What I’m Thankful For
Students are off on their Thanksgiving break, but before they left, we asked what they were thankful for this year.
How lucky am I to have something that makes me miss it the instant I walk out the door. As I return home for Thanksgiving, I reflect on the deeply meaningful friendships that have been created while at SOM.
I consider my own personal growth, fostered by witnessing the contrasting context with which others approach the same problems. As the days get shorter and winter gets colder, my heart remains ablaze with all that I've experienced here. Finite time at SOM remains, and I hope to express my adoration for the community through an endless supply of curiosity, laughter, and giving back in every way possible.
—Alex Haskell ’18
The day before the Yale vs. Harvard football game, we played HBS in a hockey game dubbed “The Game Before the Game”. This was easily the highlight of my year so far: well over half the school showed up donning jerseys, face paint, and signs to cheer us on. SOM students come out to support each other in a variety of ways–whether it’s a hockey game, pull-up competition for Veterans Day, or Diwali celebration. These events serve as a constant reminder of how tight-knit the SOM community is.
—Trevor Dodds ’19
I am thankful at how easy it was to join up with people I just met to drive initiatives due to the tight-knit community at Yale SOM!
I love debating and have been active in it since high school. When I came to Yale SOM, I found out there was no debate club yet. My classmate said, why not start one? Turns out there was interest about debating and I found out a couple of second-years had just registered the club! They immediately welcomed me to join them to get it up and running. The staff were very supportive for it!
—Afiq Nasir MAM ’18
Giving a Voices talk last year made me feel extremely thankful for the special community here at Yale SOM. Voices is a space where people are encouraged to be open, honest, reflective, and vulnerable about a story or experience that has shaped their lives. I’ve found it to be a valuable experience both as a presenter, as well as a regular attendee. Personally, I was really nervous about giving a Voices talk, but it was one of those things on my SOM bucket list. In the weeks that followed my talk, I received so many notes of encouragement and support from my fellow classmates–both close friends of mine, as well as people I barely knew who had attended my talk and felt a connection to some of the topics I’d spoken about. It made me feel accepted and understood, and that was such a special feeling to have.
—Amy Saltzman ’18
This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for peers that inspire me by their humility and generosity—regardless of where they come from.
It only takes a single walk through Evans Hall to observe students helping others on problem sets, second years sharing recruiting advice for first years, or close SOM friends having heart-to-hearts. I'm thankful for the chance to learn from diverse personalities and walks of life through activities such Bollywood dancing for Closing Bell happy hour, intimate spaces such as Voices and Christian Fellowship, and initiatives that look outward into the community such as traveling to Indonesia for a Global Social Enterprise class.
—Carmina Mancenon ’18
My three favorite things about SOM are its entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to continually test new ways of learning, its mission-focused student body that challenges businesses to be socially responsible, and its incredibly warm and dog-friendly culture.
—Juan Salem ’18