Current Student Stories

  • Avery Agles, GS, CBE

    "My experience has totally transformed my idea of academia into a place where meaningful change and empowerment can happen."

  • Jonathan Aguirre, GS, SPO

    • Jonathan Aguirre, GS, SPO
      • Professional Development Working Group Member
      • Participant, American Higher Ed GradFUTURES Learning Cohort
      • Participant, Ethics of AI GradFUTURES Learning Cohort
    "I've been most appreciative of the stimulating conversations that have motivated me to pursue research topics I would have never otherwise...

  • Mai Alkhamissi, GS, ANT

    Mai K. Alkhamissi is a second-year PhD student with an MA in Anthropology and Cultural Politics from Goldsmiths and a BA in Anthropology and...

  • Emilia Arguello, GS, Chemistry

    "I am excited to participate in this fellowship to experience the personal connections – both as a mentee and as a mentor – that only a genuine...

  • Megan Armknecht, GS, HIS

    • Megan Armknecht, GS, HIS
      • Summer Intern, Bureau of Bureau of Public Affairs/ Office of the Historian in Washington D.C
    "[T]his experience helped me form meaningful working relationships with other historians, and has been helpful in framing my prospectus for my...

  • Soha Aslam, *20, MAE

    Soha Aslam earned a Masters of Science and Engineering (MSE) candidate in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program at Princeton University...

  • Joseph Avery, GS, PSY

    "I learned a lot, I met other students with similar interests, and I formed lasting relationships with experts in the respective fields."

  • Yuzhou Bai, GS, EAS

    "I'm excited to support my fellow Ph.D.s in at least two ways: to highlight recent job market trends and consult on new career options for graduate...

  • John Barr, GS, CHM

    John Barr is a Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry and a 2020 Community College Teaching Fellow at Camden County College.

  • Sarah Marie Bruno, GS Physics

    "The Pathways with a PhD Bootcamp helped me gain a renewed sense of purpose and energy in my graduate studies."

  • Laura Bustamente, GS, NEU

    My current research is about changes in motivation for cognitive and physical effort in depression, utilizing the Rutgers-Princeton Center for...

  • Sophie Chopin, GS, FIT

    Sophie is a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of French and Italian.

  • Janet Chow, GS, ENG

    "The Community College Teaching Fellowship completely changed the way I think about accessibility and pedagogy, for which I’ll always be deeply...

  • Clarissa Ding, GS, CHE

    Clarissa Ding is a PhD candidate in Chemistry, where she studies the structure and dynamics of catalytic materials using computational methods and...

  • Elizabeth Durham, GS, ANT

    "My UAF with Princeton Writes has been a wonderful venue for examining the issue of efficacy in communication and the role of effective communication...

  • Nikita Dutta, GS, MAE

    "Effective education and outreach are important to me as a scientist, so it’s exciting to have designated time in the week to devote to them through...

  • Anna Eddelbuettel Hancock, GS, CBE

    I graduated in May 2020 with my B.S. in biomedical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

  • Saadia El Karfi, GS, FIT

    As a UAF "I get to work on issues and topics that are meaningful to me as an international student, as a woman, and as an academic."

  • Nicholas Garcia

    Nicholas Garcia is a PhD student in Chemistry and a University Administrative Fellow in PRISM.

  • Rebecca Giblon, GS, HIS

    "The mix of faculty, administrators, and students from a variety of disciplines provide a wide range of perspectives on how the higher education...

  • Julia Grummit, GS, HIS

    “Along with the practical skills I’ve learned through my work in the Center for Digital Humanities, the UAF fellowship has provided me with a better...

  • Hasan Hameed, GS, HIS

    "I've gotten to interact with people in departments as diverse as Professional Development and the Office of Undergraduate Student Life, giving me a...

  • Max Horder, GS, ANT

    I'm a fourth year graduate student working on Brexit and populism in the United Kingdom, where I am currently based.

  • Brandon Hunter-Pazzara, GS, ANT

    "Overall, the experience gave me insight into thinking about the university as an institution and the processes involved in creating new resources...

  • Cory Isaacs, GS, SPI

    "My time as a UAF is helping me become a better teammate and better understand the relationship between people and the organizations within which...

  • Sophie Jiang, GS, ARC

    The "UAF experience has deepened my understanding of multidisciplinary and multicultural communication."

  • Honchan "Sonny" Kim, GS, POL

    "I really enjoyed thinking through these important issues in a room full of people from different disciplines. I learned a lot from our...

  • Anne Kuhnen, GS, SPI

    Anne Kuhnen is an M.P.A.

  • Robbie LeDesma, GS, MOL

    “Research on the Road” is a fantastic science communication/public speaking event that taught me a lot about how to think about my own work when...

  • Crystal Lee, GS, PSY

    Crystal is a second year graduate student in Psychology. She works with Casey Lew-Williams and Adele Goldberg, studying how social cues facilitate...

  • Annabel S. Lemma, GS, CBE

    "What programmings do you want to see from the Professional Development office? I am always happy to listen to your inputs and discuss ways in which...

  • Anran Li, GS, MOL

    "I really appreciate the support provided by the GradFUTURES community!" 

  • Athena Li, GS, MOL

    • Athena Li, GS, MOL
      • University Administrative Fellow
      • Professional Development Working Group Member
    "This is a place filled with excitement, energy, and enthusiasm. Great and meaningful connections are forged here every day. It is my great pleasure...

  • Beryl Li, GS, CHM

    "The UAF has been a great platform to offer insight into the intricate gears that run a university."

  • Steven Li, GS, MAE

    The Pathways with a PhD Bootcamp "provided a sense that our future, whatever it may be, is supported by Princeton."

  • Larry Liu

    "I am very grateful to GradFUTURES for providing current graduate students the opportunity to learn from professionals in higher education...

  • Tao Liu, GS, CHE

    Tao is a fourth-year graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University, who is interested in statistical studies and optics...

  • Yidian Liu

    My name is Yidian Liu. I am currently a M.Arch Post-professional student. My UAF is at CAUI (Center for Architecture, Urbanism and Infrastructure...

  • Shelby Lohr, GS, HIS

    I'm a storyteller and media enthusiast pursuing a PhD in American History. Outside of doctoral work, I've studied comedy writing and creative...

  • James C. Loy, GS, PHY

    James C. Loy is a Ph.D. student in Physics, and a Professional Development Associate charged with working primarily on initiatives for graduate...

  • Victoria Luu, GS, GEO

    "This experience in creating bridges across different stakeholders and developing systematic solutions helped me to secure a prestigious marine...

  • Elena M'Bouroukounda, GS, ARC

    "Through this fellowship, I have gained a new perspective on how administrators can be mediators between academics and segmented academic departments...

  • Cate Mahoney, *20, ENG

    "In the spring I will teach my first class, and I'm super excited! I've found working with John and Stephanie to be like working with old friends."

  • Elizaveta Mankovskaia, GS, SLA

    "My UAF has been a fantastically useful and inspiring experience! [...] The part I especially enjoy is thinking about how to take advantage of the...

  • Ian McKeachie, GS, PHI

    Ian McKeachie is a graduate student in the Princeton philosophy department.

  • Isabela Muci Barradas, GS, ART

    I am a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Art & Archaeology focusing on modern and contemporary art. My research focuses on the history of...

  • Mira Nencheva, GS, PSY

    Mira is a third-year graduate student in psychology at Princeton University. In her graduate work she's interested in the role of dynamic...

  • Olek Niewiarowski

    Olek is a PhD candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a University Administrative Fellow in the Keller Center.

  • Kerem Oktar

    "I was not expecting the UAF experience to allow me to establish such genuine contact with a professional in a field that I’m extremely interested in...

  • Kyle Oskvig, GS, PHI

    I came to Princeton via the University of Iowa (B.A.

  • Evan Ostrowski, GS, CBE

    "The GradFUTURES mentorship program connected me with an outstanding alumni mentor in Washington, D.C. who has helped show me the value of Ph.D....

  • Lucy Partman, GS, ART

    "I believe graduate students and PhDs can be agents of innovation, change, and leadership both inside and outside of academia."

  • Jeff Phaneuf, GS, SPIA

    Jeff Phaneuf is a former Marine Corps infantry officer and congressional campaign manager now focused on innovation and social entrepreneurship....

  • Stephanie Pope, GS, ENG

    "I would without qualification recommend an internship at the Foundation for anyone looking for a varied, challenging summer work experience and a...

  • Dylan Principi, GS, MUS

    “Within Princeton’s burgeoning GradFutures initiative, I am excited to help cultivate a space for graduate students to explore the critical role of...

  • Amna Qayyum, GS, HIS

    Amna Qayyum is a historian of modern South Asia with intersecting research and teaching interests in global economic history and modern Islamic...

  • Rebekah Rashford, GS, NEU

    Rebekah Rashford is a PhD Candidate in the neuroscience department.

  • Sucharita Ray, GS, HIS

    "As a staunch believer in educational equity, I am thrilled to be a Community College Teaching Fellow at Mercer County Community College."

  • Adéráyọ̀ Sànúsí

    "I have found the experience deeply rewarding because of the invaluable opportunity to leverage my ethnographic research skills while I also learns...

  • Abigail Sargent, GS, HIS

    Abigail Sargent is a Ph.D. candidate in History and a 2020 Community College Teaching Fellow at Camden County College.

  • Amanda Savagian, GS, EEB

    Amanda Savagian is a 5th year PhD student in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology studying communication and cooperation in a...

  • Zachary Schmidt, GS, CBE

    "Before I even arrived at Princeton, GradFUTURES helped me secure an internship unlike any I had done before!"

  • A. Brad Schwartz, GS, HIS

    I'm a writer and historian seeking new ways of telling stories about America's past in order to help us understand our present. My current...

  • Jonathan Spencer, GS, ELE

    "I appreciate GradFUTURES working to provide Princeton students with a wide variety of career options! They have a dedicated and helpful staff!"

  • Emilie Storer, GS, PHY

    Emilie Storer is a Ph.D. Candidate in Physics, and a 2020 Community College Teaching Fellow at Mercer County Community College.

  • Elliot Taffet, GS Chemistry

    "This opportunity is a great way for Princeton PhD candidates to gain confidence with their ability to inspire in the classroom and navigate the...

  • Allison Tang, GS, CBE

    Hi there, I am a graduate student in Chemical and Biological Engineering. I work in the Avalos Lab, where we engineer proteins to help yeast make...

  • Melissa Tier, GS, SPI

    '"I'm also really grateful that my professional and academic experiences can continue to inform each other, and I appreciate that Princeton makes it...

  • Christopher K. Tokita, GS, EEB

    "Research on the Road helped me realize the "big picture" of my work and how to explain it in a compelling story format!"

  • Nicholas Turner, GS, COS

    "When thinking about moving into a career using these technologies, it's important to do that with a clear and broad perspective. The learning group...

  • Kevin Villegas Rosales, GS, ELE

    I am Peruvian and came five years ago to Princeton University to start my PhD in the Electrical Engineering department.

  • Liana Wait, GS, EEB

    My UAF is with the Communicating Research and Scholarship Working Group, and my mentor is Denise Hersey.

  • Haina Wang, GS, CHE

    Haina is a third year graduate student in the Chemistry department.

  • Leon Wang, *21, CBE

    Leon Wang earned a Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2021.

  • Peter Y. Wang, GS, CEE

    "The Pathways with a PhD Bootcamp helped me to understand the University's career resources, network with alumni and faculty, and practice planning...

  • Sarah Wilterson, GS, PSY

    • Sarah Wilterson, GS, PSY
      • Professional Development Associate
      • Professional Development Working Group Member
      • GradFUTURES Forum Speaker

    Sarah Wilterson is a Professional Development Associate supporting graduate students in the Social Sciences..

  • Abraham (Avi) Wolf, GS, CBE

    The Venture Capital and Startups cohort "is a great way to quickly learn the core tenets of the funding ecosystem for entrepreneurs"

  • Kim Worthington, GS, HIS

    "The GradFutures program unlocks a broad range of penetrating insights from graduate students as its appeal across disciplines and fields attracts...

  • Tianxia Xiao, GS, CHM

    Tianxia Xiao is a rising fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry. During her undergraduate study, she researched the chemical...

  • Ke (Kevin) Xu, GS, CBE

    Originally from Beijing China, Kevin is a PhD student in chemical and biological engineering and his work focuses on engineering multi-phase...

  • Luojun Yang, GS, EEB

    Luojun Yang is a Ph.D. student is Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a University Administrative Fellow in the Pace Center.

  • Shengyu Yang, GS, EAS

    • Shengyu Yang, GS, EAS
      • Community College Teaching Fellow
      • Participant, American Higher Ed GradFUTURES Learning Cohort
    As a Community College Teaching Fellow, and a American Higher cohort member "I learned how to balance my research and teaching in a safe yet...

  • Tony Ye, GS, ORF

    "The Pathways with a PhD bootcamp series was invaluable for understanding the career planning process."

  • Ben Xinzi Zhang, GS, CHM

    Ben Xinzi Zhang is a Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry, and a 2020 Community College Teaching Fellow at Mercer County Community College.

  • Felicia Zhang, GS, PSY

    Felicia Zhang is a PhD student in Psychology, and served as a University Administrative Fellow in the Center for Career Development.

  • Wenxuan Zhang, GS, CBE

    Wenxuan Zhang is a Ph.D. student in Chemical and Biological Engineering, and a University Administrative Fellow in the Office of Tech Licensing....

  • Xue Zhang, *20, EAS

    "[The UAF program] reshapes my ways of being a learner, teacher, and leader in higher education settings...It provides me with ample opportunities to...

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