Dominque Reese ’06
Dominique Reese ’06 says she’s living proof that after-school programs work. Reese, who attended Crenshaw High School in South Central Los Angeles, took part in the Riordan Scholars Program offered through the UCLA Anderson School of Management. It was there that a fellow program participant, Edward Shelton ’05, first told her about Princeton.
“He encouraged me to apply and that was that,” says Reese, who was accepted at eight of the country’s top universities, but says she chose Princeton because of its remarkable "no loan" financial aid program. “None of the other schools could beat Princeton’s financial aid package,” she says.
Once at Princeton, Reese followed her nose for business by becoming an economics major, and she never forgot the impact that after-school programs had made on her life. Then she met Jean Baldwin Grossman, a professor in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs who is an expert on after-school and youth-mentoring programs for disadvantaged youth.
With Grossman as her adviser, Reese put her dual passions to work, writing her senior thesis on the effects of after-school programs on graduation outcome and community-service participation, while also analyzing the economic implications of such programs for society at large.
While at Princeton, Reese became one of the first coordinators of the Black Student Union’s Leadership and Mentoring Program (LAMP).
Reese describes LAMP as “assisting students of color with their transition to college, pairing incoming freshmen with mentors, either juniors or seniors, and providing programming throughout the year, preparing them mentally, academically, personally and socially.”
Now that the program has become a proven success, Reese believes it’s a tremendous asset for the University. “Although all universities have challenges that incoming students will face, in an unique environment like Princeton’s, LAMP serves as a tool that the students, as well as the University, can holistically use to conquer those challenges, if not circumvent them altogether.”
While she was at Princeton, Reese was also director of the Black Arts Company, a campus dance troupe that explores the varied dance traditions of the African diaspora. “Programs like this are part of what makes Princeton special," says Reese, "because they allow students to express themselves creatively and socially while enjoying the best academic experience in the country."
Reese currently works for Merrill Lynch in Hopewell, New Jersey, where she’s an analyst in Global Wealth Management Marketing, Brand & Advertising group.
“He encouraged me to apply and that was that,” says Reese, who was accepted at eight of the country’s top universities, but says she chose Princeton because of its remarkable "no loan" financial aid program. “None of the other schools could beat Princeton’s financial aid package,” she says.
Once at Princeton, Reese followed her nose for business by becoming an economics major, and she never forgot the impact that after-school programs had made on her life. Then she met Jean Baldwin Grossman, a professor in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs who is an expert on after-school and youth-mentoring programs for disadvantaged youth.
With Grossman as her adviser, Reese put her dual passions to work, writing her senior thesis on the effects of after-school programs on graduation outcome and community-service participation, while also analyzing the economic implications of such programs for society at large.
While at Princeton, Reese became one of the first coordinators of the Black Student Union’s Leadership and Mentoring Program (LAMP).
Reese describes LAMP as “assisting students of color with their transition to college, pairing incoming freshmen with mentors, either juniors or seniors, and providing programming throughout the year, preparing them mentally, academically, personally and socially.”
Now that the program has become a proven success, Reese believes it’s a tremendous asset for the University. “Although all universities have challenges that incoming students will face, in an unique environment like Princeton’s, LAMP serves as a tool that the students, as well as the University, can holistically use to conquer those challenges, if not circumvent them altogether.”
While she was at Princeton, Reese was also director of the Black Arts Company, a campus dance troupe that explores the varied dance traditions of the African diaspora. “Programs like this are part of what makes Princeton special," says Reese, "because they allow students to express themselves creatively and socially while enjoying the best academic experience in the country."
Reese currently works for Merrill Lynch in Hopewell, New Jersey, where she’s an analyst in Global Wealth Management Marketing, Brand & Advertising group.