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This collection is open.
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This oral history project was created by Valencia L. Johnson, Amanada Ferrara, and Annalise Berdini for the Amp Up Your Archive program.
My Princeton Oral History Project, Folder and File Name, Princeton University Archives, Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
This collection was processed by Valencia L. Johnson in 2022. Scope and content notes added by James Morales Class of 2026. Processing of 2024 series was done by Grant Stroud in 2025.
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The My Princeton Oral History Project was created for both undergraduates and graduate students of Princeton University. The project aimed to create a space for Princeton students who feel left out of the dominant Princeton narrative by capturing and sharing their unique experience. The oral history interview can cover any subject a student wishes: from interviewing dining staff to gathering interviews of students to discuss the difficulties of balancing school, family, and work. The main requirement is a current student must be involved in the process.
The College of New Jersey was initially chartered in 1746. The first classes were held in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in the parsonage of the president, the Reverend Jonathan Dickinson. Upon his death, the College moved to Newark, New Jersey, and was headed by the Reverend Aaron Burr, Sr. Since 1756, the College has been located in Princeton, New Jersey. For the first fifty years, nearly all College operations took place within Nassau Hall. Fires, fundraising difficulties, low student enrollment, and the Civil War challenged the vitality of the College in the early and middle nineteenth century, but the College grew vigorously under the leadership of President James McCosh, and it was renamed Princeton University in 1896. The Graduate School was established in 1900, although a limited graduate program had existed since the 1870s. Princeton enthusiastically supported the country (living up to its informal motto, "Princeton in the Nation's Service") during the First and Second World Wars, offering the expertise of faculty and campus space for training, as well as facilitating the early graduation of students so they could enlist. The post-World War II years brought dramatic changes to Princeton. The size and strength of the University's facilities and academic programs—especially for the applied sciences and public policy—were increased dramatically. Under President Robert Goheen, Princeton began to admit minority students in greater numbers in the 1960s and admitted women undergraduates in 1969. Today, Princeton is widely regarded as one of the top universities in the world.
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Laura discusses her upbringing across New York state and defining childhood experiences which determined her sense of self and affected her experience at Princeton. In addition, she discusses her potential plans for medical school, her work with food activism on and off campus, and her first few memorable experiences during Outdoor Action orientation. She also reflects on her sense of belonging within the Princeton community and her hopes for the future.
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The narrator explains their family's historical background and the stories of his ancestors who immigrated to America and eventually settled in Texas. They discuss their passion for traditional Jewish religious and political values and how that emerges in personal discussions and political activism for Ted Cruz. Finally, they describe how they balance their familial, social, and educational priorities as a Princeton student.
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In the first section, the narrator explains their background as a low-income Afro-latinx student and how this influenced their decision to attend Princeton. They address their struggles to fit with fatphobia and academic pressures within Princeton's cultural environments but highlight sources of community they've found through the Freshman Scholars Institute, Woke Wednesdays, and SIFP.
In the next section, the narrator reflects on their experience as a student during the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March of 2020. As a student on campus during the pandemic, they discuss how they adjusted to loneliness and self-advocated for better working and living conditions on campus. They also discuss their reactions to President Eisgruber's statement regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and political action conducted by the Black Justice League prior to 2020.
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