Lucas Milgrim, UPenn Chapter Member, Class of 2027

My name is Lucas; I’m a rising senior at Penn studying biology on a Pre-med track, and I have been a member of CogWell since I arrived on campus three years ago. My introduction to CogWell came from my older sister, Emily, who was an involved member for her entire undergraduate career. In all honesty, I wasn’t the most enthusiastic member to start, and only continued coming to appease my sister until we started to dive into the club’s mission and programming. First, I quickly came to realize how important active listening is in forming just about every relationship I could think of, and noticed how much I had to learn in becoming a good active listener. While I paid attention to friends and loved ones when we spoke, I was not employing many necessary techniques for being a good active listener, and CogWell helped me notice and correct that. Now, being able to pass these skills on to others through our workshops is incredibly meaningful. It is so rewarding to see my peers have the same realizations I did when I first joined, and I know that these help them in many ways. Additionally, I have loved being a member of CogWell because of the community it fosters. Everyone I have met through the club has been extremely welcoming, and I have made many friends I never would have met without CogWell.