Join graduate student leaders who will share personal stories regarding their professional development experiences, how they are building professional skills and competencies, their leadership of community-based initiatives, and their future aspirations. Moderated by current graduate students. Panelists will include:

• Leon Wang is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the CBE department at Princeton University. In lab, he is currently collaborating with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop more stable malaria drugs for use in hot and humid climates. Outside of research, Leon is the founder of the volunteer consulting initiative (VCI) at Princeton, which leads students to work on projects with local non-profits. He is also the former President of Princeton’s consulting club. After graduation, Leon will start his career at Bain & Company in New York City.  

• Sarah Wilterson is housed in the Psychology department and is in a joint program with the Neuroscience Institute. Her research explores the process of movement skill learning in adults, particularly as mediated by the learner's strategy use. Sarah is a Professional Development Associate supporting graduate students in the Social Sciences, manages the Writing Days program, serves as an elected representative on the Counsel of the Princeton University Community, and previously held a University Administrative Fellowship with the Center for Career Development.

• Yuzhou Bai is a PhD candidate in East Asian Studies and a Professional Development Associate at GradFUTURES. Originally from Beijing, Yuzhou’s current research examines the unique ways Chinese culture perceives and documents child prodigies since its pre-modern era. At Princeton, Yuzhou spearheaded a variety of new initiatives, including the Financial Literacy Day and the Princeton Start-up Immersion Program (PSIP) in Shanghai. As a Professional Development Associate, he is passionate about helping his fellow PhDs in the Humanities empower themselves through seeing the values they can bring to industries and spaces beyond just academia.

• Noah Apthorpe is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Computer Science Department and the Center for Information Technology Policy. His research focuses on the technical and social privacy implications of consumer Internet of things devices. Noah is the former President of the Graduate Student Government and has led many initiatives to improve graduate student support and wellbeing.  

• Thao Nguyen is a 4th-year graduate student in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department. Her research investigates cellular behavior in early development using current advancements in quantitative proteomics. She is also serving as the vice president of the Princeton Graduate Student Consulting Club and the founder/organizer of the graduate student “Scholarly Communication” workshop series. 

• Karina Alventosa is a third year PhD student in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The focus of her research is the chemical design and development of sustainable fire-resistant cement and concrete made from metakaolin (calcined kaolin clay). Prior to arriving at Princeton in 2017, she worked in building design as a structural engineer at Severud Associates in Manhattan and became a licensed Professional Engineer. As President of the Graduate Student Government, Karina places her efforts in expanding sustainability on campus, as well as forging community through her focus on graduate student mental health and happiness. 

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This webinar is part of the GradFUTURES Virtual Forum.