The annual Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni (APGA) Teaching Awards are sponsored by graduate alumni and are selected by Dean of the Graduate School William Russel. All will be honored at the APGA’s Tribute to Teaching Reception on Saturday, June 2. Each winner will receive $1,000.
Iwa Nawrocki received her joint bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy from McGill University in 2007 before coming to Princeton to study global and transnational history, with a focus on modern Latin America and Eastern Europe. Nawrocki is being honored for her assistance in teaching “A History of the World Since 1300” under the guidance of Jeremy Adelman, the Walter Samuel Carpenter III Professor in Spanish Civilization and Culture and professor of history. In nominating Nawrocki, Adelman noted her ability to engage the wide variety of students enrolled in the expansive course. “Getting students motivated and involved requires energy, devotion and an ability to range widely without being superficial. Iwa has all three,” Adelman wrote. He commented on the exceptionally high course evaluations and compliments Nawrocki received from her students, writing, “Consider the keywords of her students: engaging, comfortable, thoughtful, clarifying, kind, helpful, encouraging. … Exactly the vocabulary one wants to see in one’s teaching assistant, Iwa delivers.” One student, describing her dedication to teaching, wrote that Nawrocki “let me know when my initial work was not up to par, and she showed me what she expected of me in her class. Through her teaching I learned how to write an A-level history paper, and I feel very prepared for any history class to come.” Nawrocki expects to complete her Ph.D. in 2015.