Diplomatic, Optimistic, Voter
Like many Tigers, Josh Faires has a special place in his heart for Princeton. Yet varied antiquated attitudes towards queer and first-generation, low-income (FGLI) identities provided unique challenges to making Princeton home. While their family navigated their homo/transphobic perspectives, Faires found college’s unique environment an incubator for developing their own identity. Communities of respect and mentorship fueled their advocacy for institutional support and visibility for queer and FGLI scholars. Since serving as vice president of the Pride Alliance in 2016, they worked to create queer spaces of joy and celebration on campus. Faires has been a drag queen advocate, utilizing their performances to register voters, mobilize our community against anti-queer policies and safeguard equitable, democratic and secular governance. They also urge community participation in challenging conversations around institutional ethics, such as endowment investment policies.
Faires oversees Yale College’s FGLI Thrive Peer Mentorship Program, a student-staffed, administratively guided community for first-generation, low-income undergrads. Managing over 70 student mentors, they aid in directing the primary programming for Yale’s FGLI undergraduates, designing weekly peer mentorship discussions and varied workshops focused on unveiling Yale’s hidden curriculum. With extensive experience gained at Princeton as a student, staff member and inaugural Nassau Fellowship cohort member, Faires is responsible for creating innovative programs for FGLI students that prioritize academic empowerment, mental health, well-being and novel peer mentorship strategies. Their mantra is “Queen of all trades, fear of none.”