PRINCETON, NJ – Growing up in a rural community, Atlantic Cape Community College rising sophomore and business major Jayed Sourov knew he always wanted to help people.
Today, thanks to his experiences as a first–year student at Atlantic Cape and his time this summer studying with the Princeton University Transfer Scholars Initiative (TSI) Program, Sourov remains committed to his goal and dream of creating a better future for students just like himself.
Born in 2003, Sourov never envisioned that a world of possibilities would open for him. Those from the rural community where he was raised who have managed to receive an education left home for neighboring big cities and greater opportunities. When Sourov moved to Egg Harbor Township, he was unsure if he should immediately search for a job or enroll in college to continue his studies. He chose the latter and it has changed everything in his life for the better.
From the outset of his studies at Atlantic Cape during the Fall 2025 Semester, Sourov decided to take an active on–campus role in the College’s Student Government Association. As club coordinator, he was in charge of overseeing all other student clubs and their activities across the campus. With his infectious can–do attitude, tireless work ethic and enthusiasm, Sourov was able to land a role as a work study intern in the College’s Marketing and College Relations department. Then, in acknowledgment of his academic successes during his freshman year, Sourov was nominated by Atlantic Cape Professor of English Rich Russell for this summer’s Princeton University TSI Program.
Now in its fourth year of existence in 2026, the TSI is a summer program for community college students on the university’s Princeton campus. In collaboration with 11 New Jersey community college partners, Princeton this year hosted a talented cohort of 50 students from across the state between June 28 and August 14. Part of the TSI mission is to support high-achieving community college students who are interested in transferring to selective four-year schools.
This summer marked the second year that Atlantic Cape has participated in the TSI Program. In 2025, four Atlantic Cape students — Kenya Cruz Antonio, Jade Phomsouvanh, Amanda Sanchez and Roman Segov — took part in the program.
Sourov and his TSI classmates were enrolled in an eight-week, three-credit, on–campus Qualitative Writing (WRI 100) Princeton course along with a non–credit Transfer Success course. During this time, students had the opportunity to engage with other Princeton faculty, students, and summer programs, while having access to campus resources comparable to Princeton undergraduates.
“When I got the invitation that I was accepted into the TSI program, I was super happy to know that I am one of those students who actually can go to Princeton, take a Princeton accredited class and receive a Princeton transcript,” said Sourov during a recent interview with Atlantic Cape’s Marketing and College Relations team. “When I first came here to Princeton, my thought actually expanded, because the TSI not only focuses on your writing, but it also gives you an idea about which college or university may be a good fit for you. They guide you through the whole transfer process.”
Sourov’s Qualitative Writing class taught him how to compose an argumentative paper, how to form a thesis and consider motives. He also learned how to do humanities and social science writing.
“It's an argumentative class, so we had to present three assignments based on our argumentative writing. One is a five–page assignment on an object from the Princeton exhibition of the Revolutionary War. The second one was a 10–page case study on anything that's related to Princeton while the third assignment was on our academic major and what kind of research that could be done in that major,” said Sourov.
Initially, he found the assignment process to be quite overwhelming. He doubted his ability and questioned his place in the TSI before realizing that he and the rest of his cohort classmates were all experiencing similar challenges.
“Before starting the TSI, I thought, I'm going to knock it out. I'm a 4.0 student, so it's going to be nothing for me. I would just make a claim, provide easy evidence and everything would be fine, but here at Princeton, I had to prove why it's good, why my claim provides evidence and I had to provide the evidence against my claim,” admitted Sourov. “The course work here builds your mindset towards asking questions, such as why is it there? why you're doing this? If I write a sentence in an essay, my professor asks me why did you write it so? What's the purpose of it?”
During his time in the TSI program, Sourov learned that conducting research is the lifeblood of an intense Princeton education. The campus’ 10 libraries offer students unprecedented access to a treasure trove of source material, historical documents and scholarly works.
“As an Ivy League school, Princeton is very focused on extensive research. The Firestone Library is one of the best places, I think, for a student to conduct research and visit because it has special collections from all over the world. Anything you want to know about or are really genuinely interested in, they will help you to find it,” said Sourov. “As a member of the TSI, we're treated as a Princeton student, so we can go into these special libraries. Students also get help in their text labs and writing assistants from stating your argument to how to outline your essays.”
His second class was a non–credit Transfer Success course that acts as a workshop where students talk about their transfer goals with representatives from various universities, such as Rutgers, Northwestern, Yale, MIT and many more.
Sourov and his 49 other TSI classmates leaned on one another for advice and to learn from each other’s experiences. The TSI program divided the cohort into four seminar-style classes, each with nearly a dozen students to promote a more personal and intensive learning environment complete with group discussions in and out of the classroom.
Upon completion of the TSI, Sourov received a Princeton University transcript, which will give these students the prestige of an ivy league education to add to their burgeoning list of academic achievements.
As he prepares to begin his second year at Atlantic Cape on August 31, Sourov, who is the incoming Student Government Association president for the 2026-27 academic year, states that his TSI experience has given him a burst of intellectual stimulation and boundless waves of newly–found confidence.
“The TSI has given me the confidence that I can achieve something that I had never thought possible.”
Considering himself fortunate for this opportunity, Sourov believes that education should be for everyone; that no matter if someone is burdened by society, family, or any pressures they're feeling, education should be a necessity.
“Everybody should have the right to an education. You shouldn't need to decide whether to pursue education or just work for family.”
Sourov hopes to one day create a program for students, just like himself, who want to prove they are worthy of the opportunity to succeed.
“The one thing that I've learned is that if you work hard, you will get opportunities. If you work on yourself, you will get those opportunities and it will allow you to help other people.”
Watch the full video from Sourov’s interview on YouTube at https://youtube.com/shorts/SzFmmLV3qdE?si=acGEZXDsZVliKvU0.
For more information on the Princeton University Transfer Scholars Initiative Program, please visit tsi-ebcao.princeton.edu/.
To register for the upcoming Atlantic Cape Fall Semester, please visit atlanticcape.edu/register.
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About Atlantic Cape Community College
Established in 1964, Atlantic Cape Community College is a Middle States-accredited, Hispanic-serving institution proudly serving the residents of Atlantic and Cape May counties. As a comprehensive, two-year community college, Atlantic Cape offers more than 50 undergraduate degree programs and 34 certificate and workforce development professional series programs at its Mays Landing, Atlantic City, and Cape May campuses. Atlantic Cape is home to the renowned Academy of Culinary Arts, rated the top culinary school in New Jersey, and to its highly acclaimed Nursing program for more than 60 years. Atlantic Cape also partners with more than 30 colleges and four-year universities to offer students the opportunity to seamlessly earn a bachelor’s degree upon graduation.
