In this episode, we sit down with Lyndsi Burcham (C’19) to talk about how she navigated FGLI advocacy at Penn to help bring monumental change for the FGLI community and the creation of Penn First Plus. We then take a deep dive into all of the bizarre and conflicting emotions that Lyndsi grappled with after receiving her first job offer post-grad––being excited yet feeling undeserving.
Guest: Lyndsi Burcham (C’19)
Lyndsi (she/her/hers) is the Financial Wellness Program Manager at Penn. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Lyndsi graduated from Penn in 2019 after matching through QuestBridge and has remained in Philadelphia ever since. As a student, Lyndsi studied Psychology and Hispanic Studies. Outside of her classwork, Lyndsi spent most of her time doing advocacy work for FGLI students, leading to her career in student affairs. In her current role, she manages personal finance education initiatives for both undergrad and grad students at Penn, including workshops and a peer counseling program.
Contact: lburcham@upenn.edu
Hosts: Peter Hong (C'24), Khaliun Dorjmenchim (C’25)
Timestamps:
(1:50) Favorite food trucks (and scandal!?!)
(3:35) Lyndsi’s journey at Penn
(6:40) Being founding board of Penn First
(8:25) From psychology to working with students: finding her way post-grad
(10:20) Why personal finance?
(13:15) Early days of FGLI advocacy at Penn (before Penn First Plus)
(21:24) Advice for FGLI advocacy and working with admin to drive change
(26:20) Building the FGLI community and the creation of Penn First Plus
(31:00) Next steps and not being “poor enough”
(34:55) Day-to-day experience at Penn (a lot of work!)
(38:08) Calling up Angela Duckworth!
(40:28) First job offer: excitement and guilt
(46:38) Harrison is a penthouse suite and Commons is a buffet
(50:50) Wanting to share this wealth with family
(52:50) Check out Financial Wellness @ Penn!
Instagram: @fglipodcast
Email: thefglipodcast@gmail.com
Penn Clubs: https://pennclubs.com/club/fgli-podcast
Discord and website links coming soon!
Intro and Outro Music: LANDR – Easy
