A service to Princetonians

Through their community service projects, the Princeton Project 55 and Princeton University Class of 1969 Community Service Fund help represent domestic violence victims in court, conserve the environment and raise awareness of hunger around the world.

But these organizations also provide a service to the people of the immediate area. They expose Princetonians — former and current — to the world of non-profit organizations, helping the University in its endeavor to be "In the service of the nation and all nations."

"I think they're doing really great work, exposing Princeton students to opportunities that other schools don't, or don't have access to," Melissa Wu '99 said of Project 55's Public Interest Program.

Wu is currently a member of the TEAK Fellowship, an organization committed to helping talented students from low-income families get into high-quality public, private and parochial high schools, she explained.

As a year-long Project 55 fellow with the TEAK Fellowship, Wu enjoyed the work so much that she decided to stay on as a full-time employee, becoming the second of only a handful of workers with the fellowship — including another Project 55 fellow.

But it was Wu's Project 55 experience the summer before at Oxfam — an international organization working to raise awareness about hunger and poverty — that convinced her to continue in the non-profit sector.

"Working at Oxfam was what made me decide I wanted to do a career in the public interest," Wu said. "I was helping fight world hunger. What more noble goal could you have!

"It made me think about my courses at Princeton differently," she added. "It made me think about what I wanted to do differently."

Support nonprofit student journalism. Donate to the ‘Prince’. Donate now »

According to Project 55 executive director Kirsten Hund '84, about one-third of students who go through an internship or fellowship with the Public Interest Program continue in the field of non-profit organizations, and even more of them continue to have a hand in various civic activities.

Though PIP is only one of the four programs of Project 55, it is the oldest and most popular, attracting more students each year.

"That has been our flagship," Hund said.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Project 55 and PIP were established by the Class of 1955 just before their 35th reunion in Washington, DC. The class members decided they wanted to build a lasting connection with the University that also had a sustained impact on the national community.

Since its inception, PIP has placed over 800 students with non-profit organizations.

One of the project's main goals, Hund explained, is to find organizations that are making substantive contributions in their respective areas and ensure the organizations will take advantage of the students' talents and strengths.

"It's important to them that the projects are your own and require thinking, and not just photocopying or getting coffee," Teddy Pasquali '01 remarked of his summer internship in Berkeley.

As part of the Coral Reef Alliance — a non-profit organization started by a Princeton alumnus who actively scuba dives — Pasquali helped the newly founded group get off to a good start.

"It was pretty exciting to see that kind of thing take off," he added.

Pasquali was responsible for writing to libraries around the world to ask for information for a database the alliance was developing. One of Pasquali's favorite aspects of the experience was having the opportunity to live in another city. According to Pasquali, activities were also organized for Project 55 interns in the area, such as white water rafting.

Also gratifying was seeing that University graduates could go into leadership positions in something they enjoy, rather than following the herd to consulting and investment banking jobs.

"It lets you know there are other options," he said.

Like Pasquali, Tigzel Mark '00 appreciates the responsibility that comes with her position as one of only three paid employees in her office.

The National Student Partnerships, which was started at Yale University in 1998, helps to keep young parents off welfare and out of low-paying jobs by tending to additional employment needs, including job transportation, resume writing and child care.

"I definitely feel as though I've left an impact and that I did meaningful work," Mark noted.

After graduation, Mark decided to complete a one-year Project 55 fellowship before entering law school, and is nearing the end of her fellowship. After all she has learned in Washington, she said she is happy she did take a more corporate position.

"I love this company," she said.

In addition to PIP, Project 55 has three other service-oriented programs.

The Experimental Education Initiative, launched in the mid-1990s, is committed to enhancing learning in Princeton through interaction between University and community members, providing for experimental and community-based learning projects.

The Tuberculosis Initiative, which was launched about four years ago, works to increase national and global awareness and education of tuberculosis, promote vaccinations and foster research development.

Started only a few years ago, Alumni Net is the result of other universities' reactions to Project 55 — as it turned out, alumni of other schools wanted to develop a similar network of support to the one created by PIP. Currently, the program has nine participating schools, including Dartmouth and Harvard Law.

The Class of 1969 Fund, though not yet as well known, was developed in the spirit as Project 55. It is dedicated to community service summer internships but differs slightly in the specifics of the programs.

Like Project 55, the Class of 1969 Fund is committed to non-profit organizations. But the scope of the projects is more international, administrative director Seva Kramer explained. Positions through the fund range from legal services and educational programs to work with the United Nations and international rescue groups.

The fund was started at the Class of 1969's 25th reunion, where some alumni decided to take the blueprint Project 55 had set out and apply it to the University's mission statement — "In the service of the nation and of all nations," Kramer said.

Following this example, the Class of 1995 has decided not to wait as long and is currently organizing its own service fund, Kramer noted.

The Class of 1969 Fund, which is now accepting and placing about 20 to 30 applicants each year, provides all of the funds to pay its interns, unlike Project 55, which usually get the interns paid through the organization.

Like some of her peers, Brigid Boyle '03 found the mentor aspect of the program especially rewarding.

"It's good that they don't just abandon you," she said. "The mentor program is a huge bonus."

Because Boyle's mentor Larry Mills '69 lived very near to where she worked, they interacted often. She met his wife and family, and it wan not uncommon for her to have dinner with the family or baby sit the children.

Just outside of Seattle, Boyle worked with the ALIVE program, which acts as legal advocates for victims of domestic abuse.

"Basically, whenever there was an arrest made or police were called to the scene, they gave the women our phone number," she explained, adding that it was sometimes necessary to contact the women and make sure that they were safe.

Boyle also enjoyed the immediate responsibility that came with the job, and feels the program was deeply rewarding, bringing knowledge that she will never forget — like the signs to look for in an abusive relationship.

"I definitely recommend it to anyone who is considering it," she said.

Amy Bates '01 also worked on the west coast, at the Legal Action Center in Seattle, an organization that helps people who cannot afford legal representation.

Bates' responsibilities included intake of new clients, management of case loads and writing letters to landlords, creditors and the like.

"There was one woman whose car was impounded that I got back for her," she said proudly.

Bates said she especially enjoyed the continuity and building connection she felt between the program.

"It's nice that they work with the same organizations year after year," she commented. "You're really building a relationship."

"I think that we have enhanced peoples ties to the University," Kramer noted, explaining why the project has been a success thus far.

The Class of 1969 Fund has already placed a few of their interns in permanent positions in their service fields. This helps the organization to accomplish its goal of building a network of human resources from which to draw.

As participants of the Class of 1969 Fund or Project 55, students and alumni feel they learn much from their experiences. According to Kramer and Hund, both projects are accomplishing their goals in that they are touching not just the lives on the receiving end of community service, but also those who are performing it.