Written by
Christine Shin '25 and Isabella Gomes '25, Student Correspondents
Feb. 25, 2022

At Princeton University, service is about responding to the needs in the world around you. But how does one do so in responsible ways? And how does it connect to each person’s own academic journey? 

Service Focus aims to help answer these questions. Service Focus is a program aimed at creating a community of students interested in building connections between service and their Princeton experience. In Service Focus, students engage in service-related coursework, join close-knit peer groups mentored by faculty, and receive support for summer service internships. 

"Service Focus was created because students would say it's hard to link together the different parts of their experiences at Princeton,” said Meg Rooney, Service Focus program coordinator. “It serves to bridge course work and academic opportunities with civic engagement.” 

During winter recess, students had the opportunity to apply for Winter Grants to fund personal service projects developed throughout December and January. These projects were often inspired by students’ internships, courses, and cohorts, and sought to fill existing community needs. Sophomores Jiyoun Roh and Nathan Shin were two of this winter’s 22 grant recipients. 

Health and Care

“Service Focus gives me a medium through which I can carry what I learn in classes to serve the community around me,” said Roh.

Roh is a member of the Health and Care cohort, which currently partners with the Jefferson Health Design Lab to identify emergent community needs, document important aspects of an innovative approach to COVID-19 vaccination, and shape more responsive and accessible health interventions. 

With her Winter Grant, Roh developed a project to research and publish a nationally accessible online resource guide for disabled Asian-Americans. In the guide there are spotlights on disabled Asian change-makers, starter guides for advocacy, tips for allies to support, and more. She worked in collaboration with Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI), a nonprofit that aims to uplift disabled Asian-American voices.

While meeting biweekly with her Health and Care cohort, Roh discusses pressing issues in the healthcare system. Members prepare themselves to serve within the healthcare sector. From her Winter Grant experience, she was able to more effectively utilize the care that she has for the disabled Asian-American community. She has learned to be a better ally and will continue advocacy, another form of service, into the future. For Roh, Service Focus allows her to apply what she learns in the classroom to serve her community and create real-world impact. 

Public Interest Technology

“For an international student like me, it's also a chance to learn more about the community that I have joined for the next few years,” said Shin.

Shin sees Service Focus as a continuation of his service experience in high school. He is a member of the Public Interest Technology cohort and worked with a non-profit organization called Share My Meals. The non-profit works against food insecurity in the Princeton area and acts as a mobile food bank. 

In his role, Shin addressed food insecurity in the Princeton area by updating their website and working on various web development/multimedia related tasks. He is also assisting them in their mailing list and improving their volunteer sign-up portal.

Specific to this winter break project, he didn't have a web development background but wanted to learn, so he taught himself some skills for the job. From his Service Focus experience, Shin has gained more confidence in his ability to pick up new skills and share them with others. By interacting with other organizations, receiving and providing feedback, he has learned the value of projects that are interactive and collaborative. Service Focus challenges Shin to become more empathetic while gaining a greater understanding of his environment. 

About the Program

Service Focus is a program in collaboration with the Office of the Dean of the College, the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life, and the Pace Center for Civic Engagement. The program provides a venue for Princeton undergraduates to serve their community by grouping sophomore students into cohorts based on a topic of interest. 

Past cohorts include Education & Access; Race, Migration and Belonging; Civil Society; Public Interest Technology and more. Depending on the year and cohort, students have the opportunity to participate in various activities, such as field trips and discussions with field experts. 

This semester, the program aims to recruit more students to continue intertwining their Princeton experience with civic engagement. Through Service Focus, students "create an umbrella and community over all the opportunities at Princeton," said Rooney so that they can "pursue change, [even with] their busy schedule.” 

The priority deadline for first-year students to apply is February 28. After the priority deadline, applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis. To learn more visit focus.princeton.edu