The Princeton University Summer Journalism Program

The Princeton Summer Journal 2011

2011-08-10T19:44:00.002-04:00

This year's special 10th anniversary issue of The Princeton Summer Journal is now online!

"Happy 10th Anniversary SJP" cake presented by SJP alumni for the four founding directors at the final banquet. From left: Richard Just '01, Rich Tucker '01, Greg Mancini '01 and Michael Koike '01

The 2011 edition of The Princeton Summer Journal -- a special 10th anniversary issue -- is now online.

Congratulations to SJP '11 students on the completion of a successful summer and hard-hitting investigative report! Welcome to the SJP family!

Investigative Report 2011: Expired medicine sold in New York City stores

2011-08-10T19:07:00.003-04:00

August 8, 2011

This article was reported by the staff of the Princeton Summer Journal and written by Katherine Arellano, Anhar Farag and Jimmy Tang.

NEW YORK – Despite several recent high-profile lawsuits by New York State authorities, some New York City drug stores and pharmacies continue to stock expired medications, a Summer Journal investigation has found.

On Tuesday, 21 student reporters visiting more than 20 stores in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx found dozens of expired over-the-counter medications – ranging from infant vitamin supplements to anti-nausea medication to pain relievers – at several large chain stores, including CVS, Duane Reade, Rite Aid and Walgreens.

Though the vast majority of medications examined at those stores were not expired, New York law prohibits the sale of any over-the-counter medications after the date “marked upon the label as indicative of the date beyond which the contents cannot be expected beyond reasonable doubt to be safe and effective.”

In addition, most drug stores’ official policies require the immediate removal of expired medications from store shelves. For example, according to the CVS website, “[M]edications will work only as well as they are handled. Taking them safely means storing them properly, reading all specific instructions carefully, and not using them after the recommended amount of time or expiration date.”

Lawsuits
Expired medications have been a recurring issue with several major drug store chains. In 2003, CVS was cited by New York State officials for having expired medications on store shelves. In response, the company signed an “Assurance of Discontinuance,” stating that it would “refrain from selling expired [over-the-counter] drugs” and would institute procedures to ensure that expired over-the-counter drugs were identified and removed from CVS stores.

Then, between March and May 2008, the New York Attorney General’s office discovered that 140 New York CVS stores – about 60 percent of the locations it inspected – were selling expired drugs, infant formula, milk and eggs, some more than two years past expiration.

In November 2009, New York State reached an $875,000 settlement with CVS aimed at ending its sale of expired products. CVS had approximately 430 stores in New York State at the time.

Rite Aid also has a history of stocking expired medications. A 2008 investigation by the New York Attorney General found expired medications on shelves in 43 percent of Rite Aid stores visited.

In December 2008, New York State reached a $1.3 million settlement with Rite Aid, which had approximately 710 stores in the state as of the date of the settlement.

Despite these settlements, the Summer Journal’s investigation revealed that these chains, along with other drug stores, continue to sell expired medications in New York City.

For example, Summer Journal reporters found acetaminophen that expired in March 2011 at a CVS at 224 East 161st Street in the Bronx, and ibuprofen that expired in March 2011 at a Walgreens at 3355 Crescent St. # 67 in Long Island City, Queens.

Reporters also found expired over-the-counter medications and vitamin supplements at Duane Reade stores in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, including FiberCon that expired in December 2010 at the Duane Reade located at 54-11 Myrtle Ave. in Brooklyn; Zyrtec allergy medication that expired in December 2010 at the Duane Reade located at 2939 3rd Ave. in the Bronx; and Florastor children’s vitamin supplements that expired in June 2011 at the Duane Reade located at 60 Spring St. in Manhattan.

In addition, reporters found expired hemorrhoids treatment cream at a Rite Aid at 355 Knickerbocker Ave. in Brooklyn and expired niacin supplements at the Rite Aid at 2125 Broadway in Astoria, Queens.

Reporters also found expired medications at some smaller, non-chain stores. For example, at Shawn Pharmacy & Surgical in Bushwick, Brooklyn, reporters found infant vitamin supplements that had expired in December 2010, Daily Care Stridex and Oxy Spot Treatment skin care products that had expired in December 2009, and sunscreen that had expired in January 2010.

In a similar investigation in 2008, the Summer Journal discovered that numerous stores in Trenton were also stocking expired over-the-counter medications.

Corporate response
When asked for comment last week, corporate representatives said their companies work hard to keep expired medications off store shelves.

“We take these allegations very seriously and will be investigating them fully,” Rite Aid spokesman Eric Harkreader said in an email. “Our policy has always been to not have outdated products on our shelves. If a customer were to receive an expired product in error, we would issue a full refund.”

CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis said that CVS is “fully committed to preventing expired products from being sold to customers.”

“We have a clear product removal policy in place at all of our stores to help ensure that items are removed from store shelves before they reach their expiration dates, which includes weekly audits of date coded items,” DeAngelis said in an email. “While we strive for 100 percent compliance with our product removal procedures, no process this labor intensive – a typical CVS store carries about 100,000 items – is immune from human error and any unintentional oversight that is brought to our attention is quickly rectified for customers.”

Expired foods
In addition to expired over-the-counter medications, reporters found expired food products on store shelves, including baby food, dairy products and breakfast cereal.

For example, a Jack Links Original Beef Stick that expired in December 2010 was found at a Duane Reade in Manhattan at 976 Amsterdam Ave.

The assistant manager for that location, Jonathan Cedeno, said that his employees try diligently to keep expired food products off the shelves. He explained that his store keeps a monthly “fresh list,” wherein perishable products are prioritized and organized by categories.

Nevertheless, Cedeno admitted that his store was short on staff, making it difficult to keep up with expiring products and to subsequently remove them.

Reporters observed several stores that displayed signs instructing customers to bring expired products to the store employees’ attention. But when Summer Journal reporters asked customers if they felt they were responsible for checking expiration dates, several said no.

Duane Reade customer Peter Ratray said that it was the “management’s job, absolutely,” to check products’ expiration dates.

“There is enough to deal with in life than to not trust your drug store,” he said.

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Read previous investigative stories by the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program: http://www.princeton.edu/sjp/investigativestory/2011

Reporter's Notebook: What We Uncovered

2011-08-08T03:45:00.005-04:00

By Anhar Farag (North Bergen, NJ) and Jimmy Tang (Alhambra, CA)

Jimmy Tang interviews a fellow SJP '11 student, Anhar Farag, about the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program's recent project, an investigative report surrounding large chain stores such as CVS and Rite-Aid selling expired products (medicine, food, etc) to their consumers.

Here is a link to the investigative report: http://www.princeton.edu/sjp/investigativestory/2011

SJP Forever

2011-08-08T02:46:00.000-04:00

By Shellon Lambert (Jamaica, NY)

Lambert recites a poem about SJP during a poetry slam.

Movie Review: Beginners

2011-08-07T21:18:00.001-04:00

By Catalina Mullis (Canoga Park, CA) and Eboni Boykin (St. Louis, MO)

Thank You, Directors

2011-08-07T16:02:00.001-04:00

By Anhar Farag (North Bergen, NJ)

I can honestly say I have never met a group more intellectual, successful and helpful as SJP. We have shared laughs, tears and personal conversation in just ten days. This group, which consists of 25 counselors who have all benefited us in multiple ways, but are unique in there own ways can never be forgotten. The founders of the program truly need a standing ovation.

1. Richard and Adrian are two of the sweetest guys you could ever meet. Both were very helpful and knowledgeable. Richard is what I like to call the devil's advocate and Adrian is our Latin karaoke singer. The memories we have had with these two truly deserve a book. I will never forget when I tried to argue that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is a good guy.

2. Rich and Melisa: Though Rich is an attorney general he is truly a sweet heart. His funny comment here and there are what make him the special guy he is and Melisa is the definition of brains and beauty. She shows you how with determination you can become knowledgeable and very successful. I admire the fact that Melisa is one of the few women editors The Daily Princetonian has ever had. Rich and Melisa, thanks a lot for letting us participate in a supreme court trial. It was truly a memory SJP will never forget!

3. Mike and Becky, I have had the pleasure of working with you on the same journalism team and on our first day we came across an accident on Witherspoon. Becky, you are such a sweetheart and working with you has been a pleasure. As for Mike, your witty comebacks and sarcastic side is admirable. Although we tend to argue, it just means you mean a lot to me. Everyone admires your presence and emails !!!!!!!1

4. Greg and Sarah, Where do I begin? Sarah you were one of the first of the counselors I met and your presence was much appreciated on late nights and early mornings. Greg my “best friend” I always bully you but in the end, I love working with you and you truly make me laugh. Not to mention your, I guess, we can say “awesome” dance movies. I really do look forward to working with both of you during the summer. Be prepared to get annoyed.

In the end, I love you all so much. You guys are like family to all of us, and I can’t imagine my life with out you guys. Thank you so much for taking time to help us and for share with us the best ten days of all our lives!! We will all never forget Princeton SJP 11 !!!!!!!1

Movie Review: Cowboys and Aliens

2011-08-07T15:53:00.000-04:00

By Kathy Arellano (Canoga Park, CA) and Autumn Clouden (Brooklyn, NY)

Starting Newspapers

2011-08-07T15:48:00.002-04:00

By Farah Amjad (Woodland, CA) and Eboni Boykin (Saint Louis, MO)

As everyone tries to finish their article in order to meet the deadline, there’s a unique energy in this room. It’s intense but there’s so much fun in this place. We both wish that this same atmosphere could exist in our school.

We both come from schools that have no student-run newspaper. It’s quite sad that students in our schools don’t have a way to raise concern about important issues or express their opinions.

SJP has inspired us to go back to our schools and start newspapers. Even if funding is not provided, we will try our best to open a student newspaper. As journalists, it’s our duty to tell the truth and as long as there is no newspaper at our school, the truth about issues that matter to students will not get out.

Hopefully, we will be able to begin a tradition of good journalism at our schools.

Journalism and the Law: Guilty or not guilty?

2011-08-07T15:43:00.002-04:00

By Shellon Lambert (Queens, NY)

How much does the law protect journalists? Well, that’s what we wanted to know.

On our fourth day of the program, Rich Tucker, one of our counselors who is also an attorney, spoke to us about journalism and the law. He answered the question of how much the law protects journalists.

Presented with two scenarios, we chose if we wanted to represent the defendant, the plaintiff, or whether we wanted to be the judge.

Autumn, Anhar, Jimmy, Ebony, Stephanie, Farah, Rajaa, Citlaly, and I, were the 9 Supreme Court Justices, and the court cases went on.

First we were presented with the case of a police officer from Montgomery, AL, who was suing the New York Times for defamation.

New York Times published an article about Sullivan, which accused Sullivan of expelling people and padlocking people in a dining hall. After evidence proved the NY Times wrong, Sullivan sued them for compensation.

With the vote of 5-4 among the Supreme Court justices, NY Times was found not liable.

After the original case was revealed to us, we found out the NY Times was found not liable, but some rules adjusted with how much journalist can make mistakes.

Secondly, We took on a case of a reporter, Paul Branzburg, who was ordered to reveal the source that he got his information from. Branzburg refused to reveal his source and was held in contempt.

With the decision of 5-4 Branzburg was found not guilty by the Princeton Summer Journalism Supreme Court.

With crucial decisions to make, we had to determine the ruling of these cases. We were torn between protecting people and protecting journalism.

We learned that journalism is full of challenging decisions, and some day, it will be our turn to make them.

Accepting Changes

2011-08-07T15:39:00.000-04:00

By Soledad Mendoza (Round Lake Beach, IL)

The day I received my acceptance e-mail to the Princeton Summer Journalism Program, I literally started jumping up and down on my bed. It was all I could talk about for weeks.
And then something changed.

My best friend's brother passed away.

I couldn't deal with it. I wouldn't deal with it.

I had been so excited for the entire summer, and then my morale just dropped. I remember thinking that I would hate coming to Princeton. I started focusing on the negative (I have no experience, I'm not that smart, no one will like me). My plane was delayed two hours and I couldn't find the "girl" who was also coming from Chicago. Clearly, my morning had been what I had expected: bad.

But, it turns out this "girl" I had been searching for was actually a very tall boy named Nathaniel. He shared my nervousness, he was friendly, and he helped me with my bags.

Nathaniel was my first SJP friend. Our plane ride began a long chain of events that changed me.

We had some trouble getting to the campus once we arrived in Newark. We accidentally took a train headed to New York, but when we finally arrived at our dorm, we were greeted by cheering from counselors and our fellow SJP students.
I found myself smiling, despite being tired and sad. These people I barely knew were treating me like a member of their family.
I've come to realize that we are a family - a loud, sleep-deprived, bagel-eating family.

This week has been hectic. I've hardly had a free moment and I've woken up earlier than I could have imagined possible. I've loved it.

I didn't think I would learn everyone's name. I did. I didn't think my roommate, Eboni, would like me. She does. I didn't think I could finish writing my two articles for the paper. I finished yesterday.
I didn't think I would be able to cope with my loss. I have. It still hurts, but I'm better. And, everyone here has helped me through it, though they do not know it.

I've made friends here that I hope to keep for a lifetime. I've learned more about journalism, life, friendship than I thought possible. I'm going to miss SJP, but I know it's not the end.

Sports Podcast: Trenton Thunder vs. Akron Aeros

2011-08-07T13:29:00.004-04:00

By Nick Marsico (Philadelphia, PA) and Nathaniel Abad (Chicago, IL)

Work hard. Play hard.

2011-08-07T11:13:00.002-04:00

By Stephanie Ramirez (Somerville, MA)

I’ve never worked in a newsroom. But if it’s half as fun as the SJP one, I’m sure newsrooms and I will become best friends.

Thanks to SJP, I’ve visited three newsrooms. They were interesting, to say the least, but quiet, which was perfect for accommodating working journalists. But not SJP journalists.

The students of the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program don’t need silence. In fact, they can’t deal with silence. They type loudly, they scream across the room, blast music, and when the pressure is too much, they throw ten-minute dance parties. I can’t picture the CNN broadcasters dancing to Edge of Glory to relieve their stress or the journalists at the New York Times playing Michael Jackson mid-article.
We were asked to be quiet – extremely quiet – when we were in the professional newsrooms.

But guess what? The journalists who host the dance parties, who can talk AND write, who don’t need silence and can still produce a newspaper on time – those are the quality journalists.

PSJP, we get things done. We write articles and we have fun while doing it.

Ode to SJP Intern Lily Gold

2011-08-07T09:24:00.004-04:00

By Kathy Arellano (Canoga Park, CA)

Oh my Lily Gold,
How your locks shine in the eternal light of room 16
The spirit of your soul brings life to dead leaves
It is hard to compare my spider-monkey to any other creature
For Twilight was our connection
But fear no more, for 2 AM talks about topics that create psycho maniacs
Have reunited us in this life and the next
Forever and always Lil’ Gold
I will always remember you
Your stunner shades
Your spazz-matic dance moves
Your love for true music
Will remain engrained in my heart
Oh Lilipad
For it is hard to believe that before,
I only saw a random headless girl through constant emails
But now,
We have united.
We have united through the spirits of Bon Jovi, Prince, MJ, and DU-DU-DU-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA
EVERY DAY I’M SHUFFLING.

Sharing more than just space

2011-08-07T09:22:00.001-04:00

By Jessica Morales (Los Angeles, CA)

I was nervous about getting a roommate. I asked myself if the stranger I would be sharing a next-door room would be rude and unfriendly, or whether I would connect with her and have a good time. Arriving early to Princeton, with the Californian group, we all waited for the rest of the SJP students that were on their way.

After lying down in my room to take a nap before the rest of the students arrived, I awoke with a scare. Stephanie, the person I'd be living with for ten days, was here. Stephanie comes from Massachusetts and I’m from California. At first we interacted as strangers, but with these past few days we got a lot closer.

We've shared a lot of memories. We exchanged pick-up lines in the New York subway, and we sang to each other. We sometimes bicker like newlyweds.

I’m really glad I was partnered up with someone who has a good sense of humor and, most importantly, shows her appreciation for me. I know I will miss her once we go back home, and I know she will miss me, too. She has been a great friend and influenced a part of my experience at the Princeton Summer Journalism Program.

I feel old

2011-08-07T09:09:00.003-04:00

By Walter Griffin (Philadelphia, PA)

Walter now.

23 is older than you guys think. You'll see in 6 years. Revel in your pre-college youth now, SJP students!


Walter then.

-- Griffin is a 2005 alumnus of the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program and graduate of Princeton University's Class of 2010. He returned this year to serve as a counselor.

They never let us go

2011-08-07T00:58:00.006-04:00

By Anhar Farag (North Bergen, NJ)

In just ten days, all of us have become so emotionally attached to one another that it hurts to think about saying goodbye. However goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I'll miss you until we meet again!

Not too long ago, two of our counselors left us before the ten days.When Amanda Cormier (SJP '07 Alum/Columbia '12) and Adrian Alvarez left you could see the sadness amongst us all. My eyes welled up with tears! We also miss Sarah Bolling Mancini (Princeton '04), who left earlier on, but still impacted us all tremendously.

All of our counselors have left huge footprints in our hearts. Some say people come and go and only the ones who matter leave a mark in our hearts. That applies to all the counselors here at SJP! However we will never leave them, and they will never leave us! They are going to guide us all through the college applications and in life in general. So these ten days are just the beginning of a long time friendship. You never truly leave SJP: you just become family.

Dance Party Mayhem

2011-08-07T00:44:00.004-04:00

By Lucy Vay (Los Angeles, CA)

In an act to relieve SJP students from the stress we are all feeling as our newspaper deadline approaches, the counselors spontaneously planned a flash mob dance party that took place at approximately 11:36 PM in room 16 at the Friend Center. We were all told to stay in the room, while the counselors convened right outside the door. I actually thought that there would be a meeting regarding our articles and the layout of the paper, but it turns out I was wrong.

Everyone was sitting in room when music started playing and the lights started flickering on and off. The counselors traipsed in and immediately started dancing around the room. All the students had looks of confusion on their faces. Did the counselors go crazy? Aren’t we supposed to be the ones so stressed that we can’t form coherent sentences? They call that dancing?

We all started catching on and students started abandoning their articles so they could join in on the fun. Everyone seemed to let loose as we danced in a circle around the room throwing our arms up in the air and laughing hysterically.

Though it only lasted a few minutes, it was a moment when we all let go of our responsibilities. However, after it was over, everyone went back to work. After all, we have a paper to put out.

(Almost) on the Edge of Glory

2011-08-07T00:34:00.002-04:00

By Anhar Farag (North Bergen, NJ)

It is 11: 33PM, and all the journalists at the Princeton Summer Journalism program were busy working on their articles for the newspaper. It's 24 hours away from the much-anticipated newspaper, yet leave it to the wonderful counselors to make this rough night truly one to remember.

As all of the students were stressing out making statements, correcting grammar, and checking spelling, the counselors were planning to put on a surprise. Though half of us were sleep deprived, leave it to Lily Gold to come in jumping up and down followed by our amazing group of counselors behind her. The lights were on and off, and the hardworking journalists ran around the news room and shouted for a quick second. Richard had also joined us after putting up the biggest fight. Way to go Richard! Greg was also found in the line dancing. I certainly didn't expect that from Greg!

The minute the music turned off, we all sat back down and continued our articles in unison. Now that’s what I call motivation and determination.

Working Up An Appetite

2011-08-06T23:54:00.002-04:00

By Catalina Mullis (Canoga Park, CA)

For the past two nights, I have been very satisfied at SJP. This has been a result of the fact that we have been given outstanding Korean and Indian food, providing a contrast to the usual meals given to us, like pizza and sandwiches.

Korean food has never tasted better to me. I was instantly attracted to the classroom in Princeton’s Friend Building, because the smells filled my nostrils and made my stomach growl. From the sound, I knew that I was very hungry.

I rushed to the front of the line to get my paper plate, and instantly began grabbing all that I could get my hands on. As I reached the end of the line, my plate was clearly overwhelmed by dumplings (mandu), noodles (jabchae), sushi (kimbab), spicy chicken (dakgangjung), and beef (bulgogi).

I cherished every single bite, feeling like it had been years since I had had a good meal. Though I do admit that the SJP Program has constantly provided us with food, I have never felt quite as satisfied as I did at that moment.

That is why I was even more delighted when I had the same reaction to Indian Food. Once again, smells slowly made there way downstairs, and, as though I were hypnotized, I traveled up the stairs and into the room where the food was being held.

This time, I was at the back of the line, but this did not discourage me. Before me was rice (Basmati), bread (Naan), Samosas, and vegetables (Navratan Korma and Aloo Gobi). Again, my plate was likely to topple over, but I managed to reach safety and indulge in yet another delicious meal.

All and all, I am extremely pleased by the change in diet offered to me by SJP.

News You Can Use

2011-08-06T23:43:00.001-04:00

By Eboni Boykin (St. Louis, MO)

Just for future reference, (you’ll thank me for this later, future SJPers) I think we need to be told to bring our own blankets to sleep with! I’ve talked to several other students and everyone seems to agree that our blankets are gross!

Unfortunately the "What Not To Bring" list was very clear in telling us not to bring blankets, and so I went along with that. Some of my fellow campers were a bit smarter than me in that they brought their own blankets. Shout out to you lucky ones, and to the not so lucky ones like myself—you’re not alone.

So there you have it. The covers are hairy and the pillows smell like arm pits!

It is the only not so great thing I’ve experienced here this week and it’s definitely not the most important part of the program. To be sure, I’m usually so exhausted by the time I get back the dorm that I’d pretty much pass out on anything.

And so my concern has been uncovered, much like me when I’m trying to sleep.

Finding Your Passion

2011-08-06T23:39:00.001-04:00

By Eboni Boykin (St. Louis, MO)

SJP went to the movies Friday night, where we had the choice of seeing “Cowboys and Aliens” or “Beginners.”

“Beginners” is your typical indie movie--creative and thought provoking. Indie movies just happen to be my forte, so I was totally in my element when I wrote the movie review.

I especially enjoyed the movie critic workshop we had right before the movie, by Noy Thrupkaew of The American Prospect. She talked about how to review a movie without giving just a plot summary, and how to describe the techniques that the director uses in the movie to support your argument. Noy asked us all what our favorite movies were and why we liked them, and it was so interesting to see the impact film has on each person.

I enjoyed writing that review more than anything else I’ve written in the program. I was finally able to use the small things I notice about film, (camera angles, lighting, motifs, dorky film buff things like that) and turn them into an amazing review that was a work of art in and of itself.

Writing the review for “Beginners” was almost more fun than watching the movie. (It wasn’t bad, but if you’re looking for a film with an exciting ending, you should watch something else!) The experience made me think that arts criticism may be for me.

That’s what SJP is about- finding the thing you’re passionate about and believing that you can do it, no matter how much money your parents make or what neighborhood you live in.

Visiting CNN

2011-08-06T23:25:00.001-04:00

By Eboni Boykin (St. Louis, MO)

On Tuesday, we took a trip to New York. What an amazing experience! I had never been to New York before, and I was so amazed by the city and how similar it was to the way movies portray it.

The best part of that entire day (besides working on our investigative story) was the tour of CNN. We had an opportunity to see the set used for CNN’s American Morning, which is my favorite news show of all time. We also saw the set for Anderson Cooper 360, Showbiz Tonight, and Piers Morgan Tonight.

I was awestruck during the entire tour, because I watch more CNN than any other channel, and also because I’d always dreamed of working there. While we were looking at the control room, we had the chance to watch a CNN International Reporter do a broadcast in Spanish. She came into the control room and talked to us about how she got her start and why she chose broadcast journalism.

The CNN newsrooms were definitely a sight to see! People worked frantically at their desks, making phone calls and typing away at their keyboards. The energy was high, and we got a chance to see what it’s like in a newsroom in one of the most prestigious news channels in the world.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see Kiran Chetry (sad face). She’s one of the anchors for American Morning, so she was probably sleeping because of the weird time slot her show goes on the air. I won’t be too bummed out about it though—because I like to think I’ll be working along side her a few years from now.

Listening to Great Minds

2011-08-06T23:21:00.002-04:00

By Farah Amjad (Woodland, CA)

Throughout my whole time at SJP, one aspect that I always looked forward to the most is listening to the brilliant speakers. We had the opportunity to listen to brave and respected journalists and professors with great knowledge and passion about academia.

As someone interested in pursuing foreign correspondence, I enjoyed listening to Griff Witte from The Washington Post. His stories about reporting from the Middle East and South Asia provided great insight into the difficulties that journalists face while reporting from difficult areas and situations. I also remember laughing when hearing his story of not being able to understand the jokes his translator and driver were making in Afghanistan.

Miguel Centeno, Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, was definitely one of my favorite professors. I was fascinated by his knowledge and passion for his work. His thoughts on globalization, war, Latin America and more were interesting and opened my perspectives about issues. He also talked about his experience being a minority student at Princeton, which other minority students can relate to even today.

Professor Miguel Centeno

These are just two of the awesome line up of speakers we’ve had this year. With each speaker, I’ve really opened my mind and I yearn to gain more knowledge about the different subjects each speaker discussed.

Stepping out of my comfort zone

2011-08-06T23:19:00.003-04:00

By Nathaniel Abad (Chicago, IL)

When I first heard about SJP through my English teacher at school, I thought that I would never apply because I wasn’t confident enough about myself as a student. After I shared this opportunity with my journalism teacher, she thought that it was a great idea and she believed that it would be competitive but she had faith in me.

After applying and getting in I didn’t know what to think. When I received the reading packet I knew that this program was no joke. Friday, July 29 finally came and I was on my way to Princeton. This was my first time travelling by myself to go meet a group of people that I knew nothing about. Even though a welcoming group of people picked me up from the train station, I still questioned how I got in.

After the introduction of the program I knew that it was going to be challenging but fun. The very first night I called my mom and explained how happy I was for coming.

In the beginning I wasn’t so opinionated because I was too busy taking everything in. With the help of a wonderful counselor here, I slowly began expressing my thoughts and felt comfortable doing so. As I grew closer to the counselors and students, I found it hard to stay quiet.

This program was the best thing that could have happened to me because I achieved what I thought was impossible and in the process I learned that in order to grow as an individual you have to step out of your comfort zone.

Learning About Journalism, and Family, Too

2011-08-06T22:27:00.004-04:00

By Citlaly Orozco (Los Angeles, CA)

With eight days gone by, SJP students have truly become attached to each other. It will be a drastic when the day finally comes for us to say goodbye.

From the very first day I met both students and counselors I was so happy to see the easy interactions between everyone. Introductions may have been ongoing, as students and counselors arrived to Scully, but it was a good way to remember everyone’s name. Now, however, it will be impossible to forget the names of our friends and the memories shared between us.

I feel that the experiences with the SJP family have truly reminded me of what I love best: writing and my future. Perhaps I was afraid to meet all students because they are all brilliant and succeeding, but now I see I was one among them. At first it was hard for me to speak up but now I feel that they are close to me and they are all part of a great memory that is unforgettable.

One of the goals of SJP is to teach journalism, but I have also learned about family this week--because it is the great family that we have formed that has made this program memorable.