Profiles: Yalies on Leave

This semester, as the pandemic has prompted changes to campus life, 23 percent of Yale College students are taking a leave of absence — far more than the 1.4 percent of students who took a leave in fall 2019. Of students on leaves this year, some are spending their semesters continents away, while others are passing their days at home. And regardless of where they’re located, these students are researching, campaigning and creating. Here are a few of their stories.

Clare Boone ’23: A biology major finding her niche in legal advocacy and racial justice

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare Boone ’23 has cycled through five different apartments in three different states. The constant moving has yet […]

By Talat Aman • December 4, 2020

Sebastian Chang ’23 explores cultural differences, new voices and his own ‘weird contradictions’ in new album

During a time of disconnect, Sebastian Chang ’23 is using his music to explore cultural differences and experiences that transcend into a sense of shared […]

By Maia Decker • December 4, 2020

Finding his ‘white whale’: How Tasman Rosenfeld ’23 is fighting to conserve Florida’s natural habitats

Environmental conservation is second nature to Tasman Rosenfeld ’23, who grew up surrounded by wildlife in the Everglades of Southern Florida. But this fall, he […]

By Natalie Kainz • December 4, 2020

Lucy Harvey ’24 advocates for hometown community during gap year

When Yale announced its plan for the fall semester to be fully online, many students made the difficult decision to take a gap semester and, […]

By Veronica Lee • December 4, 2020

“Warm-hearted, giving and caring”: Karen Li ’23 helps Asian-American and FGLI communities during her gap year

The first thing I noticed about Karen Li ’23 was her Gloria Steinem-styled glasses and warm smile. She shared with me her coming-of-age story — […]

By Zaporah Price • December 4, 2020

Judith Chang ’24 teaches, reflects and connects in Seoul

After classes ended in May, Judith Chang ’24 joined her family in Seoul, South Korea. While she had visited South Korea in the past, this […]

By Adam Levine • December 4, 2020

Reading and choosing hopeful stories: Lindsay Pierce ’23 reflects on her gap semester

As a literary assistant at Neon Literary, a literary agency, Lindsay Pierce ’23 enjoys the imagery and vignettes of hope in the manuscripts she studies. […]

By Samhitha Josyula • December 4, 2020

Thomas Blum ’23: From the biosafety cabinet to the Long Island Sound

“I wish I had known that an experience like this was possible going into college,” Thomas Blum ’23 said. From his apartment in Branford, Conn. […]

By Beatriz Horta • December 3, 2020

From venture capital to the great outdoors: Elizabeth Olshanetsky ’24 invests in personal growth

Elizabeth Olshanetsky ’24 is no stranger to profiles — but she’s usually the one writing them. This June, Olshanetsky launched her personal blog, Techs and […]

By Zhemin Shao • December 3, 2020

Michaela Markels ’24 prioritizes personal growth over productivity on leave in South Korea

With the world in the midst of a pandemic that has completely reformed the way we live, the very fabric of the Yale experience has […]

By Jordan Davidsen • December 3, 2020

Gabrielle Niederhoffer rediscovers dance during gap year

For Gabrielle Niederhoffer ’23, the decision to take a gap year came from her love for the dance and theater community at Yale. As a […]

By Marie Sanford • December 3, 2020