WOODBURY, MN & PHILADELPHIA (WNN) – Joey Wu, a 2021 Woodbury High School grad, is one of seven University of Pennsylvania students to receive the 2025 Thouron Award. The Award is a graduate exchange program between U Penn and United Kingdom universities that aims to improve relations between the nations.
Wu tells Woodbury News Net, “The Thouron Award validates all the tireless work that environmentalists perform to build resilient, sustainable communities. This is not just a victory for me, but for all the leaders and volunteers who fight for climate justice. As I receive this honor on behalf of the Penn community and Woodbury, I would like to express my gratitude to all the people that have helped me reach this point”
Wu will pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom with tuition and expenses provided by a fund established in 1960 by the late John Thouron and his wife, Esther du Pont Thouron.
Explaining the honor Wu said, “This award presents the rare opportunity to champion transatlantic leadership in a rapidly polarizing world. We are all worried about the environment’s future in the face of this pressing crisis. This is the most critical time for grassroots leadership to inspire community-based solutions. My dream is to unify people against the climate crisis through effective science communication, elevated climate literacy, and personal empowerment.”
Wu graduated summa cum laude from WHS in 2021. He said Woodbury High School was key in his growth and leading him to this award, “My time at Woodbury fostered the roots of social impact, scientific curiosity, and hope that continuously push me to become a better person. Also, a special thanks to my hardworking parents and incredible brothers.”
He said one teacher at Woodbury High School was key, “My scientific journey was nurtured by Dr. Nour Sinada, one of the most influential teachers in my early education. She inspired me to explore diverse scientific fields like herpetology and fossils. In her classroom, I truly fell in love with the natural world. Congratulations on her upcoming retirement – she has undoubtedly changed my life.”
While also serving as Science Olympiad captain, Wu was National Honor Society president, President and co-founder of the Model Rocket Club, President of the Every Child Matters Club, and Science Bowl captain at WHS. He said those clubs were very important to him, “Woodbury High is where I began to believe that I could do something to help others. Volunteering alongside Ms. Schumacher in Key Club and Mr. Welsch/Ms. Nicholas in NHS built a strong foundation in community organizing. My orchestra conductor, Manny Laureano, would host fundraising concerts that showed me the transformative power of human connection in social change.”
Wu says this personal success is a reflection of the people in his life, “Receiving this award is a testament to all the incredible people who have supported and believed in me throughout this journey: uplifting family, passionate mentors, inspirational friends, and an inclusive nonprofit community… As I receive this honor on behalf of the Penn community and Woodbury, I would like to express my gratitude to all the people that have helped me reach this point.”
Wu is studying bioengineering and environmental science in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research, a dual-degree program in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and School of Arts & Sciences.
He is a plastic researcher in Penn Engineering’s McBride Lab.
Wu founded Waterroots, a global education nonprofit that works to combat water insecurity through developing grassroots water literacy projects in more than 25 countries.
He adds the experience will allow him to grow the efforts he has already undertaken, “This work expands my work, connecting me with global changemakers and resources to implement projects. With the rise of technology, we find ourselves further isolated from nature; the moon is replaced by an artificial sun that fits in our pockets. Through this award, I hope to reshape societal approaches to environmental protection and sustainability. Education and empathy are the first steps towards addressing systemic injustices exacerbated by environmental degradation.”
He continued, “Instead of climate, it is time for us to change.”
Wu serves as a PBS Climate Reporting Fellow, a Global Youth Ambassador, and a United Nations Youth Delegate.
His father, Jung Sheng-Wu, is a 3M chemical engineer and mother Pei-Wen Fang is a world language/culture educator at Macalester College.
Joey says his parents have always supported his dreams as if they were his own.
