Roslynn Blount (she/her) serves as Associate Director for Student Engagement. In this role, she manages the planning and coordination of University-wide graduate and professional student orientation activities and events, and oversees ongoing initiatives to foster community and engagement among Penn’s diverse graduate student population. She also advises the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA), supporting their leadership development and programming throughout the year.
Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Roslynn earned her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Educational Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. After graduating, she serviced with the AmeriCorps program, City Year, in Washington, D.C. In 2015, Roslynn came to Philadelphia to pursue a Master of Social Work at Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2), where she focused on macro practice with a specialization in child well-being and child welfare. During her time at SP2, she served on the executive board of the Association of Black Social Workers and was a member of the Penn cheerleading team (Go Quakers!). In her second year, she interned with Penn Violence Prevention, which sparked her interest in support services within higher education.
After earning her master’s, Roslynn spent a few years working in the field of workforce development, assisting professionals—new and experienced—with their journeys of personal and professional growth. She joins the Grad Center team after working for the last three years at the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND), where she served as Operations Coordinator for their AmeriCorps VISTA program. Roslynn is particularly passionate about helping professionals navigate and succeed in their chosen career paths and is excited to bring this passion to her work with the Grad Student Center.
Outside of work, Roslynn enjoys binge-watching prestige television with her husband, catering to her cat Mojito, and squeezing in a nap whenever possible.
