“To tell you the truth,” says Patricia Fossas ’03, “I had never heard of Princeton before I applied.”

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Fossas had not spent much time in the continental United States. Not until an older girl from her high school told her about Princeton did she even think about applying to an Ivy League school.

Fossas stepped onto campus for the first time only days before the start of classes. “I felt a little bit lost at first,” she remembers. “I had never really lived in the States before.”

She also felt some trepidation when she first walked into her dorm: “I had six roommates and they were all American,” says Fossas, who was afraid they wouldn’t find common ground. Her fear lasted about 30 seconds. “To this day, five of them are my best friends,” she laughs.

Eager to connect with other Hispanic students, Fossas joined Acción Puertorriqueña y Amigos, a Puerto Rican student organization, during her freshman year. She later became the organization’s social chair and chaired the organization during her sophomore and junior years. She also went on to chair the committee that organizes Latino Heritage Month, helping set up popular campuswide events like the annual salsa party during the on-campus hosting program for admitted students, held each April.

Princeton’s financial aid package was a big reason that Fossas even considered going somewhere so far away. Even better, the "no loan" program began during her sophomore year, meaning she would graduate with no school loans to pay back.

“I will forever be grateful to Princeton for how much they helped me out as a student,” she says. “It’s been a blessing.”

While earning her bachelor's degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs with a certificate in French, Fossas took advantage of Princeton’s excellent summer abroad opportunities. She spent one summer in Paris through Princeton in France working at an upscale crystal company, which Fossas says is “not as glamorous as it sounds.” She spent another summer in Madrid through an internship with a nongovernmental organization arranged by Princeton’s International Internship Program.

Fossas went on to study law at Columbia Law School, where she earned her J.D. in May 2006. Fossas is now an associate in the corporate department of New York-based law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell.

For a school and a world that was once alien to her, Princeton has made a believer of Fossas. “At Princeton, you get people from all over the world coming not only to attend and teach classes, but to speak at different events,” she says. “For every taste, preference, ethnic group, background, you can always find a community for yourself there.”