Meet the 2023-2024 ProCES Student Advisory Board Members
Adriana Alvarado, Class of ’25
Whitman College
Sociology Major
Latino Studies, Environmental Studies, Global Health and Health Policy Minors
Certificate in Latin American Studies
Key organizations and clubs: Co-Chair of the Student Volunteer Council, Co-President of Princeton Latin American Student Association, Community Ambassador for the Emma Bloomberg Center for Access & Opportunity, Service Focus participant, ESL Volunteer at El Centro, CICO (call in call out) Podcast with CAF, PUMP Mentor, Eviction Lab participant
Internships: FSI Scholar (Summer 2021); World Wildlife Fund Market Institute Innovation Startups via RISE (Summer 2022); Global Seminar in Food, Climate, & Health-An Indian Exploration; Bogle Fellowship creating youth leadership & farmworker advocacy (Summer 2023)
Standout ProCES course? I have really enjoyed every course I’ve taken with ProCES because they all offer me the experience of contextualizing academic topics whether it be in a more empirical manner or artistic. I recently took SOC 314 Poverty, by America. This was a space to reflect on my role and social responsibility as an individual because how we live our lives impacts the opportunities and choices available to those around us. Overall, I take the time to encourage friends or anyone asking for course advice to take ProCES courses which ultimately redefine our expectations of how an enriching curriculum should engage with the world around us.
What issues are you passionate about? Health inequities, food insecurity, housing (physical conditions of housing & infrastructure). I am from Delano, an agricultural community in the Central Valley of California. Growing up in a predominantly Mexican community of farm laborers and in a home with parents who themselves are farm laborers drives me to continue learning in depth about social and environmental determinants and detriments to human health and wellness in low-income communities.
Ian Accetta, Class of ’24
Forbes College
History Major
Certificate in Electronic Music
Key organizations and clubs: Nassoons A Capella Group; Service Focus; Shantopia: The Sea Shanty Club
Internships: McCarter Theater-ProCES Derian Intern (Summer 2020); Princeton Seed Farm-ProCES Derian Intern (Summer 2023)
Cassandra Eng, Class of ‘25
First/NC West Colleges
SPIA Major
Key organizations and clubs: Current Assistant Artistic Director of the Black Arts Dance Company, the Action Matters Engagement Specialist at UMatter, a Fields Fellow at the Carl A. Fields Center, a past participant of Service Focus, the past Service Chair of BodyHype Dance Company, and a proud member of the Princeton Filipino Community.
Internships: Project PEARLS Youth Ambassador, Cassie’s Bag of Dreams Project (Summer 2019); Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign Intern, Cassie’s Bag of Dreams Project (Summer 2020); Research Intern for the Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign, Northern California Outreach Intern for the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (Summer 2021); Project PEARLS Youth Ambassador and Fundraising Intern (with support from Princeton’s Center for Career Development), Cassie’s Bag of Dreams Project (Summer 2022); Public Engagement Intern at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (Summer 2023)
Standout ProCES course? Professor Frank-Vitale’s class on Central Americans and Asylum in the United States LAS/ANT362. She truly embodied the goal of ProCES by weaving together academic readings among personal narratives of asylum to keep us grounded in human-centered approaches to learning. The students in the class also had opportunities to become researchers to assist in real asylum cases as class task forces put together country briefs that would be used in court to advocate for the asylum seekers. Not only did the class spark deep self-reflection, but it was also a joy to be around such driven, knowledgeable, and kind classmates, guest speakers, and professors.
What are you passionate about? I look at different social issues through the ways they relate to, and often times exacerbate, cycles of poverty. This includes racial justice, housing justice, education, health, women and children’s rights, and political power.
Adam Sanders, Class of ‘25
Butler College
Religion Major
Journalism and Humanistic Studies Minors
Key organizations and clubs: I’m the News and Culture Director at WPRB Princeton, the nonprofit community radio station located on campus. I host the biweekly “News and Culture” radio show that airs stories about community life, arts, and public affairs in New Jersey and Philadelphia. I also am involved at the Center for Jewish Life in the LGBTQ*J affinity group and as a Community Action leader. I was a member of Service Focus.
Internships: ProCES Derian Intern at The Trenton Project (Summer 2022); Undergraduate Research Fellow, Princeton University Center for Culture, Society, and Religion (Summer 2023)
Standout ProCES course? My favorite ProCES class has been HIS 388: Unrest and Renewal in Urban America. It was my first experience doing intensive local historical research and enlightened me to the complex historical narratives in my own backyard.
What are you passionate about? I’m quite passionate about local journalism and the public arts and humanities! My ProCES and Princeton experience have been really shaped by my commitment to using news, documentary, and radio as medium for bridging communities.
Jalen Travis, Class of ‘24
New College West
Anthropology Major
Certificate in African American Studies
Key organizations and clubs : Varsity football (August 2020 - present), Co-director of Princeton's Minority Pre-Law Association (May 2022 - present), Liaison for Princeton Advocacy and Activism Student Organizations (January 2022 - present), Student-Athlete Wellness Leader (April 2022 - present), Opinion Columnist at the Daily Princetonian (January 2023 - present)
Internships: Bogle Fellowship (Summer 2021); PICS Intern in the Washington D.C. Office of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (Summer 2022); PICS Intern at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (Summer 2023)
Standout ProCES class? Unrest and Renewal in Urban America. This course was my favorite because it approached the history and evolution of American cities through a community-centered approach that I thought worked against some of the more traditional ways of approaching history in this context. It highlighted the stories of the most marginalized and prosecuted as a means to elucidate the narratives that are often forgotten.
What are you passionate about? If I had to choose one, I would say that I'm most passionate about how the law is discriminately applied based on race within our criminal legal system. Specifically, the lack of adequate defense for individuals seeking to exercise their constitutional right to an attorney but can't afford one.
Kiara Marie Wassoodew, Class of ‘25
Mathey College
Molecular Biology Major
Key organizations and clubs: BodyHype Dance Company, Expressions Dance Company, Princeton Health Literacy and Equity, Entrepreneurship Club, McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning
Internships: Teaching Assistant for the Dance Department’s course, “An Introduction to Contemporary Dance” at the Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University (Spring 2022), Research Assistant at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd In-Vivo Pharmacology Lab on Immuno Oncology, Mumbai, India (Summer 2022), Analyst, Outreach Coordinator, and Volunteer for the HIV Prevention Team at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Pretoria, South Africa (Summer 2023).
Standout ProCES course? I took Medical Anthropology, a ProCES course, in the spring of my sophomore year, where I was able to view healthcare and medicine from a biosocial and anthropological perspective. I also had the opportunity to partner with UrbanPromise Trenton, where I supported a research project on ecological health in Trenton, the subsequent vulnerabilities that children face towards asthma and lead poisoning, and the consequences of this on children’s educational success. As a pre-med student, this course was critical in helping me view healthcare from a more holistic perspective, and recognize the intersections that exist between deep-rooted public health issues and clinical medicine.
What are you passionate about? I am very passionate about understanding child and maternal health from a molecular-level to uncover the biological basis behind vulnerabilities and disease, while simultaneously exploring the macroscopic nature of health issues that affect both children and their mothers.
Alessandra (Ally) Yan, Class of '24
SPIA Major
Certificate in Chinese Language and Culture
Key organizations and clubs: Princeton University Ballet; Chapel Choir; Coffee Club Barista; Princeton University Non Profit Consulting Club; Service Focus
Internships: Cambridge Youth Enrichment Program Senior Counselor (Summer 2020); Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools Intern (Summer 2022); American Ballet Theatre Finance Intern (Summer 2023)
Standout ProCES course? I loved the field trips in HIS 388: Unrest and Renewal in Urban America
What issues are you passionate about? I am passionate about reducing racial prejudice and my thesis will actually explore the idea of utilizing diverse children's literature to combat implicit racial prejudice.
Shirley Yang, Class of ‘24
Forbes College
Molecular Biology Major
Key organizations and clubs: SIFP Head Fellow; SPLASH; Princeton HighSteppers; Service Focus
Internships: Researcher at the Lim Lab at Department of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine (Summer 2019); FSI Scholar (Summer 2020); Virtual global health intern at Kigezi Health Care Foundation, an NGO based in Uganda (Summer 2021); Researcher at the Plant Biogeochemistry Lab at the Department of Environmental Microbiology at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany (Summer 2022); Researcher at the the Velthuis Lab at the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University; Course Fellow for MOL152, an introductory laboratory research course for FSI Scholars (Summer 2023)
Standout ProCES course? The ProCES course I enjoyed the most was Climate Change and Communication (ENV316) taught by Professors Michael Lemnick and Jessica Harrop. I am grateful for the opportunity to think critically about science communication and gain technical skills, such as in podcast and documentary production, to turn science into captivating narratives, lending to greater accessibility to understanding science. Almost a year later, as I begin my senior thesis work in molecular biology, the lessons from the class will surely impact how I construct my thesis.
What are you passionate about? Informed by my own experiences navigating the New York City public school systems and now navigating Princeton, I am passionate about tackling educational inequities. Additionally, I am passionate about immigrant access to health.