March 5, 2025 – The University of Pennsylvania’s Chinese Language Program, with support from the Matthew Y. Wang Memorial Fund, hosted the 14th event in its Penn Mental Health Wellness Series, Fireside Chats: Thoughts and Reflections Two Decades After Penn. Penn alumni Gregory Kau (Penn Law ’08) and Atthena Breitton (W’08) shared their experiences since college, talking about their successes, regrets, and lessons learned.
For many students, college is an exciting but challenging time, full of first experiences—first relationships, first academic struggles, and first jobs. This event gave current Penn students a chance to hear from alumni who have faced these challenges and built their careers in law, finance, and wellness.
Career and Life Lessons
Gregory Kau, now a regulatory attorney at Interactive Brokers, spoke about how he started as a Chemical Engineering major at Yale, following family expectations. He graduated without a job but later found his passion for law. His perfect LSAT score led him to UPenn Law, where he did well and later earned a clerkship with Judge Kethledge at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He shared how he faced the decision to either continue on the lucrative partner track or to go home to care for and be with his dying father, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Atthena Breitton, a former investment banker and venture capitalist, talked about her major career change. In 2015, she left the corporate world to start a wellness business focused on yoga, meditation, and mental health. She now works with major companies and professional athletes. Breitton encouraged students to embrace change and focus on what makes them happy. She also shared her plan to go back to school for a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology.
Advice for Students
During the Q&A session, students asked questions about dealing with stress, overcoming failure, and making important career choices. Both speakers emphasized the importance of resilience, flexibility, and self-awareness in building a successful and fulfilling life.
Events like Fireside Chats help students see that struggles and uncertainties are a normal part of life and growth. The Penn Mental Health Wellness Series continues to create space for honest conversations, helping students prepare for life beyond college.
