Recognize My Contribution
I came to Yale because I was offered so much financial aid. I was incredibly thrilled, and I still am, that I can be here right now given my family's income. I will be able to graduate without debt but only under the conditions that I work every semester and summer to meet my student income contribution. I should say that I really like working. I take pride in my 2 on campus jobs and it's important to me to support myself financially.
But when I was trying to figure out what to do my first summer at Yale, I realized that Yale doesn't ask me to work so I can feel pride in my work. I was organizing a summer program for young people and I was really passionate about it. It was in my hometown, and I was planning on living at home so the only expense I was worried about was my $3000 summer income contribution. I figured it would be easy to get a fellowship to cover that small sum, after all, Yale has so many resources. So I started contacting fellowship advisors over winter break to ask for advice. It wasn't long before I learned that Yale's money isn't designated for what they call "income replacement." My fellowship advisor suggested I take out a loan.
In other words, Yale wanted to make sure I was working for wages over the summer instead of working on my program with young people. Yale's resources weren't available to me. I cut down the scope of my program so I could also do some wage work that Yale was demanding of me. When I realized what Yale expects of me as a student on heavy financial aid I felt so powerless. It felt arbitraryYale surely didn't need that $3000. It was as if Yale was saying I have something to prove in return for being on financial aid, like i am a passive recipient of their money. I'm not a passive recipient. I contribute through all my activities, my jobs and my extracurriculars. I take pride in my work and contributions. But Yale seems to only care about my financial contributions.
It only costs Yale $8 million to eliminate the SIC. Compare that to $17 to renovate the president's new house. Compare that to $250 million to build 2 new colleges. Compare that to a $20 billion endowment. When Yale wants to find the money for something, it does. By forcing lower-income students to make that money, Yale is perpetuating the same class inequality that it promised to heal by paying to bring us here in the first place. $8 million will let all students explore summer internships, career opportunities, travel, whatever they are truly passionate about. $8 million will free students from worrying about making enough money over the course of one summer to pay their contribution. I will always have a job at Yale because it's important to me. But I refuse to feel powerless about it. I want Yale to recognize my contribution regardless of how much money it brings them. And all it will cost is $8 million.
But when I was trying to figure out what to do my first summer at Yale, I realized that Yale doesn't ask me to work so I can feel pride in my work. I was organizing a summer program for young people and I was really passionate about it. It was in my hometown, and I was planning on living at home so the only expense I was worried about was my $3000 summer income contribution. I figured it would be easy to get a fellowship to cover that small sum, after all, Yale has so many resources. So I started contacting fellowship advisors over winter break to ask for advice. It wasn't long before I learned that Yale's money isn't designated for what they call "income replacement." My fellowship advisor suggested I take out a loan.
In other words, Yale wanted to make sure I was working for wages over the summer instead of working on my program with young people. Yale's resources weren't available to me. I cut down the scope of my program so I could also do some wage work that Yale was demanding of me. When I realized what Yale expects of me as a student on heavy financial aid I felt so powerless. It felt arbitraryYale surely didn't need that $3000. It was as if Yale was saying I have something to prove in return for being on financial aid, like i am a passive recipient of their money. I'm not a passive recipient. I contribute through all my activities, my jobs and my extracurriculars. I take pride in my work and contributions. But Yale seems to only care about my financial contributions.
It only costs Yale $8 million to eliminate the SIC. Compare that to $17 to renovate the president's new house. Compare that to $250 million to build 2 new colleges. Compare that to a $20 billion endowment. When Yale wants to find the money for something, it does. By forcing lower-income students to make that money, Yale is perpetuating the same class inequality that it promised to heal by paying to bring us here in the first place. $8 million will let all students explore summer internships, career opportunities, travel, whatever they are truly passionate about. $8 million will free students from worrying about making enough money over the course of one summer to pay their contribution. I will always have a job at Yale because it's important to me. But I refuse to feel powerless about it. I want Yale to recognize my contribution regardless of how much money it brings them. And all it will cost is $8 million.
