More than 200 graduate students and experiential learning partners gathered at this year's GradFUTURES Internship-Fellowship Fair to discuss opportunities for students to gain vital experience while exploring professional paths. The event, which kicked off the 2024 GradFUTURES Forum on April 5, featured 41 campus offices and external organizations offering Princeton graduate students experiential learning options in academia, nonprofits, philanthropies, research organizations, and museums.

At the Fair – a free-range set-up where attendees circulated among tables within the reassuringly earthquake-resistant glass surroundings of the Frick Chemistry Atrium – Ananya Chakravarti, a graduate student in Chemical and Biological Engineering, was eager to explore “more service-oriented opportunities.” Chakravarti said, “I wanted to know about opportunities offered, including the Social Impact Fellowship (SIF), which is really unique to Princeton. I’m interested in more non-profit work, teaching, and mentorship.” She added, “In my area, most people don’t go into that.” 

Reece Edmends, a graduate student in Classics, was likewise drawn to the Fair to get a sense of opportunities. “I’m thinking about what to do after my Ph.D. graduation, and I’m exploring different professional pathways in the U.S.A." Edmends appreciated that, as an international student, he could benefit from various fellowships offered. The Davis Center was also on hand to guide international students who had questions about professional development opportunities.

Chakravarti reported that she connected with three external organizations and the Program for Community College Engagement. She said she had not realized fellowships could be tailored to individual interests. “Because of the Fair, I hope to do a Social Impact Fellowship. I didn’t know they could build something I wanted to do and that a Fellowship didn’t have to be a big time commitment.” After discovering that SIFs involve only a ten-hour weekly commitment, Chakravarti plans to craft a fellowship that will bring together her interests in science communication and connecting underserved populations to STEM education. 

There was also time for connection at the Clio Hall Awards ceremony, held after the Fair. This year’s ten honorees include alums, faculty members, a current graduate student, and community partners. For Natalie Miller, a graduate student in Music, the biggest draw of the Fair was the opportunity to connect with her GradFUTURES mentor, Debbie Godfrey *84 (Psychology). Until the Fair, Godfrey had been a virtual presence in her life, so Miller appreciated the opportunity to grab lunch and “celebrate” her mentor. “I’ve been working with Debbie for two to three years,” Miller said. “It was great meeting her in person.”