At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when Yale students were all told not to return to campus for the rest of the spring semester, a group of students — many of whom were first-generation, low-income students — were fighting for Yale to implement the Pass/Fail grading system. However, there was a decent amount of pushback from students who either didn’t understand or chose not to empathize with the FGLI students who didn’t have access to stable Wifi, stable homes, or the resources to continue on normally with the semester — students who needed P/F. When Yale did finally implement the P/F grading system, someone on an anonymous social media platform sarcastically posted, “Congrats poor people.” 

This blatant ignorance was neither new nor simply a product of the pandemic. This incident highlighted what many FGLI students already know — being FGLI at Yale is a constant, never-ending struggle.

For many FGLI students, the first hurdle is the culture shock. I know this because my life is a drastic departure from the life that is typically lived at Yale. During a large part of my childhood, I lived in a one-bedroom apartment in New York City’s Chinatown with my parents and older sister. Moving to a two-bedroom public housing apartment in Brooklyn was, therefore, a pretty sweet deal. Throughout my schooling, I was used to not being as rich as my peers, even though people’s income backgrounds were rarely obvious at public school. While some of my friends went on ski trips, took piano lessons and traveled for every school break, my family and most others in my community could not afford these luxuries. I knew that we were “low-income,” but I figured the difference between me and my peers wasn’t very large. My family and I were always able to live within our means, and we were usually able to save enough money to go on short vacations at least once a year. 

Then, I came to Yale and realized that I wasn’t just low-income. I was POOR. 

At Yale, some don’t need financial aid to pay for the annual cost of attendance at — which, in all honesty, is over four times my parents’ annual income. Some are a part of the most powerful and wealthy families in the world. Some have buildings at Yale named after them. Here, student’s parents would rent luxurious off-campus places for them to live in because they were unsatisfied with the dorms. I was entering a completely new world that most people back home will never experience.

It’s a constant struggle adjusting to a place like Yale. 

My FGLI friends and I often discuss a form of anxiety we all share — the anxiety we feel whenever we spend money. Growing up, I used to price match different groceries at different stores and only bought from the cheapest supermarket. It was a stark difference from some of our friends at Yale who didn’t think it was unreasonable for a sweater to cost $100. It was hard not to compare myself to those with more financial liberty and not to feel ashamed about my upbringing.

Despite these constant struggles and frustrations, I learned that even at a place like Yale, I was far from alone with my FGLI identity. The number of FGLI students at Yale continues to grow each year and there are numerous resources to uplift FGLI students, from Safety Net to the Career Closet. One of my most cherished memories at Yale thus far was the dinner hosted by “The Community Initiative,” an administration effort formed a few years ago to empower FGLI student leaders to enact change. Sitting in a room full of other FGLI students and hearing administrators outline all of the resources they were launching for us was the first time I truly felt at home at Yale.

As I got more involved in student organizations such as the Yale Quest Scholars Network (Yale’s QuestBridge Chapter) and the YFAM-Yale FGLI Advocacy Movement, I was able to bond with other FGLI students and feel empowered to work on projects that advocate for expansion of FGLI resources. In YFAM, we hosted Yale’s very first FGLI Town Hall to bring students together and brainstorm changes we want to see, and launched Yale’s very first FGLI student-faculty mentorship program to pair FGLI faculty with FGLI students. Being the co-president of YFAM for a year has shown me that being FGLI at Yale might mean that we struggle, but that doesn’t mean we have to be helpless or hopeless in that struggle. 

Incoming FGLI students, here is my message to you. You will have support here. You will have a community here. You will not be alone even if you experience bouts of imposter syndrome. Lean into your FGLI identity and lean on the community. Get involved with these student organizations — you might find some of your closest friends there. (I did.) 

To be completely honest, I still struggle with my FGLI identity. I don’t think those frustrations will ever go away — neither at Yale nor after. Over time, however, I am learning how to better navigate those feelings — so will you. Perhaps you might even be empowered to fight for the FGLI community. Remember that even though it’s easy to feel ashamed, embarrassed, or out of touch, in truth, you should feel proud. You overcame the odds and conquered challenges other students can’t even begin to understand. You are here because of that.

So yes, congrats poor people. Welcome to Yale. Welcome home.

KAREN LI