She Roars

Princeton is joining other universities around the world by responding to coronavirus in striking and innovative ways. From new, pandemic-related research to solutions-driven engineering; from philosophical and social inquiry to digital adaptations, student support, community service, entrepreneurialism and more — the greater Princeton community is doubling down on our core mission and strengthening our bonds. … Continue reading "‘We Roar’: A new Princeton University podcast about coronavirus (COVID-19) and our community"

Celebrated playwright and theater director Emily Mann was raised, if not born, to “make trouble.” Growing up on the South Side of Chicago during the height of the civil rights movement, she decided at an early age that theater was her best tool for effecting change. Her stage career blossomed in step with the feminist … Continue reading "Emily Mann: On 30 years of ‘making trouble’ in America’s theater world"

Catherine Riihimaki knows her way around environmental issues. She’s a geoscientist and a science communications expert with the Princeton Council on Science and Technology. From that perch, she works with colleagues across the University to help educate a STEM-literate society through formal and informal experiences. Her newest channel is “All for Earth” – a podcast … Continue reading "Catherine Riihimaki: On her new environmental podcast called ‘All for Earth’"

Maribel Hernandez Rivera, a graduate alumna from 2010, reflects on her childhood experience as an undocumented immigrant and now champion of immigrant rights. She attributes her personal success — measured in scholarships from Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard, Princeton and NYU — to extraordinary luck and exceptional mentors. Maribel has deployed her education towards improving immigration … Continue reading "Maribel Hernandez Rivera: On immigration"

Jo first came to Princeton as a postdoc in 2006, when she worked on data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), a space telescope that took the universe’s earliest baby pictures. When she ran her code on that data, she was briefly the only person in the world to know the precise age of … Continue reading "Jo Dunkley: On studying the origins of the universe — and sharing her love of space with the public"

Wendy Kopp, Class of 1989, was a groundbreaking social entrepreneur long before the term was invented. She conceptualized Teach for America as part of her senior thesis and founded the organization shortly after graduation. It is based a single big idea: the most promising future leaders coming out of college could have profound social impact … Continue reading "Wendy Kopp: On 30 years of educational disruption"

Juliet Eilperin, Class of 1992, is a journalist for The Washington Post with an unusual pair of specialties: congressional politics and the environment. Juliet’s first book was “Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives.” She began covering environmental issues in 2004 and shares her views on the challenges of that beat … Continue reading "Juliet Eilperin: On swimming with sharks in Washington, D.C., and beyond"

Stephanie Mash Sykes, Class of 2004, is eyeing the future of American cities. As executive director of the African American Mayors Association, she’s focused on the panoply of issues facing black urban leaders today — from demographic trends that are re-shaping their constituencies to new technologies that are re-defining political engagement. She discusses the new wave … Continue reading "Stephanie Mash Sykes: On city politics and African American mayors"

Online journalist Maria Ressa, Class of 1986, knows the best and the worst of social media. It helped drive the Philippines-based news site she co-founded, called Rappler, to 300% growth rates in its early years. Today, she warns that the weaponization of social media threatens the very existence of Rappler, free speech, her own freedom, … Continue reading "Maria Ressa: On the existential threat facing free speech, journalism and democracy around the world"

Emily Carter, the outgoing dean of Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, looks back on 15 years at Princeton and forward to her new job as the second-ranking executive officer of UCLA. Her vision for UCLA is grand, inclusive, service-focused … and distinctly urban.  “Basically,” she explains, “the way cities go is the way the … Continue reading "Emily Carter: On universities in the service of humanity at Princeton and beyond"