INSPIRING PEOPLE FROM INSPIRING COLLEGES

Carlo Frem is attending a one-year program at the Imperial College Business School in London where he is earning a degree in management and digital business research and strategies.

Frem, who came to Princeton from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was a bit nervous about moving halfway across the globe to attend the University. “I didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “I was worried there would be nothing interesting to do and that I’d have a hard time making friends or fitting in.”

His initial fears were unfounded. “I liked the lifestyle in Princeton. The intimate atmosphere made it easy to socialize and explore all sorts of extracurricular activities,” he says.

Another surprise for Frem, who concentrated in psychology and pursued a certificate in neuroscience, was how approachable his professors were. “When I first came to Princeton, I had this idea that the professors would all be very busy and wouldn’t have much time for students,” he says. “At Princeton, professors go the extra mile to be available to students.”

A talented dancer, Frem experienced a stroke of luck during his first visit to campus. “It was very early in the morning so I decided to wander around campus a bit,” he recalls. “I saw a banner advertising a diSiac Dance Company performance. I asked everyone I ran into where I could find their dance studio.” When he found the group, it was holding a rehearsal, and Frem was encouraged to audition. “Everyone was so welcoming and friendly; I knew right away that I wanted to join the company.” Frem eventually became artistic director for diSiac and thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of his fellow dancers and performing.

Frem also served as one of the artistic directors for Princeton’s Black Arts Company (BAC) and was responsible for casting shows and directing the company’s creative vision.

If you ever talk to Sasha Baker ’06 about her four years at Princeton, don’t be surprised if she gets immediately nostalgic, especially when you get to the part about The Princeton Paws, the pom-pom dance squad she co-founded and co-captained for two years.

Baker got a call the other day from the new captain saying the team had been invited to dance at a Philadelphia 76ers game. “A tear came to my eye,” she admits with a laugh. “I really wish I was there.”

Baker now lives in Chicago where she’s interning at Mount Sinai Hospital. The job is funded in part by a fellowship from Alumni Corps, a program that helps recent Princeton graduates find worthwhile service projects in communities across the country. The fellowship is a perfect mix of community service and on-the-job experience for Baker, a molecular biology major.

Baker recently worked the Princeton booth at a college fair in Chicago, where several prospective students asked her what the “foundation” of her Princeton experience had been. Beyond the classes and the professors and the clubs, Baker boiled it down to one simple thing: her best friend.

Sarah Lyman was Baker’s freshman roommate. On paper, they couldn’t be more different. Baker is the daughter of West Indian immigrants and Lyman can trace her family tree back to the Mayflower. These two bonded quickly and permanently.

When Baker co-founded the Princeton Caribbean Connection, the first student organization for students of Caribbean descent, Lyman came to every event and meeting. When Lyman went out for the crew team, Baker was there for every race.

On top of all the support of her best friend, Baker feels she received just as much encouragement from the Princeton faculty and administration. When she approached the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students with the idea of an annual event to inaugurate the birth of a club for Caribbean students, they gave her a check for $1,200 and said, “Make it happen!” Now the annual Carnival they put on is one of the biggest campus events of the season, lasting three days and drawing revelers from schools all over the Northeast.

“Princeton is full of tradition in many ways, but it’s also an excellent place for growth,” says Baker. “It’s the kind of place where you can really feel free to expand your mind, look for what will enhance everyone else’s experience and just go for it.”

Inspiration. I am feeling it.