Belonging at Yale - My Story

    Each member of our community—Yale students, faculty, staff, and alumni—has a story to tell, one more fascinating than the next. We invite the Yale community to tell their stories by reflecting on a time when they did or did not feel like they belonged, either at Yale or in the world. Our editorial team will select the stories and apply some light editing when needed. We will then post the stories in a “story map” as a way of promoting understanding and creating a community of belonging at Yale. Please explore the story map and add your own narrative to this new digital library.

    Go to My Story Map

    Watch the Second “My Story” Event

    The second in Yale’s My Story event series is a Zoom conversation led by Jordan Colbert, associate director of Yale Student Accessibility Services, with staff member Daniel Cress and graduate student Ayra Singh (YC ’22). Hear their stories as they discuss disability awareness in the context of their own lives with candor and generosity of spirit.

    Please note: To turn on closed captioning, click on the “cc” button at bottom right, and then click on: “English (United States) CC“.

    Featured Participants

    • Daniel Cress: Daniel is the co-chair of the DiversAbility at Yale (DAY) affinity group and Director of Marketing at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and Yale Repertory Theatre. Daniel has been an active member of Yale’s affinity groups for faculty and staff and helped support the launch of DAY in June of 2016.
    • Arya Singh: Arya is a current second-year MPH student at the School of Public Health and just completed her undergraduate degree at Yale in the History of Science, Medicine and Public Health. Arya currently serves on the New Haven Commission of Disabilities, is an undergraduate Teaching Assistant, and author of the children’s book “Courageous Calla and the Clinical Trial“.

    How to Get Involved

    Consider joining the DiversAbility at Yale (DAY) affinity group or any of the other affinity groups on campus.

    Lend your authentic voice and story to Yale’s My Story map, a new digital library of narratives by faculty, staff, students, and alumni who have all reflected on a time when they felt like they did or did not belong at Yale or in the world. The university would love to hear from you.

    Watch the Inaugural “My Story” Event

    Have you ever looked around campus and seen someone and thought to yourself, ‘What’s their story?’ On Wednesday, March 8, 2022, Kimberly Goff-Crews, secretary, and vice president for university life at Yale, led a discussion with four members of the Yale community.

    The online event was well attended (over 270 community members) and well received with one staff member remarking that the conversation reinforced the notion that, “no matter what [a person’s] views, socio-economic status, race, gender, or religious beliefs are, they have a place at Yale and belong here and in our world.”

    Featured Participants

    • Bayan Galal (YC '23) is a Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Global Affairs double major on the pre-med track. She is interested in pursuing the intersection between healthcare access and international development, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. She also serves as the president of the Yale College Council.
    • Larry Gladney joined Yale as Professor of Physics and Phyllis A. Wallace dean of Diversity and Faculty Development in January 2019. His research focuses on the intersection of experimental particle physics and cosmology, where he attempts to understand the origins of and fundamental connections between matter, energy, space, and time.
    • Canaan Harris ('20) studied Global Affairs as an undergraduate at Yale. He now serves as education program manager for the Global Teaching Project, which works with Mississippi school districts to provide AP STEM classes to the state's top rural students.
    • Cayetana Navarro (she/her or they/them) joined the Yale School of Medicine's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in June of 2021 as the inaugural program manager. In this role, she helps guide existing projects and supports the development and implementation of new ones that foster a diverse and inclusive department.