YYGS peers were engaged both during and outside of class time. We truly had the opportunity to connect with students worldwide. I made lots of good friends. We chat about things from random hobbies, music, and movies, to deeper topics about politics and values. Some of them shared similar ideas as I did, and some didn’t. Regardless of our previous views, we had a safe place to discuss (and perhaps some debate) without fearing judgment.
Thanks to YYGS, I was able to explore STEM from a wide range of lenses and gain practical experience with tools I would never have thought of. In this process, I learned how to balance my various academic pursuits in science, the arts, and beyond.
The most profound effect of YYGS was how it changed the way I think about politics and how it helped me build awareness of the impact it has on wider economic strategies and legislation, encouraging me to become more engaged in seeking to make a difference in the world.
Seminars were undoubtedly the most memorable aspect of my YYGS experience. Not only was the discussion they fostered incredibly engaging, but the opportunity to connect with my instructor and peers rewarded me with new perspectives. The seminar, “So Why Do We Care about Art Anyway? Or, How Can We Create Transformation” made for an interesting conversation that covered topics such as the goals of contemporary art and its relation to philosophy.
Accustomed to my small and familiar classroom for years, at YYGS I was thrown out of my comfort zone. Differently from what was idealized for me, whenever I was determined to contribute in some way to the discussions or give my opinion on a topic, my hands trembled as I unmuted the microphone: will they think I’m stupid by what I say?
I can list all the things I enjoyed most about the Yale Young Global Scholars in an organized list, but the family times filled me with the motivation I needed to enjoy the lectures that were to follow. It’s amazing how we managed to make that moment intimate and lasting in two weeks. Sharing our insights about our lectures generated an atmosphere of academic and sentimental exchange that brought the real “magic” of being YYGS.
When going into YYGS, I was sure of one thing: I wanted to steer clear of coding. This wasn’t just in regard to the program, I generally had no interest in programming and almost resented how widespread it had become in the scientific community. When I saw that I was signed up for a coding seminar, I was a bit displeased but realized that this seminar was probably the best way for me to truly determine my stance on coding.
I am still in touch with the members of my family group and I have learned amazing amounts about the world from them. They also helped me better understand and explore the potential of the lecture content, especially once when we went overtime in breakout groups discussing increasingly complicated trolley problems.
It is so interesting to see and listen to different perspectives from different places around the world about topics, for example political movement through music or political discussions in social media. I learned to listen to the other, how to arrange my arguments, and to think more critically. Also, I believe, having participated in YYGS, the future can be better.
The lectures and seminars of all kinds that I attended were just one of the aspects that made the course more notable and stand out from others. With different, reputable professors all extremely knowledgeable on their respective topics of research or discussion, I was able to truly experience a vast amount of information from a variety of esteemed academics. YYGS has definitely changed me and has allowed me to expand my interests and passions.
