Student Success Programming

The House supports our students’ success by promoting opportunities for scholarship, professional development, and academic exploration through workshops, advising, and referrals. Grant funding is available (by application) to help offset expenses related to research, internships, and experiential/service-learning opportunities. We also recognize that an integral aspect of success is wellness. Keeping that in mind in all that we do, the House creates avenues for students to maintain wellness and achieve success. For information on any of the following programs, resources, or services, please contact afamhousestudentsuccess@gmail.com.

Workshops

To help support our students’ academic development, the House hosts workshops to familiarize them with the University’s academic offerings and faculty in related academic programs. Events have included: the Black Faculty & Student Mixer, Introduction to Ethnic Studies, Academic Success Strategies with the Poorvu Center for Teaching & Learning, along with workshops on study abroad and summer sessions with Yale’s Center for International & Professional Experience (CIPE)

Our professional development offerings include workshops co-sponsored with CIPE on internships and fellowship programs and on networking and dining etiquette. To aid our students’ career exploration, the House also holds “Life after Yale” discussions and House Teas, through which students can meet with House alumni and other featured speakers to learn about their career trajectories. Past speakers have included scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. YC ’73, author Chimamanda Adichie GRD ’08, Prof. Ibram Kendi, former Assistant Secretary to the US Navy Franklin Parker YC ’96, journalist April Ryan, and others. We are also able to connect our students to alumni for internships and mentoring/networking opportunities.

Additionally, we have sponsored internships with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition (GLC) through the House’s History Keepers Program which introduced students to academic and archival research careers. The House in Hollywood program offered internships to students interested in careers in public relations, marketing, and communications.

Advising & Referrals

Students are welcome to attend office hours with the House’s Dean and Assistant Director, who can refer them to academic assistance and professional development resources on campus; connect with faculty, alumni, and graduate/professional student mentors; connect them to university and national academic/professional organizations; and find research, internship, fellowship, and funding opportunities.

Grant Funding

The House offers funding to offset expenses related to research, career preparation, and experiential/service-learning opportunities, such as conferences, unpaid internships, and alternative break trips. This funding is provided through the House’s Ogilvie, Robinson, and de Chabert Leadership Forum endowment, generously supported by The House’s alumni.

Wellness Initiatives

The House hosts events that remind students to prioritize their wellness in culturally affirming ways (e.g., Afro-Latin dance classes, Cooking across the Diaspora events, hikes, midterms/finals study breaks, etc.). Our Wellness Initiatives also seek to raise awareness of the racial, sexual, and gender disparities in health and healthcare and to promote help-seeking behavior through greater usage of our campus/local wellness resource. The House’s Wellness Team coordinates its annual Black Women’s Retreat, and the House’s Peer Liaisons also incorporate related events into their first-year programming.

We’ve worked with Yale’s Good Life Center, the University’s Chaplain’s Office, the Office for Sexual Harassment and Assault Response & Education (SHARE), the Office for Alcohol and Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiatives (AODHRI), and other campus offices to provide in-services for our student staff and leaders and to co-sponsor events.

Additionally, the House collaborates with local partners to encourage our students and community members to take advantage of their healing circles, reiki workshops, and meditation and yoga classes.

For information on any of these programs, resources, or services, please contact afamhousewellness@gmail.com.