When Bobby Panchoo ’27 arrived at Arcadia University, he was planning on pursuing a Biology degree. However, after a year of thought and a couple of key classes, he decided to take a different path.

“Criminal Justice was actually more of a passion for me,” the Philadelphia native said. “Bio was something that I went into because of my parents, and also other people. They all expected me to be someone with a doctorate or something medical, but during my studies at Arcadia, I realized that I had less in common with Bio than with Criminal Justice.”

Last fall, Panchoo took his first step into the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice with two courses: Serial Killers with Adjunct Professor Dr. Allan Branson and Crime and Punishment with Associate Professor Dr. Favian Martín. His success in these courses reminded him of the AU Blueprint course he took with Associate Dean of Undergraduate Success Bruce Keller in his first year.

“We did a little study, and I saw that most of my traits and qualities lean more towards criminal justice,” he explained. “As a child growing up, I’ve always been fond of the government, policing, and stuff like that. From there, I realized that my calling card was criminal justice from the beginning. I made the final decision to make the switch over to criminal justice, and I absolutely love it.”

His decision to switch wasn’t easy, but he found guidance from Allannah Giles, assistant director of Engagement Operations and Student Governance, through his position as a Student Experience Leader last summer.

“She was a mentor who helped me out,” Panchoo said. “She kind of opened my eyes by saying, ‘If you don’t like what you do now, are you going to like what you have to do later as a job?’ And it stuck with me.”

Originally drawn to Arcadia by his former first-grade teacher, who is also an alumna, Panchoo’s connection to the University runs deep. 

“She ended up basically being my second mother,” Panchoo said, recalling a childhood health scare and the support Quinn offered during his hospitalization. “She’d always give me guidance, and one of the things she talked about was her college experience, so we started talking about Arcadia.”

Inspired by those conversations and a middle school tour of the campus, Panchoo set his sights on Arcadia early. 

“From elementary to middle school to high school, my dream was to get to Arcadia. To get to this oasis. To me, it was like a paradise,” he said. I didn’t care if I got accepted to different colleges. None of them called my name like Arcadia.”

Panchoo wears many hats on campus, and this fall he will become the president of Arcadia’s Commuter Club. He is working on kickstarting a new car club called Knightfall Cruisers, and holds a position with Metz Culinary Management, noting, “a lot of you know me from my paninis. I’m telling you, I make the best.”

Though he does not live on campus, he feels fully immersed in life at Arcadia, a feeling he works to instill in fellow commuters.

“It’s very hard not to get involved with anything at Arcadia,” he said. “The school makes sure it doesn’t leave anyone out. There’s no person left behind. With the Commuter Club, we host lunch and events for our commuter students to make sure they’re involved and not feeling distanced from the rest of the community.”

As he reflects on his journey, Panchoo encourages others to take a leap of faith for what they believe in.

“Don’t ever be afraid,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how far you would fall or how lost you may seem. There’s always someone somewhere on campus who would help you rise above the clouds, no matter what.”

And for Panchoo, Arcadia is still everything he hoped it would be. 

“Going to Arcadia is the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life by far,” he said. “And I want to continue going here because it’s just everything to me. I would not want to dream about transferring or going anywhere else.”