Sophie Brady’s decision to pursue a Ph.D. was deeply influenced by her love of teaching. And she knew first-hand how vital community colleges are, having taken courses at a local community college during her undergraduate studies.

The Community College Teaching Fellowship was a natural fit for Sophie, offering more experience in the classroom and the chance to design her own course. And Sophie gained much more as she shadowed and was mentored by a graduate alumna, Dr. Natalka Pavlovsky *88 *01 (Music), whose modeling and constructive feedback about her teaching allowed Sophie to learn, through personal experience, the challenges and opportunities afforded Ph.Ds. who choose to spend their careers in community colleges.

In a recent Princeton homepage story highlighting the Community College Teaching Fellowship’s impact in New Jersey, Brady credited Pavlovsky for inspiring and guiding her as she designed her own syllabus, crafted lectures, and developed assignments that engaged students in the classroom and beyond.

Read more about Sophie’s experience in our Fellowship Spotlight Series.

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Princeton invigorates ties with New Jersey’s community colleges

Denise Valenti, Office of Communications
Jan. 11, 2022

Our Fellowship Partner

For more than five decades, Rowan College at Gloucester County and Cumberland County College have provided students with affordable and accessible options to prepare them for careers within their chosen field. On July 1, 2019, these two colleges merged to mark an important milestone in the history of community colleges—the creation of a regional college in southern New Jersey. Together these two campuses offer more than 120 unique degrees and certificates, combining 100 years of experience to provide a variety of degree selections, cost-saving initiatives, and scholarship and internship opportunities, at one of the lowest tuition rates in the state.

"I was thrilled to learn of the Community College Teaching Partnership during a session of the 2018 'She Roars' conference. The day my institution joined the program was one of the happiest of my professional life.

To this day, my Grad School classmates and colleagues form a central core within my professional network. Engage with those around you—not only within your discipline, but more broadly. Conversations and ideas shared with faculty members, visiting scholars, and fellow students will remain with you, a constellation of thoughts and perspectives by which to chart your professional course."

—Dr. Natalka Pavlovsky *88 *01, MUS

Learn More About GradFUTURES Community College Teaching Fellowships

The Princeton / Community College Teaching Partnership program enables you to teach courses at Mercer County Community College, Rowan College South Jersey, Camden County College, or Middlesex College. The Fellowship provides a valuable, mentored experience by a tenured community college faculty member, and helps you develop as a teacher, providing an opportunity to design and teach a course. This professional development opportunity is particularly rich for graduate students because it encourages you to develop effective teaching skills in a highly diverse community college. These skills have been proven to benefit all students, regardless of their career trajectory.