Jeffry Mulrain Jr.

“I think a liberal arts degree is the best degree you can have,” says Jeffry Mulrain Jr. (Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts ’25). “It’s the ability to learn as much as you want, about as much you want, and really sharpen your instruments.” Jeffry began looking for an advanced degree when he retired from his career in national intelligence due to an injury; having previously completed degrees in science, law, and a master’s degree in liberal arts, flexibility was what he valued most in the next chapter of his life. “I love to learn, and I was trying to find a program where I could just pick whatever I want,” he recalls. Penn’s Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (MPhil) gave Jeffry the freedom to explore new topics and the flexibility to study them from anywhere in the world—while honing his writing skills to a fine point.

In the spirit of discovery, Jeffry leapt at the opportunity to study abroad MPhil-style: a summer course called Sweden: Strategies for the 21st Century brought a group of Penn graduate students overseas to study Swedish institutions and culture. “That little excursion changed my entire trajectory,” he says. “Right after the Sweden trip, I knew that I had to write about NATO and Sweden. It can’t be more timely from an intelligence perspective, a legal perspective, and a liberal arts perspective.” This topic became the focus of Jeffry’s MPhil thesis project: a paper that drew on his study abroad experience and professional background as well as organizational ethics. “It's the best thing I've written,” says Jeffry. “I was sharpened like a diamond by the time I was done writing.”

Sweden was the only in-person course Jeffry took during the MPhil; retirement gave him the freedom to travel, so he limited his selection to online courses and logged in from all over the world. (Although Jeffry would not describe this as a limitation; “I felt like I could take literally anything,” he clarifies.) In an online writing workshop, Jeffry discovered a passion for screenwriting as he and his peers read one another’s work out loud. “To have someone read my script, and then get feedback from amazing professors and people with multiple master’s degrees…. That was surreal. That really got me motivated.” Jeffry even pitched his spy thriller directly to Netflix; while the screenplay hasn’t yet been picked up, the opportunity has only made him more determined to keep writing scripts. “I'd never written screenplays before, and by the end of a few weeks, I was far more than competent,” he reflects. “So the goal right now is to become a better screenwriter.”

To that end, Jeffry is returning to Penn to take more writing courses by enrolling in the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA)—not the typical order of operations, but Jeffry doesn’t mind doing things the unconventional way. He plans to complete his MLA coursework from the Dominican Republic, where he recently relocated. Meanwhile, he is building an elementary school in Mali. “My dad and grandfather always wanted to build a school,” Jeffry muses. “It’s something good I can do. It’s going to provide safety for about 120 students, and I’ve already employed two villages, which I’m really proud of doing.” Building a school fulfills Jeffry’s dreams of working abroad and making a meaningful impact as well as his family legacy; bringing that dream into reality makes for a  a busy time, he acknowledges. “I’m not good at sitting still. That’s my secret,” he laughs. “But I've got a lot of freedom right now, and what this program allowed me to do was to sharpen my skill set so much that I can do whatever I want. It gave me confidence.”

To prospective MPhil students, Jeffry advises: “Reach out. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Pastore or any professor from any class that you think would be fun to take.” One of the major distinctions of the Penn community, says Jeffry, is that Penn faculty are far more engaged and approachable than he had experienced in other institutions. “The professors are accessible and friendly, and they want to see you succeed. I didn’t expect that—you can go to a top 10 school, and the professors are there for you,” he adds.