During the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program, students work in small groups to partner with organizations from around the world and put their positive psychology expertise to work. Each service learning project studies the organization's structure, mission, and goals and develops an actionable plan to make an immediate impact and advance the mission. The Learning Through Service series takes a closer look at the service learning project process–and what both students and clients learn from the experience.
The Wharton Circles program is not your typical alumni networking opportunity. A collaboration between the External Affairs office and the MBA Career Management team at the Wharton School, Wharton Circles offer opportunities for personal connection and intimate, authentic conversations. “The goal of the program is to bring small groups of alumni together to support and empower one another,” says Cara Costello, Director of Executive Careers for Wharton MBA Career Management. “The Wharton experience is really transformative,” adds Becky Toner, Associate Director of Alumnae Programs & Lifelong Learning. “There’s so many great things happening in the world driven by Wharton graduates—and they need support.”
A typical Circle includes four to eight alumni and one or two peer facilitators who help schedule monthly meetings and set the tone for meaningful conversation. Since 2019, the program has matched alumni in more than 200 Circles—and counting, as the program expands to a more inclusive and international body of alumni. Creating more Circles means training more Circle facilitators, whose role is critical for a successful Circle experience. Even in this period of growth, training, and support for Circle leaders is anchored by a suite of materials created and designed by students in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) class of 2020 as part of their service learning project. “This whole project started out because we wanted better proprietary materials to help support and train our peer leaders,” recalls Cara. “We wanted to help the facilitators help people dig in to really authentic, vulnerable topics.”
The psychology of a successful Circle
There are three principles that make the Circles experience rewarding for participants: commitment, engagement, and vulnerability. Commitment and engagement go hand-in-hand: To get the most out of Circles, participants should regularly attend virtual meetings over the course of six months, and actively participate in discussions with the small group. It’s the element of vulnerability, however, that makes Circles stand out in a busy calendar of alumni webinars, reunions, and networking events. Authentic, honest communication is key to both giving and receiving support in the intimate Circles setting. Yet, vulnerability can be a challenging ask; in the competitive business world, alumni may be accustomed to sharing successes and opportunities rather than opening up about challenges in the workplace. “Some of the circles were discussing change and transition and relationships, and we thought the concepts of positive psychology dovetailed nicely with those pieces,” says Cara Costello.
The MBA Career Management team was familiar with Penn’s Positive Psychology Center from training and collaboration with leading experts in that field; Cara thinks of positive psychology as a valuable resource for career management. “If you think of your career as a mission or calling, some of the topics align,” she says. “Well-being is such an important piece for student and alumni career development—and their overall wellness.”
After applying to become a service learning project partner, the Wharton team was matched with five MAPP students in the class of 2020: Madison R. Romney, Kristin Elinkowski, Tamara Myles, Elizabeth (Liz) Koehler, and Clare Davenport. “They were amazing,” Cara recalls. “We got this incredible team of women from different industry backgrounds who came in super enthusiastic about the topic and seemed to have a personal passion for the work we were doing.”
The work this team was doing in 2020 was a little different than the growing Wharton Circles network today: at their early stages in 2019 and 2020, the program (dubbed Wharton Women’s Circles) primarily served Wharton alumnae. This demographic focus did appeal to the MAPP team, several of whom were midcareer women in business themselves. “In the business world, it's not uncommon for women to feel lonely. That's why having a supportive network where women can shed their ‘superwoman’ facades and engage in open dialogue is invaluable,” says Tamara Myles, an author, international speaker, and senior trainer in the Penn Resilience Program. “These Circles provide a vital space for community, confidence-building, mentorship, and inspiration—all of which are essential for navigating and succeeding in the professional realm.”
As the MAPP graduates have discovered in their own research and careers, however, those benefits are valuable for anyone at any professional level—in a wide range of contexts. “The concept of Circles can absolutely be adapted and adopted for all kinds of organizations,” says Liz Koehler, an executive coach leadership and development consultant.
The process: Collaboration and customization
A service learning project can take a number of different forms, depending on the partnering organization’s needs; recent projects have resulted in white papers, guidebooks, presentations, and hands-on interventions. The Wharton team already had a sense of what they needed, thanks to ample survey data from Circles participants and leaders. “They thought it would be really great to have grab-and-go materials between meetings,” Cara recalls. “These leaders are busy—they’re coming from their jobs and busy personal lives. Facilitators wanted a one-pager or a playbook that would give them something to discuss that would fit within the hour-and-a-half monthly meeting format.”
The MAPP team reviewed Wharton’s survey data and interviewed key team members while conducting their own qualitative and quantitative research. Their goals were to address the desire for more formal programming and structured conversations in a way that amplified Circles participant connection and well-being—and could be scaled for future growth. The result is Connecting Through Circles: A Playbook for Cultivating Well-Being Between Wharton Women Alumni (2020): a suite of five documents that Wharton Circles have been able to share with Circle leaders to prepare them for challenging and vulnerable conversations. “They are beautifully designed one-pagers that share the principles of positive psychology, suggestions for exercises they can do to bring the topic out in a Circle dynamic, and readings and supplemental materials,” explains Cara. Each one-pager defines and guides discussion around a key positive psychology concept: character strengths, well-being, fostering strong relationships, resilience, and positive transitions. The exercises might include written reflections and paired discussion, which can easily be completed during the small group session, as well as longer-term interventions to practice positive habits between monthly meetings.
Equipped with these materials, Circle leaders can guide their small groups purposefully through each topic, opening up opportunities for self-reflection and improving well-being at work and at home. And, through these conversations, Circle participants can experience authentic and meaningful connections with their peers. “One of the pillars of positive psychology is the importance of community and connection,” says Clare Davenport, President & CEO of Designing4Better, a well-being studio that works with individuals and organizations to strengthen well-being and enhance productivity, performance, and engagement. “Connecting with others gives us purpose and helps us understand the world a little better. Connection helps us understand that we are not alone, and improves our overall well-being tremendously.” Liz Koehler agrees: “While we shared a number of concepts related to positive psychology to help members of the Circles, we could see how the power of bringing these individuals together and fostering connection led to better well-being over time.”
“I have heard from past facilitators that they love these resources,” says Becky Toner, who took the lead on managing the Wharton Circles program in 2023. “And they are evergreen. It’s a testament to the work that the students did—they provided us with such a solid resource for our facilitators and participants.”
The ripple effects of Circles
For Wharton Circles, this service learning project helped meet an organizational need with a practical application that hundreds of Circle leaders—531 to date—have been able to put to work. For the MAPP students, service learning projects typically influence or inspire their next steps, like their capstone project or career applications. For example, Tamara Myles continued to research how leaders can foster environments where employees can find meaning at work, and her capstone project built on the service learning project literature review of meaningful connections.
But an unexpected benefit of the MAPP and Wharton Circles collaboration is that the women in the group formed their own long-term bonds—similar to the deep connection fostered by the Circles. “In a beautiful way, we created our own Circle throughout the process—bettering all of our well-being. It was a gift within a gift,” says Clare Davenport. “Through our collective efforts, we not only witnessed each other's strengths in action but also forged deeper connections and provided genuine support,” adds Tamara. “Remarkably, these bonds have endured over the years, and we remain close friends to this day.”
In practical terms, the MAPP graduates have been able to apply the lessons of Circles in their own work. “Wharton Circles are designed to create a deeper sense of community and connection among members, and they understand how this is not only linked to professional development but also to overall well-being for their participants,” explains Liz Koehler. Classmates Liz and Clare collaborated to bring the Circles concept to the financial services company where Liz previously served as a managing director. “The Circles have continued to grow to hundreds of participants over the last four years, across all levels of the organization,” adds Liz.
The same ripple effect can be seen among Wharton Circles alumni. “The feedback I’m getting from past participants is that they meet people from different class years or different industries, and they have formed incredible friendships—even online. They have developed strong bonds that they're so grateful for,” concludes Becky Toner. “That makes the program worthwhile: People are genuinely making long-term human connections.”
Read more about positive psychology in the real world in the LPS News articles Helping college-bound youth reach their potential through applied positive psychology and Learning through service: How MAPP students created a roadmap to resilience for public servants.
For more information on the Master of Applied Positive Psychology degree program and how MAPP students make a difference in the world with the science of well-being, please visit www.upenn.edu/mapp.
