A Day in the Life: Anna Epple ’26
We followed Master’s in Global Business and Society student Anna Epple ’26, as she attended two different courses on AI, ate local bagels, and attended a Diwali celebration. Photos by Tony Rinaldo.
8:30 a.m.
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I always go to Payne Whitney Gym with some friends from the GBS program. My friends Luca Baronti and Pauline Lepeigneul came along; Luca went to the same university as me in Milan, but we just met here in New Haven. A lot of GBS students like to work out, and it’s more motivating for me to go in a group. Payne Whitney is about a 20-minute walk from SOM, and there’s a good selection of machines. On Thursdays, I do the StairMaster and some upper body weights. My goal is to do a full pull-up.
10:00 a.m.
After the gym, we went to Olmo, which I think is most people’s favorite bagel place in New Haven. I have a bagel from there most days. My favorite is the cacio e pepe bagel. Olmo is very close to SOM on a lively street, so it’s a nice place to sit outside when it’s sunny.
11:35 a.m.
I didn’t have a lot of time before class, so I ran home quickly to change. Then I walked to Science Hill with my roommate, Kenza Moussaoui Rahali, for a Yale College course we’re both taking, Introduction to AI. I live with four women; we’re all doing the double degree—a master in management at HEC Paris and GBS at Yale SOM—so we met last year and got along really well. I love having classes with my roommates, because it’s easier to work together.
I took some coding classes during my bachelor’s and really enjoyed them, so I wanted to learn more about computer science and AI at SOM. In this class, we explore the background principles and math behind AI. It’s quite challenging because there are a lot of computer science majors in the class, but I’m enjoying the opportunity to push myself. The GBS program is very flexible about taking classes outside SOM, which is a great way to meet people from different schools and get a broader sense of what they study.
1:00 p.m.
I have two AI classes back to back on Thursdays. After Introduction to AI ended, I went straight to Large Language Models with Professor Kyle Jensen. This is an SOM course that focuses more on practical AI applications. We jumped into vibe coding right away and have used AI to create chatbots, translate videos to text, and even generate marketing campaigns. Professor Jensen makes his classes very fun and interactive, and he hosts a lot of coding workshops that I go to in my free time.
2:20 p.m.
As I left class, there was a company that grows strawberries vertically doing a tasting in Evans Hall. I grabbed a strawberry and headed to Bass Library, one of my favorite study spaces. These study hexagons don’t look very inviting, but I like to study in places where there are people around but no distractions. I worked on applications to consulting roles in Europe, where I’m planning to return after graduation.
7:00 p.m.
After stopping at home to put on warmer clothes, I came back to Evans Hall for a Diwali celebration. There’s probably a cultural event at SOM every other week, and I think it’s super cool that we celebrate so many holidays here. These events usually have free food, which is something students always like! That night, there was delicious Indian food. A lot of people wore traditional clothes that they owned or borrowed, and there were incredible dance performances after dinner.
9:00 p.m.
A lot of GBS students like to DJ, and a group of them have organized a dance party at Bar Pizza that happens every Thursday. I’m not a DJ—I don’t even like to be in charge of a phone playlist!—but I love to spend the evening listening and supporting my friends.
