College junior Colin Witherspoon lives in the beautiful Barcelona, Spain – at least for the spring semester. And he couldn’t be happier, he said.
“I try to step outside my comfort zone everyday in order to experience life to the fullest and things in life that I would otherwise never know about,” said Witherspoon, a student from St. Louis studying finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The only thing gnawing at his stomach is whether or not he’ll find a finance-related internship in St. Louis this summer.
“Since arriving to Barcelona, I have had a hard time acquiring an internship because on campus recruiting at my school is in the spring semester,” he said. “Suffice it to say that I think most employers are looking for an applicant that can interview for a position face-to-face.”
Witherspoon graduated from Crossroads College Preparatory School in 2009 as an AP Scholar with distinction, a varsity basketball player and captain of the soccer team.
His biggest mentors have been his parents, Jan Good and Brian Witherspoon, as well as his late grandmother, Ella Mae Witherspoon.
“They have taught me to stay true to myself despite what anyone says or does,” he said. “They have also taught me to work hard day in and day out and to not get too down on yourself when times are tough.”
His family is a unique group, he said. Both of his parents are federal public defenders in downtown St. Louis, and his younger brother turns 17 in May.
“We are a pretty tight-knit clan, although sometimes my parents and I have to rein in my brother,” he said.
“My family has provided me with amazing support in all of my endeavors, and I would not be the person I am today without them. They encourage me to go out and experience the world on my own. They have not only taught me a lot about life, but every time I go home I can count on learning something new that I can take back to college.”
While a strong student of economics, Witherspoon also has a passion for environmental issues and a keen taste for fine arts.
In 2010, he acted as a liaison between a student group and Earth Aid Inc., an environmental flagship service that tracks households’ energy consumption and offers coupons in exchange for reduction in energy use.
That experience built upon his background as a student teacher in the Eco Act Environmental Leadership Program at the Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis. During the summers of 2007 and 2008, he taught children in inner-city public schools about environment and sustainability through the program.
Aside from promoting sustainability, Witherspoon is also actively involved in a student organization that coordinates social events to promote fine arts for Penn students on campus. The group, Social Planning+ Events (SPEC) Art Gallery, organizes trips to auction houses and exhibitions and other events. Last fall, he interned at Philadelphia’s Bridgette Mayer Gallery, an abstract and contemporary art gallery that represents various local and national artists.
Ultimately, Witherspoon would like to get some experience in finance under his belt coming out of college and work for a couple of years in the field. Then he would like to start his own business.
“I look forward to living my life, learning, loving, traveling, and laughing,” he said. “I think a lot of times people are too focused on getting through the journey rather than experiencing it.”
