Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS) is a program that connects students with summer internship opportunities at nonprofit and government organizations in a wide variety of fields, ranging anywhere from healthcare to education. PICS is a funded opportunity, with students receiving a lump-sum stipend before the start of the summer. This stipend can be used towards any costs associated with your internship, including housing, food, and transportation. In addition to funding, PICS provides students with a network of resources and alumni to better support them during their internships and beyond. Through PICS, I spent this summer working as a Communications and Development intern at the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF) in Trenton, New Jersey.

The way that PICS works is relatively straightforward. At the end of the fall semester, a list of PICS community partners is released. This means you have about a month to choose up to two organizations to apply to, as well as prepare your application materials, all before the January deadline to submit your application. Interviews are usually held throughout the month of January, and by early to mid-February, you are notified about whether you have been selected for an internship.

When I was first looking into PICS, LALDEF stood out to me as it aligned with my own interests and personal values. LALDEF works to empower immigrants living in Mercer County, helping them navigate the systems and resources necessary for their own self-sufficiency in the United States. This includes access to legal services, citizenship test preparation, ESL classes, and youth mentoring programs. I am very interested in immigration work, and am considering the possibility of at some point working in the nonprofit sphere, so LALDEF made complete sense for me. Additionally, I loved that it was located near campus, as integrating myself more into the community surrounding campus is something I value greatly.

During my nine-week internship, I stayed on campus and took the train every day to Trenton. I worked Monday through Friday, eight hours a day, which meant that every morning, I made the trek from the train station to the office and up the stairs to the third floor, where our office space was located.

Most days after work, I would spend my time staying active, putting together puzzles, reading, and unwinding from the day. The weekends were a great opportunity for me to get off campus, even going into NYC twice over the summer.

The internship itself entailed a wide range of tasks and projects. As an intern working in the Communications and Development department, I was able to interact with the whole LALDEF team. Some of my major projects were designing the 2023 Impact Report and putting together the Fall 2023 Newsletter. The creation of the newsletter involved designing the layout itself, as well as contacting the different program heads to fill the newsletter with content and updates from each program. I was also involved in a variety of different supporting tasks within my department, but within other departments as well. I learned the importance and process of grant-writing, and conducted interviews with past and present clients to assemble testimonials for promotional purposes. One of the most impactful moments of the summer was sitting in on a legal intake interview, where I helped translate a client’s migration story.

All in all, I feel that I gained valuable insight into nonprofit work thanks to my PICS internship. I also learned what I like about different work experiences and environments, and what I would like to do differently in a future internship or job. Princeton-funded opportunities for internships (and research, if that’s more your thing) feel limitless at times. There is truly something for everyone, and the process will feel so much less overwhelming when it's upon you.

 

An introduction from blogger Melissa Ruiz '25: 

Without a doubt, every student at Princeton will tell you there was one class that completely changed their perspective on a topic, a field of study or even life. Courses like these are available at Princeton, they make you reevaluate what you think you know and even spark curiosity to learn something new. As Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month comes to an end, I’d like to share one of my professors from the Latino Studies program that has challenged me to think critically about the way I view Latinx representation not only in media and literature but also my past education and narratives I’ve consumed. In my sophomore fall semester, I took “Introduction to Latino/a/x Studies” with the amazing Dr. Keishla Rivera-Lopez, a lecturer in the Effron Center for the Study of America. The course explored themes such as identity, culture, belonging and Latinidad. She has taught me countless lessons through her courses and with each one, my intellectual curiosity has grown. I invited Professor Rivera-Lopez to share more about her experience as a Latina professor at Princeton, how she came up with such interesting/engaging courses and what her main goals are in teaching Latino/a/x Studies courses.

 

Dr. Rivera-Lopez

My short time at Princeton has been the most impactful and memorable teaching experience for me. It is in these classrooms, through dialogues that I realized my students have a hunger for more, more discussions about the popular culture or media that is supposed to represent us though many times it falls short and disappoints us. Though, sometimes, there are glowing renditions of our culture that give us immense pride. My students want more book and film recommendations that can, hopefully, endeavor to fill the gaps of knowledge they were deprived of in our primary and secondary education systems. They ask if I’ll be teaching more classes to satisfy their intellectual questions, which, in turn, makes me feel very needed and valued at this institution. This idea of more is not a coincidence when it seems like we’re often excluded from the curriculum or in other facets of society, and these moments remind us we’re often offered less. So, it seems my role here has been to provide more to my students, and it reminds me a lot of my experiences as an undergraduate seeking more knowledge and information regarding my homeland and culture to not only be included, but done so in an authentic and positive light. I know what it felt like to not see my history or my communities represented in mandatory literature or history classes throughout my education or that I belonged in those conversations or spaces. I had an immense feeling that learning my history and culture was a personal project, a solo trip I had to take and fulfill for myself. So, I majored in Latino and Caribbean Studies and immersed myself into finding out more.

My students’ introspective natures remind me of myself - this is why I went to graduate school and pursued a career in academia in the first place. As an undergraduate in a “Latino Literature” course, I rediscovered a passion for reading when I was no longer required to reread the same books and narratives that were recycled year after year in my high school education. I was finally not bored in a literature class and felt like I had to make up for years of no exposure. It untapped a desire for more in me - this is why I see myself in my students. This class cultivated a new worldview and way of understanding how and why my family came here - my dad in Brooklyn and my mother in Chicago and later settling in New Jersey within a Puerto Rican and Dominican enclave. I learned these enclaves aren’t a coincidence - they erupt from waves of migrants, like my family, who had to leave their homelands. I reflect on the meaning of education and its accessibility because most of my family hasn’t received a college education. I think about how I represent my own family history in the classroom as a first generation scholar, a Puerto Rican woman from an urban working class city, a Latina in academia and how it has given me a unique approach to teaching. Being a Latina is deeply rooted in my pedagogical approach and scholarship. 

And, within the liminality of representation or course offerings, I hope my classroom is a space for interesting and thought-provoking dialogue, one that offers historical context about migration and labor that help my students better understand Latino communities and activism while also providing nuances about culture and identity that help them better define and construct Latinidad for themselves. I hope my classrooms are a safe space to discuss the current happenings within Latino music, aesthetics, literature, and media so my students feel represented in the classroom and can discuss how iterations of the past inform the present. Or, why, for example, we can, and we do, discuss big cultural icons like Bad Bunny, Karol G, Cardi B, JLo, etc. in productive and meaningful ways.

I believe representation weighs heavily in the way a college experience is shaped and felt, so my job here in front of the classroom isn’t miniscule. I want to underscore the reason I have the role to be in front of the classroom in the first place is because of a dedicated and passionate professor, Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vasquez, who became my mentor and invested in me while I was an undergrad. Mentorship is critical to the retention and success of working-class, underrepresented, and first-gen students. She also taught me an invaluable lesson outside of the classroom - my history and experiences matter and, I too, belong in institutions, like academia, even though they don’t necessarily always make space for our stories, contributions, or us. Furthermore, I’m proud to be here and be able to do this work. This rhetoric pushed me through many moments of doubt, imposter syndrome, and hardship in graduate school, and now, as I navigate academia.

I am so lucky to be in conversation with and teach students because I learn so much from them. Their kind words and honest feedback make me feel truly valued and appreciated as a Latina at an ivy league institution. Though it is an enormous task, I endeavor to impact my students through in-class instruction, mentorship and dialogue that emulates the way my mentor helped and shaped me. Ultimately, my students inspire and motivate me to keep developing courses and different projects to maintain their engagement and interests. I am thankful for their contributions to class discussions, intentional reading, and their feedback that lets me know what my classes mean to them. I hope I can fulfill their need(s) for more in their quest to obtain and understand Latino Studies discourses of culture, literature, and histories.

 

 

“Have you made any friends yet?”

That was the million-dollar question on everyone’s mind. Over the summer, I interned at the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan through Princeton's International Internship Program (IIP). While I had lived alone, I had usually stayed at a student residence where it was easy to make friends. This time I was truly on my own.

Unsurprisingly, every time I called my mom, she wanted to know how I was doing socially. My parents, my program coordinator, even my coworkers — it was the one question they ended a conversation with. It was also the one question I could not seem to answer. Outside of work, the most social interaction I had was probably with the food stand owner near my apartment — but it’s hard to call someone a friend if the only thing you’ve said to them is “Pork rice with egg, please.”

A couple weeks into my internship, the Princeton Alumni Association of Taiwan invited me to a brunch, and who was I to say no to free food? At the brunch, I sat next to Mai, a sophomore from Thailand who was learning Chinese over the summer. We bonded over wanting to visit Jiufen, a town in northeast Taiwan that looks like the setting of “Spirited Away.” And while I did enjoy a wonderful meal and have great conversations with the alumni, as Mai and I exchanged contacts, I also began to carve out my answer to the question everyone had been asking since I landed.

A week later, we made it to Jiufen, despite almost missing the train there. At the teahouse, we learned the ins and outs of Taiwanese tea ceremony. We learned that you should smell the tea before you drink it. We also learned that a little tea goes a long way — the server told us that one set of tea leaves could make at least 15 cups of tea. Although it seemed doable, we learned that even three hours of pouring, waiting, smelling, and drinking was not enough time to get through it all.

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Under the scorching July sun, we did it all. We watched “Oppenheimer,” putting our Chinese reading skills to the test as the subtitles flashed on the screen. We tried Taiwan’s famous pineapple beer, which was more beer than pineapple.

One night, we went to Dadaocheng to watch the fireworks. We navigated the bus system together (and then the little alleyways after it dropped us off a fair distance away from where we expected). We stood amongst the hoards of people, unsure whether to find a good spot or get a drink first. Although the fireworks show was only a few minutes, we hung out by the pier for hours — by the time I got back to my apartment, the streets were full of people getting their midnight snack.

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For our last adventure, we found ourselves drinking tea on yet another mountain. This time, we were sitting with two old men, who were confused about what a Thai and an Australian were doing together in Taiwan. That seemed to be the second big question of the summer: “How do you two know each other?” The answer to this one was much more convoluted. But, having already explained it a few times to other people, we were much better rehearsed in front of these two men. I’m not sure how much my Chinese reading skills improved, but I definitely became fluent in reciting our origin story.

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This summer, I was faced with two pretty big questions. But after weeks of thinking, here are my final answers — yes, I did make a new friend and as for how we know each other… let's just say 这有点复杂 (it’s a little complicated).

In April of 2021, shortly after being admitted, I visited campus with my parents for the first time. After grabbing a quick breakfast on Nassau Street, we walked towards campus, warm coffee in hand as I tried to take it all in—I think my parents fell in love with campus before I had a chance to fully process where I was.

We spent the morning wandering around aimlessly, first passing through FitzRandolph Gate and walking by Nassau Hall, then towards Blair Arch and down to the rest of campus. Eventually, we made it to Prospect Gardens, where the beginning of spring had left behind the sweet smell of blossoming flowers and bright colors everywhere.

I remember my mom turning to me and saying, “Odette, I can just picture you reading a book on that bench over there.” (With the knowledge I have now, I can confirm it is a very comfortable bench. I read several excerpts of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America on that bench, but I’m getting ahead of myself here.)

Everywhere we walked, we passed by students talking about the relief of completing their senior theses. I didn’t know it at the time, but we were visiting shortly after many departments had already required submissions of the senior thesis for their students. It was intimidating to think about, but I was also fascinated by how excited they all sounded about their work. When we ate lunch later that day at Proof Pizza, we sat next to a group of students who very quickly transitioned from discussing their weekend plans to debating a topic from their math class.

Back on campus, we started to realize many of the trees were labeled with their scientific names.

“What a nerdy thing to do,” I joked with my parents.

For some reason, this particular anecdote stuck with me the most when I returned home. When my friends and family asked about how my visit had been, I could only reply with “they label their trees up there.” Entering my third year, the labeled trees scattered across campus are still one of my favorite things about Princeton, and although it was something that was merely kind of strange and amusing back then, I think it’s a testament to what Princeton stands for.

Maybe this goes without saying, but knowledge is everywhere, and I mean everywhere on campus.

If you asked me now what it’s like to go to Princeton, I think I’d start with the same response. No mundane fact is too insignificant, no question unworthy of being asked. It is inspiring to be surrounded by thousands of students who are as passionate about learning as I am. I could not count the number of thought-provoking conversations I’ve had over Wawa mac and cheese, or the number of times I’ve left a class absolutely in awe of my classmates.

Curiosity and the quest for knowledge are central to all that Princeton is, and if this sounds like the sort of environment you’d love, then I’d say you’re already halfway home.

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The start of the fall semester means returning to campus after a summer away, and with this move comes a change in your daily and weekly routines. While this change can be a little disorienting as you adjust, there are certain to be joys unique to Princeton and campus life to which you'll be glad to return. Here are six of my own small pleasures of the Orange Bubble.

1. Seeing My Professors in Town

Princeton is a lovely town, and many professors live nearby. It's very common to see your professors out and going about their daily lives. Sometimes I'll see Professor Bourg out on a run or say hello to Professor Myneni while he gets a coffee at Small World after biking to work. Seeing my professors in a more informal context reminds me that they, too, are human. 

2. Getting the Newspaper in Palmer Square

Growing up, my family always received the daily and weekend New York Times. Some of my favorite memories of home include fetching the plastic-wrapped newspaper roll each morning from the driveway and lingering at the table after dinner on Sunday to read my favorite sections. Physical newspaper is still my favorite way to stay informed, and I love stopping by the newsstand in Palmer Square, a shopping center across from Nassau Hall, to pick up the daily paper several times a week.

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3. Classes in a Castle

Princeton's Gothic architecture still awes me every day, even as a senior. Most of my classes are in the E-Quad, a more modern building on campus, but my humanities courses are usually held in one of the older buildings towards central campus. Dillon Gym is also located in a Gothic building, so I not only learn, but sweat, in a castle.

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4. Shopping at Whole Earth Center

I'm an "independent" who cooks for herself, and Whole Earth Center is my go-to grocery store. This hippie-populated health store has a wonderful selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, and other surprising finds (cashew cheese crackers, anyone?) that make my day. Getting my weekly groceries here is always a real treat.

5. Runs and Walks on the Towpath

By the canal "down campus" runs D&R Canal State Park, a long gravel trail by the water perfect for running or weekend strolls. In fall, the leaves change colors and create a gorgeous tableau for my run. Zipping down the towpath is one of my favorite ways to unwind daily, and on weekends Kelvin and I will often go for walks to take in the scenery.

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6. The Daily Princetonian on Fridays

Recalling my aforementioned love of physical newspaper, I look forward to picking up my printed copy of the Daily Princetonian each Friday. The Prince publishes online daily, but the Friday print edition is really when I catch up with the latest campus happenings. 

While there are any number of elements of Princeton life I could have shared, these are some of the ones most special to me and my lifestyle here. Ask any Princeton student for six small pleasures of Princeton life, and you're certain to receive a unique answer each time. Discovering what makes your time here meaningful is one of the best parts of moving off to college and living on your own.

Every summer, a great number of Princeton students, both undergraduate and graduate, move to the nation’s capital for internship, job and research opportunities. They pursue a wide range of positions, from working for members of congress, getting hands-on policy experience to getting involved with nonprofits.

The Princeton in Washington (PIW) program, which is run by the Center for Career Development, supports students and young alumni in the D.C. area spending their summers living out Princeton's informal motto: "Princeton in the nation's service and the service of humanity." I had the unique opportunity to serve as the student coordinator for PIW this summer.

PIW runs throughout June and July, offering Princetonians in Washington, D.C. unique opportunities to connect with alumni in government and policy, technology, law, nonprofit, journalism and more. As a part of PIW, participants are able to meet high-profile alumni at the top of their fields, learn more about various career paths and make meaningful connections not only with alumni, but also other students. Attending alumni panel discussions, visiting some of the most renowned institutions for change and participating in casual social events — all of these things gave us, Princeton students and young alumni in D.C., a chance to build our own community in the city over the summer and create new friendships.

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Some of the highlights of PIW 2023 include a visit to the Federal Reserve with Chair Jerome Powell '75, conversations with various members of Congress including Terri Sewell '86, Jeff Merkley *82, John Sarbanes '84, and Derek Kilmer '96, a roundtable discussion with General Mark Milley '80 at the Pentagon, and a tour of the ESPN studios with investigative reporter Tisha Thompson '99. Through these events, participants were able to ask questions, hear about the speakers’ career paths and any advice they may have, and connect with them to expand their network. 

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As the student coordinator, it was an honor to be able to design these programs and offer a series of events for the summer to help other Princeton students in their career paths. Behind the scenes, I reached out to alumni and coordinated events and logistics, created content to promote programs, and communicated with the PIW community — all of which helped improve my organizational and interpersonal skills. Also, invaluably, I had the privilege to attend every event as PIW coordinator, which deepened my interests in the fields of public and international policy.

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My biggest takeaway from PIW is that there is not one set path, one set answer, or a correct major, internship, or fellowship to pursue. Many of the alumni who we looked up to during these events for inspiration, did not have a complete idea of their careers from the beginning. Instead, it was trying new things that allowed them to succeed. We, as college students, often face constant pressure to have everything figured out and have our career path mapped out to minute details to be successful, so it was relieving to hear this kind of advice from Princeton alumni, and this reassurance is one of the many takeaways from PIW, on top of the relationships built with not just the alumni but also with other Princeton students. 

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It’s hard to believe that I will officially be a “sophomore” in a few weeks. It feels like yesterday that I moved into Forbes College, and sat through day long orientation programming. Now that I’m somewhat settled into my new home – that is, the Second Floor of the Forbes Annex – I want to share with you the three most important lessons I learned freshman year. Who knows? Maybe they can help you become your authentic self at Princeton.

1. Don't forget to laugh!

While it’s very easy to make me laugh, I sometimes feel so stressed from school that I forget to. So rather than seek out instances that make me laugh, I let them come to me.

For instance, I went to Princetoween (our post Fall break Halloween celebration) with one of my friends. While at Colonial Eating Club, I ran into a Forbesian dressed like a teenage Michael Jackson. I asked him where his five brothers were. At first, he was confused. But once he understood what I was talking about, he agreed he looked like Michael Jackson with his afro and tall, slender appearance. Back at Forbes, I cried laughing while telling the story to my Zee Group. As the saying goes, “laughter is the best medicine.” Yes, even in an environment where students seem to be working nonstop.

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2. Your special interests are valued.

I have several special interests including Sesame Street (among other children's cartoons), writing, and most recently my new major: Cultural Anthropology. I could go on for days! But from elementary to middle school, it wasn’t unusual for my interests to be dismissed as, well, unusual.

Now, I am incredibly grateful to have friends who share my special interests, if not have their own. Some powerlift. Others love Procreate. Some fight to divest Princeton. Others passionately believe Oppenheimer is better than Barbie. I firmly believe that by sharing my interests with my friends (and vice versa), I have learned so much more about their life experiences. 

3. The people here keep you going.

Coming into Princeton, I envisioned it would be a cutthroat environment where nobody wanted to help each other. This assumption couldn’t have been more wrong. My friends keep me going even on my toughest days. Examples include texting me to ask about my day and offering to read my papers. Mind you, these relationships are not one sided. I do the same for them because I care about them. 

These friendships have also made it easier for us to be vulnerable about our life experiences. Our conversations occasionally include crying and hugging. But no matter what we discuss, we always reaffirm to each other that we belong here. Princeton is a major life change academically, emotionally, and socially. So please make it a point to make friends who always push you to be your authentic self.

My name is Mirabella Smith, and I am a member of Princeton’s Class of 2024. I came to Princeton knowing that I was queer, but not yet knowing exactly what that meant to me. I thought that I did–identity, though, I came to learn, is not something which is static. Identity is a process of discovery and of becoming.

I entered this institution in Fall of 2020. Necessary regulations to control the spread of COVID-19 meant that all students attended classes over Zoom during the fall semester, and had the option to come to campus (still taking classes virtually) during the spring. For financial reasons, I chose to stay home the whole year. As you would probably expect, the experience was isolating. Transitioning to the rigor of a place like Princeton more or less alone (at least in my physical space) took a toll on me that I won’t soon forget. Still, I’ll always remember that fall semester fondly as the time I found my people, and along with them, my passion.

Perhaps the best decision I have made thus far in life was to take a freshman seminar entitled “The Bad Old Days? LGBTQ+ Literature Before Stonewall.” It was there that I met people who I now consider to be my family. Before the first day of classes, we decided to make a group chat, and within an hour, it was buzzing with activity. I think that we all felt nervous about coming to Princeton; nervous about being so alone, so isolated, as we launched ourselves into not just the unfamiliar world of college, but the unfamiliar world of being queer in college. Many of us were queer, after all, and took the class because we were interested in learning more about the history of our community. We connected fast. Those people and the group chat we shared were an anchor for me in my transition to Princeton’s world, made all the more complicated by the fact that I wasn’t actually at Princeton. 

That wasn’t the only class where I was exposed to new facets of my identity. Another class, “Crafting Freedom: Women and Liberation” quickly introduced me to Audre Lorde’s collection of essays Sister Outsider–it was one of my first college readings and remains my favorite book to this day. Audre Lorde was my first foray into the world of Black Feminist thought. I honestly don’t think that I knew what feminism (actually) is until I came to Princeton. It is inherently intersectional, centered around community, communication, and bridging the gaps that exist between us. It’s about acknowledging those gaps, and listening to each other in such a way that we connect not in spite of them, but through them. We are more powerful when we speak than when we are silent, and, as Lorde wrote, “There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt” (Lorde, Poetry is Not a Luxury).

In that class, we read Angela Davis, Cherie Moraga, and Gloria Anzaldúa. We read the works of abolitionists, transwomen and coalition builders, and I fell in love with the world of queer theory. In retrospect, it’s easy to say that with each course I took towards the Gender and Sexuality Studies certificate, I was developing as a student and a human. A major tipping point for me came when I read Judith Butler’s essay “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution,” which helped me come to the realization that I am nonbinary. Butler’s words clicked something together inside my head, and the realization came on quickly. That facet of my identity suddenly just made more sense. 

This is one of the reasons I am a firm believer in the inextricable connection between theory and praxis: they come hand in hand, and theory, when it is made accessible, has incredible power to promote understanding and create change. That is one of the major tenets that I live my life by today. Accessibility is understanding, and understanding can be revolutionary.

Princeton is a space that has its fair share of institutional issues, something which I am quick to speak to. Still, it’s here that I’ve found my queer family. You’ll find that queer people at Princeton find ways to make space for themselves, and it’s in those enclaves where I’ve found my place and have grown as a human being. I don’t know who I would be without those people, who make both this place and myself better every day.

Princeton Students for Prison Education, Abolition, and Reform (SPEAR) is a student group focused on educating and advocating against the carceral state of the United States. SPEAR consists of a variety of committees, including Students Against Policing, the Re-Entry Committee, and Project Solidarity. Over time, I had become very passionate about the intersections between the criminal justice and immigration systems, and was excited to learn about, and join, SPEAR’s Immigration Committee.

The Immigration Committee works closely with other organizations in central New Jersey fighting for justice for local immigrant communities. In the past, the Committee has welcomed representatives from these organizations to speak about state-wide initiatives. For example, in the Fall of 2022, we hosted various organizers to raise awareness about the New Jersey Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. SPEAR also partners often with Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), a non-profit organization just off campus on Witherspoon Street. With ULA, Princeton students teach English as a Second Language (ESL) classes every Tuesday and Saturday, welcoming local residents to join, no matter their current English proficiency.

One of the highlights of my sophomore year was getting the opportunity to organize a panel specifically on the criminalization of immigration, or “crimmigration” as it is often called in the literature. This is the idea that, over time, immigrants in the United States have been increasingly criminalized, both in the media, but also in immigration proceedings. In the fall, I took a class called The Politics of Crime and Punishment, where my final paper had focused on this shift in immigration law and the consequences that it has had on migrant communities particularly through the lens of procedural justice. At the time of this panel, I was also taking another course with Dr. Amelia Frank-Vitale on borders. Particularly, the class explored how borders are not only geographic, but can also be reproduced by systems within a country–in this case policing.

Through our panel, we wanted to raise awareness within the student body by inviting Princeton professors to speak on the topic, as many people often don’t know about this intertwinement of criminal and immigration laws. However, we also knew gaps in knowledge can arise from looking at these sorts of issues through a purely academic lens. Therefore, over the course of two months, we set out to bring together a group of diverse perspectives and organizers, both as academics and as activists. In the end, we welcomed three Princeton professors and three representatives from local organizations, although it’s important to note that all of the professors on our panel also considered themselves to be activists. A few days before the event, we designed our flyer to circulate across campus. As I would be moderating this event, I prepared our list of questions, which ranged from asking our panelists to define “crimmigration,” as well as elaborate on what this looks like within their work, and how it affects the ways in which they carry out ethical research and activism.

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Perhaps one of the reasons this panel had such a big impact on me, besides the obvious ability to share something that I care deeply about with fellow classmates, was the fact that it enabled me to see a tangible connection between the things I have learned and studied during my time at Princeton, and the sort of work that can be done, especially with the help of Princeton’s resources. I believe the ability to take the lead on these sorts of initiatives–whether it be organizing panel discussions, proposing a new volunteering experience or club, or receiving funding to engage in social impact activities–is something that is uniquely possible for Princeton students, and something I look forward to replicating in the future.

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Having spent five years as a Princeton undergrad (I took a gap year during the pandemic), I consider myself somewhat of an expert on where to grab a quick bite or cup of coffee. Please enjoy my list of favorites!

Coffee Spots

Sakrid Coffee Roasters

Located just across from Rocky College at 20 Nassau Street, Sakrid is a popular place for students to study or meet up for a great coffee. Its nitro cold brew on draft is especially excellent, as are its cinnamon lattes!

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Rojos Roastery

Rojos is a small-batch, artisan coffee shop located in Palmer Square. It is devoted to maintaining relationships with independent producers, encouraging sustainable, smaller farming practices. Although it has limited seating space, its coffee is fantastic!

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Coffee Club: New College West (pictured) and Prospect Avenue

The Coffee Club has two locations on campus: one in Campus Club on Prospect Avenue, and a second in New College West. With the goal of providing an inclusive space and excellent drinks, Coffee Club is run by students; baristas are often classmates and friends! 

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Small World

Small World is a very popular coffee shop on Witherspoon Street, and many students would recommend it above all other coffee places in town as quintessentially Princeton (t-shirts and stickers are commonly spotted on campus). With lots of seating, it is a great place to meet friends and professors.

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Starbucks

Less exciting but definitely worth mentioning is the Starbucks located on Nassau Street just opposite FitzRandolph Gate, the official entrance onto Princeton’s upper campus. Always a convenient option for a caffeine boost or a treat!

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TAKEOUT IN TOWN

Olives

Takeout food market that features breakfast sandwiches, hot premade specials, salads, all kinds of sandwiches and wraps, bakery items, and snacks.

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Jules

Great thin-crust, organize pizza with various toppings and gluten free options.

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Princeton Soup and Sandwich

Underrated takeout–outstanding soup and sandwiches!!

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Playa Bowls

Morning booster or afternoon treat–bowls and smoothies of all kinds.

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Maruichi Japanese Market

Opened March 2023, Japanese market and deli with great sushi takeout, produce, and specialty items.

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