‘Explore! Take risks!’

Cynthia Paces, W’92, is a professor at the College of New Jersey and an expert on Central Europe, particularly Prague. She was introduced to the city during a summer study abroad as a University of Richmond student.

When Amy Ogle, ’26, interviewed Paces for a profile highlighting her new history of Prague, she also asked Paces to take the Spider Questionnaire. Here’s what Paces said. 

Q: What’s the best thing to happen to you in the last few years?
A: Publishing my book, Prague: The Heart of Europe.

Q: At this point in your life, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
A: Be kind. Treat others with dignity.

Q: What makes you optimistic?
A: My students! It’s always inspiring to see younger people developing interests and self-confidence.

Q: What’s something you’ve held onto since college?
A: As a professor, I try to emulate the mentoring and support I received from my UR professors.

Q: What’s something you’ve had to learn the hard way?
A: Self-reliance.

Q: What’s your advice for students on campus today?
A: Explore! Take risks! I always think about the pottery wheel-throwing class I took at Richmond because I was truly terrible, but I had fun and gained an appreciation for artistic challenges. Also, study abroad — it changed my life when I was a student at UR.

Q: What’s the most surprising place you’ve ever run into another Spider?
A: My next-door neighbor!

Q: What does being a Spider mean to you?
A: I am proud at how the university has changed since I was a student. It’s more diverse, and it has a global outlook.

Q: What’s one thing you’ve learned not to worry about?
A: Trying new things.

Q: What is something about yourself or the world that you hope is different in 10 years?
A: I want the world to be more tolerant. I have written about the rise of nationalism and populism, and it’s scary to witness its manifestation throughout the world today.