Arthur Acuna, a first-generation college student who grew up in Las Vegas, fell in love with Dostoevsky in high school and came to Princeton with an interest in five different majors including English. He landed on chemical and biological engineering, but also went deep into the humanities, leaving room every semester to take courses in classics, creative writing, philosophy and religion.
“Getting to exercise my left brain and right brain — the side that values logic and correct answers and the side that grapples with beauty and human complexity — is a real gift of freedom. It’s like being able to breathe with both of my lungs,” said Acuna, a 2023 graduate.
Acuna’s undergraduate experience was not only shaped by labs and problem sets but also steeped in the arts and humanities — and he…
