Sayulita, Mexico is known as a town of color, rhythm, and love, and this photo captures exactly that. Here we are, Lee, Kay, Eleanor, and Louis – four MAPP mates – celebrating the wedding of our dear friends Breon and Gaired. What started as a reunion of classmates turned into something deeper: the kind of chosen family that MAPP makes possible.
We often say in the Penn MAPP community that we do not just learn the science of wellbeing, we live it together. In this moment we realized we were not just classmates, we were companions in this beautiful experiment of meaningful lives. Across oceans and time zones, our lives have continued to intertwine in surprising ways. In fact, Sayulita worked its magic twice: Eleanor’s daughter met her future husband here on this very trip, and years later they returned, to be married in the same place.
This image reminds us that happiness is not a solitary pursuit, it is created in connection. A classroom brought us together, friendship made us family, and love continues to ripple outward in ways none of us could have predicted.
MAPP taught us this truth: when hearts meet in purpose, joy becomes contagious.
