Translating Scholarship to Impact: Experiential Programs & Graduate Student Success

Since 2020, GradFUTURES has placed hundreds of graduate students in part-time experiential opportunities with nonprofits, government agencies, and private-sector organizations. This dynamic session explores how experiential learning empowers students to apply their unique expertise beyond departmental boundaries. Hear from current and former GradFUTURES fellows and interns and their host-organization mentors. Panelists will share real-world stories of internships, fellowships, and collaborative projects that have strengthened professional competencies — from leadership and career management to innovation and collaboration — and opened doors to diverse career pathways. Join us for lunch and conversation to discover how hands-on experience deepens skills, expands perspectives, and catalyzes future opportunities.

Speakers include:

Pierre Azou, GS, FIT
Jen Bohn, RockEDU
David Goldman, FASPE
Paula Krebs, MLA
Grace Monk, GS, COM
Joan Rong, GS, BNG
Raghuveer Vinukollu, *11 CEE, Munich Re
Elena Watts *24 GEO, Munich RE

Moderated by Peter Krause, Assistant Director of Graduate Experiential Programs on the GradFUTURES team

This event is a part of the 2026 GradFUTURES Forum, an annual professional development conference, that is open to the entire Princeton graduate community (including Ph.D. and master’s students and alumni) as well as to graduate students and staff from graduate institutions across the country and around the world. Offering a full week of engaging keynote speakers, skill-building workshops, alumni panels, and networking sessions, the GradFUTURES Forum features dozens of online and in-person sessions with real-time relevance to success in graduate school and a glimpse into a world of possibilities beyond. As we celebrate The Graduate School's 125th anniversary, this year's GradFUTURES Forum theme is "Preparing Graduate Students for Transformational Impact.

* Hosting of panelists and speakers does not constitute institutional endorsement of external speakers or views presented.

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