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September 3, 2019
Benjamin Franklin Scholars
BFS rafting trip

BFS's newest crop of students had their first off-campus outing on August 31st. The RSVPs flooded in, lunch selections were made, and, bright and early on Saturday morning, students gathered outside of Huntsman Hall. They boarded buses, headed for Philadelphia's scenic Pocono Mountains, bubbling with excitement. But there was also a tinge of nervousness: for many of them, this was their first time ever water rafting.

That nervousness quickly subsided when they saw the beauty of the Poconos. The BFS freshmen and their two guides, Orestis and Zihan, were treated to spectacular views of the Lehigh River and surrounding forest, calm waters, and wonderful weather. Some adventurous students even momentarily abandoned their rafts, swimming in the Lehigh or floating along the river buoyed by their life jackets.

From start to finish it was a wonderful trip! If you'd like to see for yourself, check out these pictures and videos, courtesy of the trip's guides.

Thank you to all of the freshmen who attendend and good on you all for bursting the Penn bubble early on in your college careers! We hope to see all of your faces at future BFS events!

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