05/16/2025
Congratulations to all the students!
The Graduate School has presented its annual Teaching Awards to 10 Princeton University graduate students, recognizing their exceptional skill, dedication, and impact as instructors.
“As preceptors and teaching assistants, this year’s awardees have made significant contributions to undergraduate learning,” said Lisa Schreyer, deputy dean of the Graduate School. “Their commitment not only deepens undergraduate engagement but also strengthens their own growth and development as scholar-educators.”
✴️ Narek Alexanian was head TA for one of Princeton’s largest undergraduate courses. A student wrote, “Narek’s approachability and patience, paired with his vibrant energy and dynamic teaching style, made every session something to look forward to.”
✴️ Elizabeth Bachman was commended for her “simply superb” work as a preceptor for “Chinese Politics,” taught by Professor Rory Truex. Bachman received the highest rating Truex has ever seen for a preceptor in this course.
✴️ Kelly Carlton was honored with the CTI Graduate Teaching Award for a course she co-designed with Professor Stephen Teiser, who said, “I can say unabashedly that Kelly Carlton is the most talented teacher I have had the pleasure of mentoring, and learning from."
✴️ Giulia Crippa demonstrated “rare teaching talents" and earned students’ respect and admiration for the "mathematical, statistical, and computational skills that she imparted with care and patience."
✴️ Adriana Dropulic, the Quin Morton ’36 Teaching Fellow in the Princeton Writing Program, is a theoretical physicist who turned fundamental writing topics "into lessons that a class full of STEM majors could not just understand but enjoy.”
✴️ Sean Gill earned high praise from Professor William Gleason who described him as “an extraordinarily gifted and inventive instructor who devotes himself tirelessly to helping students thrive in the classroom.”
✴️ Ham Huang, only in his second year as a Ph.D. student, was called by Professor Timothy Buschman, the “best [TA] I have worked with at Princeton."
✴️ Grace Monk was recognized for her co-instruction with Professor Gayle Salamon, who said, “It may have been the most successful course I have ever taught, in no small part because of Grace’s pedagogical skill.”
✴️ Samuel Pavelites distinguished himself as a precept TA in the new Integrated Science Curriculum. “TA’ing a new curriculum brings many challenges, and Sam rose to the occasion,” said the course instructors.
✴️ Kit Sum (Katie) Wu was lauded by Professor Howard Stone: “Katie’s many science and engineering talents, coupled with her creativity and desire to share her understanding with others, as exemplified through her [TA] activities, strongly suggest to me the great positive impact she will have in the years ahead."
Learn more about these talented and dedicated teachers: https://bit.ly/3GZ2WLt
Photo: Dean of the Graduate School Rodney Priestley (center) at the school’s Tribute to Teaching reception with awardees (left to right) Honghao (Ham) Huang, Sean Gill, Elizabeth Bachman, Giulia Crippa, Narek Alexanian, Grace Monk, Samuel Pavelites, Kelly Carlton and Adriana Dropulic. Not pictured: Kit Sum (Katie) Wu.
📸 : Tori Repp/Fotobuddy
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