Champion of the Working Class: This Student Engages in Small Talk With Security Guards

When you think of Penn’s student body, words like “elitist”, “pretentious”, or “snobby” might be a few that come to mind. However, there is one student, Mark Ricci (C '20), who is absolutely shattering these stereotypes.

Every single day this semester, Ricci has managed to smile, wave, or even say "hello" to the security guards on his way to class! On days when he isn’t too late to class, he will even talk to the guards about the weather or sports. “Game this weekend was crazy,” Ricci often mentions in passing on Monday mornings.

Wow! Talk about a kid whose parents raised them right.

According to witnesses, Ricci will go so far as to ask the guards how they are doing while he enters his 4-digit code. And while our noble hero walks past them before they can fully respond, he addresses them by their real first names when he wishes them a good afternoon. Someone call Merriam-Webster so we can put Ricci’s picture next to the word humility!