PRINCETON NJ Announcement

Princeton and Warrior-Scholar Project Hold Virtual Academic Boot Camp for Veterans June 7-19

Princeton, NJ – For the 4th year, Princeton University will partner with Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP), a national nonprofit, to offer a free academic boot camp for veterans. WSP hosts immersive academic boot camps at no cost to enlisted veterans in partnership with some of America's top colleges and universities.

Through its unique programming, WSP guides veterans through their transition from the military and helps them develop the skills necessary to successfully complete four-year undergraduate programs. Support from Princeton and investments made by foundations, corporations, and private donors cover the entire cost of the program for participants.

WSP is set to host a two-week academic boot camp in partnership with Princeton for 15 student veterans June 7-19, focusing on humanities and STEM curricula. This year the boot camp will take place virtually, allowing students to learn from Princeton faculty and teaching assistants, receive mentoring from fellow student veterans, and adjust to an online learning environment, all from the safety of their home.

"We are thrilled to once again partner with Princeton to run a world-class academic boot camp," said Ryan Pavel, the CEO of Warrior-Scholar Project. "This partnership helps propel WSP alumni to success at top institutions throughout the country, as 90% of our alumni have already completed or are on track to complete their undergraduate degrees, an increase of 18% over the national veteran average. That success is made possible by the outstanding faculty members, students, and administrators that dedicate their time to executing this life-changing programming."

"Princeton is proud to host the Warrior-Scholar Project for the fourth consecutive year, albeit through virtual means due to the need to forgo on-campus programs this summer," said Karen Richardson, Dean of Admission at Princeton University. "Our valuable partnership with Warrior-Scholar Project underscores our commitment to support outstanding student veterans and to prepare them for higher education on campuses like ours. Their contributions in and out of the classroom greatly enrich the Princeton community."

The two-week academic boot camp in partnership with Princeton will spend a week focusing on a humanities-based curriculum before switching to a physics-based STEM curriculum for the second week. The humanities week will focus on developing skills in analytical reading and academic writing while providing tools for success with college-level seminars and assignments.

During the STEM week, students will be conducting hands-on research projects in addition to class sessions. The research projects will explore topics like cryptography and the search for exoplanets, using Python programming language, which the participants will learn as part of the program. Participants with the cryptography research project will learn to encrypt, decrypt, and perform cryptanalysis with Python and also use elementary number theory and abstract algebra. Participants with the exoplanet research will use Python to analyze real work and observations from NASA's Kepler space observatory to reproduce scientific results.

Since 2017, 45 veterans have attended WSP at Princeton.

"My skills have not only improved exponentially, but my confidence has skyrocketed. I definitely recommend this program to all active-duty servicemembers and veterans that will be pursuing a college degree," said Johnny CancelTorres, a U.S. Navy veteran who attended the 2019 boot camp at Princeton. "The people I've met and the connections I made are valuable and irreplaceable."

WSP launched its first program at Yale University in 2012 with nine participants. Since then, WSP has expanded to encompass 20 of America's top schools and will serve 215 veterans at virtual academic boot camps in 2020. In addition to Yale University, WSP graduates have gone on to enroll at prestigious institutions including Cornell, Harvard, Georgetown, Dartmouth, Columbia, Princeton, and Stanford.

Each WSP boot camp is run by WSP staff with a team of WSP alumni student veterans and is taught by university professors and graduate students. An intensive syllabus guides participants as they learn how to frame their ideas in an academic context, think critically, and formulate scholarly arguments. WSP believes with the right educational support and access to top-tier universities, veterans can become the next generation of civic and business leaders.

To learn more about the Warrior-Scholar Project, visit www.warrior-scholar.org.

About Warrior-Scholar Project

Warrior-Scholar Project empowers enlisted veterans and service members to excel at four-year universities. Through intensive and immersive one- to two-week academic boot camps, participants gain skills required for success and support for the cultural shift from the military to higher education at top-tier schools. Throughout WSP's free resident education programs, students are traditionally housed on campus, and engage in challenging discussions with accomplished professors, receiving tailored instruction on key skills like analytical reading and college-level writing. 2020 academic boot camps follow a virtual version of this program due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Warrior-Scholar Project is a national nonprofit with programs at public and private colleges and universities across the country. For more information, visit www.warrior-scholar.org.
 

About Princeton University

Princeton University is a vibrant community of scholarship and learning that stands in the nation's service and the service of humanity. Chartered in 1746, Princeton is the fourth-oldest college in the United States. Princeton is an independent, coeducational, nondenominational institution that provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. As a world-renowned research university, Princeton seeks to achieve the highest levels of distinction in the discovery and transmission of knowledge and understanding. At the same time, Princeton is distinctive among research universities in its commitment to undergraduate teaching. Today, more than 1,100 faculty members instruct approximately 5,200 undergraduate students and 2,600 graduate students. The University's generous financial aid program ensures that talented students from all economic backgrounds can afford a Princeton education.