Member Spotlight: Utsav Schurmans

So he wanted to do something different. What does he do? He decides to move from Belgium to do high school on the Native American reservation of the California Hupa tribe. What he learned there encouraged him to get his bachelor’s degree in Archeology at Leuven University in Flanders, Belgium. He then goes to Arizona State for a Masters in Anthropology; even better, he meets his bride-to- be, Andi Johnson, there and they both come to Penn to do their PhDs.

Currently at the University of Pennsylvania he is Senior Associate Director of Research and Scholar programs where he oversees the Joseph Wharton Scholars program. “Founded in 1988, the Joseph Wharton Scholars program is designed to emphasize the importance of scholarly research and the liberal arts and sciences within the framework of a business education”...

Oh, there is more...

Utsav and Andi are the proud parents of three: Oni, Kai and Baya, and they are a foster family to a dog called Ffoster (not a typo), who joined the family back in 2014 when Utsav was the house dean at Penn’s Ware College House. Ffoster is being trained at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center to detect ovarian cancer.

Oh yes, you guessed it there is even more. The Schurmans also host study abroad students from an international education program. Last year the Schurmans opened their house for Garden Court Community Association’s biggest fundraiser the Progressive dinner. This annual dinner is a big draw and guests get a chance to see some of the magnificent houses in the Garden Court community.

The Schurmans prepared the most delicious Belgian meal that I am still talking about today. Utsav is on the board of the Garden Court Community Association and is a very active member of the membership committee.