: a media company that magnifies the skills, talents, stories, and aspirations that each young mind holds. I want to create a platform for children whose potential deserves to be seen, while using my own experiences and reach to educate, connect, and inspire.

That goal is what led me to the City Root.

I began as a fan of their work from the outside, recognizing in the organization many of the things I hope to accomplish myself. So I made it my mission to get involved and learn from an organization already flourishing in the kind of work I hope to spend my life doing.