Yale Young Global Scholars Program

This summer I attended the Yale Young Global Program’s International Affairs and Security session at Yale University for two weeks. YYGS is an academic opportunity for high school students who are interested in delving deeper into their areas of interest, whether it be politics, philosophy, economics, or sciences.

I walked into Saybrook College, my residence hall during my stay at Yale, with mixed emotions because the thought of going to an Ivy League school was daunting. I was scared that I would not fit in or not be able to engage in the academic discussions. But it did not take long for those fears to fade away. YYGS was such an amazing, exciting, and profound experience. It was more engaging, challenging, and interesting than any class I had ever taken. It really challenged my views and gave me insights on so many things that I never knew. For example, we were discussing national security and privacy, and I learned the ways in which the US government can obtain an electronic surveillance -- also known as wiretaps -- on US citizens and how this process differs from the electronic surveillance used for foreign intelligence purposes.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to gain new perspectives and learn more about the issues that I care about. What made YYGS so exciting, vibrant, and engaging was definitely the community. Everyone at YYGS is so motivated and ready to change the world in some way. I had some intense intellectual engagement and conversations -- whether it was in our discussion sessions and seminars, in the dining hall, or in our dorms -- with my peers because of our willingness to inform our views and better understand the world we live in. I loved hearing everyone’s perspective on international, global, political conflicts, and it was so inspiring to see like-minded students at YYGS. Yale helped me break out of my comfort zone and made me a better critical thinker.

The YYGS schedule was packed with seminars, lectures, capstone project sessions, and other fun activities. A typical day at YYGS would start with a lecture at 8 am taught by internationally acclaimed Yale professors. The lectures were on a variety of important topics such as cyber warfare, climate change, electronic surveillance and privacy, and so on. After morning lectures, we were split into small groups where we would discuss the lecture and address any questions on the topic. Afterwards, we would get together with our family groups and relax, have fun and reflect on our day. We would then attend our seminars that were focused on topics related to international affairs. My favorite seminar was @realdonaltrump: Donald Trump’s Presidency on Twitter. Tsedenia, our facilitator for the session, made the course engaging and fun.

After our seminars, we would walk over to one of Yale’s award-winning dining halls for dinner. Dinner was a great chance for me to socialize with people from all around the world and, of course, enjoy the delicious food. After dinner, we had our Capstone Project, one of the most important components of the YYGS experience. The Capstone Project is basically a mini-version of Yale’s undergraduate senior thesis where we would spend two weeks researching a topic of international affairs and do a 15-minute presentation as the final product of our research.

Our research topic was about how the British imperialism manifested colorism in modern day India, specifically as seen in skin whitening cream ‘Fair and Lovely’. My colleagues in the group - Ayanda, Ishika, and Betty - brought informed views and enlightened insights that elevated the quality of our concepts. I grew up in Pakistan where colorism is a customary practice perpetuated by cultural believes and the mainstream media. I never thought in my life that I would end up learning so much about something that I have subconsciously experienced in the past. After our capstone project session, we had two hours of free time. I took this opportunity to spend time with my friends at the Saybrook Courtyard, explore New Haven, or work on my Capstone Project.

YYGS was one of the most diverse programs I have ever attended. There was a large spectrum of people attending the International Affairs and Security session. More than 120 countries and 47 U.S. states were represented with 44% international students. My suite mates were from Russia, Costa Rica, and Washington, D.C. Living with people from all around the world for an extensive summer program was an unforgettable experience.

Participating in fruitful discussions, engaging in stimulating seminars, listening to controversial opinions, spending ‘family time’ with people of different background, exploring new academic interests while being among some of the world’s most intellectually curious, passionate, and inspiring individuals is what YYGS is all about. I entered YYGS not knowing a single person, but made some very genuine friends in the blink of an eye, and left with a heart full of memories. YYGS was an incredibly life-changing, eye-opening, and instructive program, and I am forever grateful for all the talented people I met, and for all the knowledge I gained in those two amazing weeks of my life.