Graduate Student Professional Development Associates

Graduate students are at the heart of our mission, and they play a key role in the development of our programming, events, and strategic planning. One example of this is our newly-developed Professional Development Associates Program. Associates from each academic division work closely with our team to co-create bespoke initiatives for their division. Students also serve on our Professional Development Working Group, and we often partner with the Graduate Student Government and other graduate student organizations.  

The Professional Development Associates program is an opportunity for graduate students to engage with the GradFUTURES team to assist with the expansion of professional development initiatives at the department and divisional level. Associates liaise with the departments within their division to promote and support graduate student professional development. We are looking to work with eight associates, two from each division. Please apply or nominate someone. 

Spring 2025 Opportunities: Browse and Apply via the Experiential Hub

Camila Llerena-Olivera Headshot
“GradFUTURES has helped me build confidence in my soft skills, learn about various career paths, and connect me to some amazing individuals. As a professional development associate, I get to enhance GradFUTURES-affiliated programs that I have participated in such as the business skills learning cohort and ReMatch+ mentorship program. With this position, I can also provide ideas for new programs.” 

Camila Llerena-Olivera, GS, CEE

Current Professional Development Associates

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“As a GradFUTURES Professional Development Associate, I developed projects that use data and storytelling to promote awareness for career diversity for PhDs in the humanities. I spearheaded a digital project that brings transparency to the diverse career outcomes of PhD alumni from the East Asian Studies Department."

Yuzhou Bai,*23, EAS

Past Professional Development Associates

Qiqi Yang Headshot
“The GradFUTURES international students workshops helps me understand the unique strengths and challenges of international graduate students. Now as a Professional Development Associate, I'm excited to work with GradFUTURES to develop career development programs and events for international graduate students."

Qiqi Yang, GS, EEB

Graduate Student Employment Policy and Funding Considerations

All graduate students must adhere to the Graduate Student Employment policy when participating in an opportunity that is compensated or funded by an external entity or an experiential opportunity funded by the Graduate School. When participating in internships that involve receiving compensation from private sector organizations, paid positions at national government labs or research institutes, and research assistantships funded by institutions outside of Princeton, graduate students must obtain approval from their faculty adviser prior to acceptance of a position and must also complete an External Opportunity Application Form. Additionally, all international graduate students must review and comply with the guidelines on the Davis International Center’s Employment Page to avoid risking their visa immigration status. The Davis International Center maintains a list of all graduate programs that offer Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for international graduate students during the academic year or summer. Please note that CPT is only available to international graduate students with F-1 visas when an academic department requires an experiential opportunity or offers an internship course as part of the established curriculum. International graduate students whose departments do not offer CPT are encouraged to speak with the director of graduate study about their interest in pursuing a paid experiential opportunity at an external organization. International graduate students are also encouraged to explore the following experiential fellowships offered by GradFUTURES (and funded by the Graduate School) which do not require work authorization or CPT: University Administrative Fellowships, Community College Teaching Fellowships, Social Impact Fellowships, Higher Education Leadership Fellowships, and Professional Development Associates. 

Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Experiential Programs

Princeton University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. To maximize excellence, we seek talent from all segments of American society and the world, and we take steps to ensure everyone at Princeton can thrive while they are here. Princeton does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic, and Princeton does not provide special benefits or preferential treatment on the basis of a protected characteristic. These principles apply to our experiential programs, which are open to all graduate students (pending work authorization requirements for international students) and comply with federal and state non-discrimination laws. All experiential program partners and host organizations must adhere to an equitable recruitment and selection process within a framework of professionally accepted recruiting, interviewing, and selection practices that comply with federal and state non-discrimination laws. Also, all experiential program partners and host organizations must agree to provide an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for Princeton graduate student fellows/interns that aligns with the University’s conduct standards.