In this series, Karen Guzman talks to Yale SOM students about how volunteering complements their business education and connects them to their community.
![A student wearing a suit posing outside Evans Hall](/sites/default/files/styles/square_160/public/2024-04/Spekterman1.jpg.webp?itok=WuPez49j)
Making a Difference: Creating Opportunities for Local Vendors
Yale SOM’s new Inclusive Growth Fellowship pairs fellows with New Haven city agencies to work on projects that increase economic growth for all residents.
![Puneet Chhabra ’24](/sites/default/files/styles/square_160/public/2023-11/PuneetChhabra%2812of14%29-2-2.jpg.webp?itok=DI9QWxBo)
Making a Difference: Serving the Local Refugee Community
We talked with Puneet Chhabra ’24 about what he has learned volunteering with the refugee community at Integrated Refugee Immigrant Services in New Haven.
![Chess team photo](/sites/default/files/styles/square_160/public/2023-04/Chess%20team%20photo.jpg.webp?itok=wgFrJ4OC)
Making a Difference: Bringing Chess to a Local School
We talked with Sharan Subramanian ’24 about what he has learned teaching chess to students in New Haven’s East Rock Community School chess club.
![Celeste Watkins](/sites/default/files/styles/square_160/public/2023-02/celeste%20watkins.jpg.webp?itok=ogW4IV_y)
Making a Difference: Pitching in at a New Haven Soup Kitchen
We talked with Celeste Watkins ’24 about what she has learned volunteering with Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen.
![Liam Bartlett ’23](/sites/default/files/styles/square_160/public/2022-11/Liam%20Bartlett%20crop.png.webp?itok=UjoDGXil)
Making a Difference: The Benefits of Becoming a Big Brother
We talked with Liam Bartlett ’23 about what he has learned volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts.
![Jenna Starr ’23](/sites/default/files/styles/square_160/public/2022-11/Jenna%20Starr%20headshot.jpg.webp?itok=54WieeVG)
![Sofia John](/sites/default/files/styles/square_160/public/2022-10/Sofia%20John%20headshot%20crop.jpg.webp?itok=kmc5Iwxe)
Making a Difference: Getting Grants for Sustainable Community Initiatives
We talked with Sofia John ’23 about what she learned volunteering as a grant reader for a regional organization dedicated to seeding and supporting sustainable communities.
![Woman fixing a bicycle wheel](/sites/default/files/styles/square_160/public/2022-09/bike_volunteer.jpg.webp?itok=ywQy5VJl)
Making a Difference: Volunteering at Bradley Street Bicycle Co-op
We talked with Maria Jiang ’23 about what she’s learned—about fixing bicycles, teaching, and the city she lives in—by pitching in at a community bike shop.