Below are the candidates for the 2025 Young Alumni Trustee election, in alphabetical order: Gil Joseph, Stephen Padlo and Ben Wachspress.

Candidates have agreed that they will not engage in any organized solicitation of votes during this primary election, nor will they ask any other student or organization to do so. 

Disclaimer
The role of a Young Alumni Trustee is to serve the long-term interests of the University as a member of the board, bringing to the role an important perspective informed by their recent experience as an undergraduate student. It is not to represent or advocate for a particular constituency or point of view. The views, information and opinions expressed by the candidates in their statements are solely their own. Further, the University does not undertake to verify or ensure the accuracy of the candidates’ statements.

Gil Joseph
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Major: Sociology; Certificate(s): Latin American Studies

Gil Joseph ’25 came to Princeton in search of belonging, and he has dedicated himself to finding it through cultivating that sense of community for others.

“From my earliest days on campus, I immersed myself in service — through student government, cultural organizations and institutional committees — to ensure that Princeton’s core values of belonging, access and rigorous learning were not just upheld, but expanded,” Joseph said.

A sociology major whose certificate will be in Latin American studies, Joseph arrived at Princeton during a period of crisis for his home country of Haiti. The University provided both an anchor and a platform for Joseph to give back to those most in need.

As president of the Class of 2025 for two years, he advocated for initiatives promoting extended housing, increased financial support and food access, especially for low-income international students. As co-president of the Princeton African Students Association, he organized cultural initiatives, including the Sankofa Fashion Show and the weeklong Colors of Africa cultural festival, and led efforts to expand mental health access. As a Residential College Adviser (Forbes College) and a member of the University’s Priorities Committee, his activities included working alongside administrators and ensuring that students’ needs were met.

“These experiences have equipped me with the skills of thoughtful listening, collaborative problem-solving and strategic advocacy — qualities I believe are essential to effective trusteeship,” Joseph said.

Joseph is an active member of L’Avant-Scène, Princeton’s French theater troupe, and Más Flow dance company, and he helped organize the Francophone Film Festival on campus. He also plays volleyball for Princeton’s men’s club team.

Before enrolling at Princeton, Joseph co-founded the Hector Foundation, a nonprofit that advances education for hundreds of Haitian youth affected by gang violence. At Princeton, he continued to expand its reach through a Nancy Weiss Malkeil Fellowship at the Pace Center. His dedication has led him to academic research in Brazil, where he interviewed Haitian migrants and collaborated with experts and nonprofits to gather insights on migration pathways throughout Latin America.

“I am running for Young Alumni Trustee because I believe our generation must step forward to protect what makes Princeton exceptional: its commitment to truth-seeking, equity and service to humanity,” Joseph said. “At a time when these values face unprecedented challenges, I am ready to champion bold, critical perspectives and help ensure that Princeton continues to prepare the next generation of global leaders.”

After graduation, Joseph will spend the summer with an immigration legal services nonprofit in New York, using his fluency in Haitian Creole, French and Spanish to assist asylum seekers. In the fall, he begins a master’s program at Stanford in international policy, concentrating on asylum, migration and refugee policy. His career goal is to pursue further studies in international migration and human rights law to help design policies rooted in human rights and global cooperation.

Stephen Padlo
Monroeville, NJ, USA
Major: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Pre-med)

A passion for service to community that prioritizes wellbeing and the voices of others, both on campus and beyond, inspires Stephen Padlo ’25 as a candidate for Young Alumni Trustee.

“My volunteer service in multiple worldwide communities, along with my small, public-school upbringing in rural Southern New Jersey, has put into perspective and built my cultural competence,” Padlo said. “I can effectively contribute to policy discussions which would affect current and potential students from all backgrounds.”

An ecology and evolutionary biology major, Padlo is from Monroeville, New Jersey. Beyond campus, Padlo’s service has included an internship for a nonprofit in Bangladesh supporting Rohingya refugees; volunteer work and palliative care in the Internal and Family Medicine unit of Victoria and Lady Michaelis Hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa; and volunteering with the Hungarian Red Cross to work with refugees from Ukraine.

At Princeton, he has served the Class of 2025 for four years as a class officer in the role of treasurer; and is a Residential College Adviser (Yeh College), a co-chair of both the 2025 Annual Giving Committee and the Prom Committee, a volunteer for the Outdoor Action Support Team and Orientation Welcome Committee, and a member of Princeton Student Events Committee.

As Annual Giving co-chair, Padlo helped lead his class to participate in the Annual Giving senior pledge, encouraging them to support student financial aid, LENS service internships, and teaching and research excellence. In addition to his role as treasurer for his class, he has pitched in with class outreach, social media and event programming. And as a Residential College Adviser in Yeh College, Padlo assists first-year students by finding them mental health support, planning weekly programming and providing academic guidance.

His work with his class as well as first-year students, Padlo says, has given him both a comprehensive perspective of the rapidly changing needs of the University and experience with making informed decisions. He is also motivated in his candidacy for Young Alumni Trustee to ensure preservation of “the University’s commitment to continue innovation, free inquiry and the discovery of new knowledge and new ideas when it is under threat,” he said.

Throughout all of his experiences as a student, Padlo says, “Princeton has instilled me with values of service, civic engagement and ethical leadership, all of which will positively inform my role if I have the honor of being elected as the next Young Alumni Trustee.”

Padlo’s main research focus in the Bridgett Von Holdt Lab is evolutionary medicine and immunology, and his senior thesis is focused on inflammatory bowel disease. After graduation, he plans to build his clinical experience and attend medical school. “I look forward to this period of my life where I will be able to invest more time to volunteer in various capacities and positively contribute to the community,” he said.

Ben Wachspress
Yardley, PA, USA
Major: Computer Science; Minor(s): Statistics and Machine Learning

For Ben Wachspress ’25, the role of a Young Alumni Trustee represents the ultimate act of service to the University after four years of loyal dedication and undergraduate leadership.

“As the 2025 class president, I made it my mission to connect students across all corners of campus — seeking creative ways to bring people together and create unlikely friendships,” Wachspress said. “I aim to bring a community-focused approach to the Board, seeking innovative ways to inspire collaboration, friendship and connectedness at Princeton.”

A computer science major from Yardley, Pennsylvania, whose minor will be in statistics and machine learning, Wachspress has dedicated time and energy to University service. In addition to participating in Undergraduate Student Government, he has also been a Residential College Adviser (New College), a fellow in the Writing Center and a member of the Class Affairs Committee for the Alumni Council.

Chairing the Senior Commencement Committee, Wachspress guided approximately 50 students, deans and administrators to organize traditions and events in a timely manner. As part of the Class Day Committee, he helped secure a speaker while managing logistics, food coordination and overall event planning.

“Often the only student in rooms with administrators and University leadership, I know how to move effectively within institutional spaces,” he said. “I have consistently used that seat to advocate for student needs, amplify underrepresented voices and champion community growth. I love Princeton and have a deep respect for its history and traditions, but I am excited to see how much better it can become — and I will put in the work to help it get there.”

Active in intramural volleyball and flag football, Wachspress has also been a research assistant in the departments of sociology and computer science, volunteered as a Jewish Community engagement intern and worked for the Class of 2004 at Reunions 2024.

“When I arrived at Princeton, it was the first time I felt not only accepted but valued for who I am,” Wachspress said. “This place has given me the confidence and safety to take risks, forge lifelong friendships and to explore my own identity. As a Young Alumni Trustee, I would listen carefully to all voices, weigh evidence with intention and strive to make decisions that reflect the values and needs of the entire Princeton community.”

Beyond campus, Wachspress spent a summer interning (PICS) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he developed a resource guide and video to help doctors enroll patients in a mobile health app. In another PICS summer internship with the Union Settlement Association in East Harlem, he analyzed qualitative success of after-school programs by surveying participants and group leaders and delivered an impact report that provided recommendations for improving student satisfaction and academic achievement.

After graduation, Wachspress will begin work as a business analysts in Washington, D.C., for Capital One, where he interned before his senior year.