GradFUTURES Mentor Collective

GradFUTURES Mentor Collective

Through the GradFUTURES mentorship program, doctoral students have ongoing access to a network of Princeton graduate alumni mentors, who offer guidance and advice across a broad range of fields. Currently enrolled graduate students are matched with a graduate alumni mentor based on common academic and professional interests, life challenges, and experiences.

Additionally, graduate students can use discussion guides and goal-setting activities to help spark meaningful conversations with their alumni mentors and others in their professional network. Topics range from time management and work-life balance to networking and job-seeking advice.

How it Works

The GradFUTURES Mentorship program:

  • Provides graduate students with a structured means of initiating and maintaining a professional relationship with a graduate alum in which to receive 1:1 advice and support regarding the challenges of doctoral education and research; professional development strategies; and referrals to others to assist in building the graduate student’s professional network;
  • Builds connections and community between Princeton graduate students and graduate alumni who share invaluable insights about their own academic and professional experiences, discuss the skills and competencies needed for career progression, and who support graduate students in navigating their own personal and professional goals during these uncertain times.

Graduate Alums! We are Currently Recruiting Mentors for AY21-22

To express your interest, please fill out the following form. 

Be a Mentor

Graduate Students! The Call for Mentee Applications is Now Open for AY21-22

 Interested in a Mentor for AY21-22? Fill out this short form.

Find a Mentor

Resources for Mentors and Mentees

Recorded GradFUTURES Forum Sessions Focused on Mentorship

Mentorship Matters with Mentor Collective 
  • Join Mentor Collective at the GradFUTURES Forum for a discussion on mentorship metrics and how to become involved in the 2021-22 program
    • Speakers:
      • Chris Supernic, University Relations Director, Mentor Collective
      • Sarah Koehler, Head of Partner Success Operations, Mentor Collective
      • Moderator: Amy Pszczolkowski, Assistant Dean for Professional Development, GradFUTURES
Inclusive Mentorship and Mentor Collective
  • Are you interested in learning more about how applying your innate strengths can help you develop as an inclusive leader? This session is part of the GradFUTURES Inclusive Learning Cohort and will provide an overview of how to use your strengths to move from self-awareness to action as an inclusive leader. Join Lauren Scarlett, Strengths Profile Consultant and Master Strengths Coach at Cappfinity, an assessment consultancy that provides authentic strengths-based assessments to a broad range of clients and industries reaching over five million people globally. A panel of graduate students who completed the Cappfinity Strengths Assessment will also share ways they have applied knowledge of their strengths to promote inclusivity. 
Mentorship Best Practices: A Conversation
  • A major component of many careers - both within and beyond the academy - is mentoring trainees, yet graduate students often don't have formal opportunities to develop mentoring expertise. Since mentoring profoundly affects the well-being of individuals and teams, and consequently, scientific productivity and success, Drs. Niv and Murray designed the first-ever for-credit graduate course on mentoring at Princeton. While there is no magic formula, there are evidence-based best practices for mentoring, as well as field-tested ways to develop a reflective and inclusive personal style. In this session, they will share their insights into mentoring best practices, and you’ll hear from current graduate students in the course on their experiences.

Hear from Current and Former Mentors & Mentees!

  • 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...

  • Marc Brahaney, *86 (ARC)

    Marc Brahaney, Princeton ’77, *86, P19, is the owner of Princeton-based Lasley Brahaney Architecture + Construction which he cofounded with his...

  • Zoë Buonaiuto, *18, HIS

    • Zoë Buonaiuto, *18, HIS
      • University Administrative Fellow
      • Professional Development Working Group Member
      • Mentor, GradFUTURES Mentorship Program
    "Participating in the UAF program was one of the most formative experiences I had at Princeton. The program provided me important mentorship, a...

  • Kin Chung, *97 (MAT)

    Kin Chung currently heads Credit, Underwriting, and Servicing at MPOWER Financing, a Public Benefit Corporation that provides educational...

  • Elaine Enriquez, *15, SOC

    "Know your options, and learn how to set yourself up for success. The old saw is true: luck favors the prepared. Don't be afraid to imagine your...

  • Drew Harker, *81, SPIA

    After graduating from SPIA in 1981, I served on the professional staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

  • Julio Herrera Estrada, *17, CEE

    I am an Applied Scientist at Descartes Labs, a startup that develops software for geospatial data analyses and related solutions for businesses...

  • Colette Johnson, *18, ENG

    "The programming that GradFUTURES offers is needed by graduate students, who are recognizing the broad value of their training, and want to find...

  • Richard Lacquement, *00, SPIA

    "Graduate students: don't hesitate to ask others about their experiences. Growing a healthy community is a collaborative effort."

  • 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...

  • Andrea Morris, *99, MOL

    "GradFUTURES has been a great way to build stronger connections to Princeton's Graduate School and also to current graduate students..."

  • 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...

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