Tell us about your background. Where are you from? What is your major at Yale? What are your primary activities outside of class?
Celene: I’m a sophomore in TD from Peachtree City, Georgia, majoring in Sociology. Outside of YCC, I serve as Social Media Chair for Kasama (The Filipinx Club at Yale), coordinate resume and technology support sessions for formerly incarcerated individuals for the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, and dance with Danceworks. In my freetime, I babysit and love attending different performances on campus.
Juan: I’m a sophomore in Silliman raised in Buford, Georgia, now living in Bethany, Connecticut, and majoring in Global Affairs. Outside of YCC, I serve as an EMT for Yale Emergency Medical Services (YEMS) and get involved in the New Haven community through working with patients at the HAVEN Free Clinic and educating students in New Haven Public Schools as a CHE.
What prompted you to run for the Yale College Council?
Celene: I have witnessed the power of the YCC first-hand, and I genuinely believe that it has the capacity to influence Yale in ways that no other student organization on campus can. As President, I’d have the opportunity to spearhead communications between the students and Yale administration. I am really great at connecting with people, and I know that I have the passion and skills necessary to ensure that both students are heard and administration listens. From representing my TD community, working on writing and implementing policies as a Senator, serving other student organizations on campus, and leading the Financial Policy Team this year, I know what it takes to move from a problem to a solution—-and I know how to work with others to get things done. I realized that President is not only a position I would be passionate about and enjoy doing every day, but I also believe that I would serve the YCC and student body with passion and commitment that is necessary to keep.
Juan: Serving as a YCC delegate during my first year at Yale, I engaged in a largely observational role. This meant that I could learn the ropes of Senate procedure without the responsibility of representing your residential college. Nevertheless, in speaking with my peers over the course of my first two semesters here, I began to understand the complex and largely overlooked issues which plague the student body and New Haven Community. That is why I ended up running for a Senate seat in Silliman, to take steps towards a unified vision of Yale grounded in accessibility, affordability, and sustainability.
Can you tell us about your prior experience as it relates to this position?
Celene: I have been involved with YCC since the beginning of first-year. After a failed FCC campaign, I decided to attend senate meetings with the hope of becoming involved in the YCC’s policy branch. To put it simply, I really loved the work. After serving as a delegate my first year, I was elected TD senator and have proudly served since, advocating for several policies. Beyond YCC, however, my experiences as a member of amazing student orgs such as Kasama, YUPP, and Danceworks have given me insight into the diverse talents, offerings, and potential of both the Yale student body and New Haven community.
Juan: The Vice President of the Yale College Council is in charge of leading the internal workings of the organization. Whether that be leading the Senate or running elections, the role of Vice President relies heavily on experience rather than promise. In my term as Senator for Silliman College, I passed a number of proposals ranging from amending the Dean’s Extension policy to explicitly include mental health to ensuring that MENA voices are heard in the development of the MENA Space. What differentiates me from other candidates in the race is that I have touched so many aspects of the YCC’s advocacy. In working with members of the Events branch of the YCC, I not only created a New Haven Bus Guide so that students can see new sites in New Haven but also worked on the Free Bus Pass Initiative, which provided 10 free bus passes for Yale students. In working with the student orgs such YSEC and YEMS, I lead an initiative to expand the Yale Student Bikeshare and ensure that health resources are easily found through the Livesafe app, especially menstrual products. Each of these experiences has informed me of a different aspect of the student body and its needs.
What is the most difficult decision you made during your prior leadership position? How did you arrive at that decision, and what was the result?
Celene: Acknowledging the delays in YCC reimbursements the year, I co-authored a constitutional amendment regarding the role of the Deputy Business Director. While I worried that this change would add more administrative bloat to the YCC, I ultimately prioritized reforming the reimbursement process. This amendment aimed to formalize the responsibilities of the Deputy Business Director, specifically to address issues related to financial management within the YCC. Today, I feel as though I made the right decision, as this adjustment has been crucial to ensure that students facing financial difficulties can rely more effectively on the YCC for support.
Give us a summary of your platform.
Celene: “Connecting Yale” envisions unity, health, and mutual support within the Yale community. Our platform recognizes that students’ challenges are collective opportunities for upliftment. Our vision focuses on four key pillars: facilitating effective collaboration and sustainable relationships between the YCC and the Yale Administration, amplifying student voices and fostering unified efforts by connecting student organizations to the YCC, strengthening the connection between Yale and New Haven, and enhancing transparency and accessibility by connecting the YCC to the broader student body. Through initiatives such as providing health supplies through Wellness Cabinets, supporting student-led projects via the YCC Incubator, and facilitating student engagement with the New Haven community over Spring Break, we are committed to realizing our vision of a connected and supportive Yale community.
If elected, what do you hope to do with your year in office?
Celene: Even amidst our YCC “wins” up to this point, we recognize that there is a lot to still be accomplished. Nonetheless, as senators we’ve made significant strides in implementing tangible components of our platform, with substantial progress on nearly all policies. Among these is our commitment to ensuring an equitable financial aid calculation. Currently, Yale’s financial aid policy prioritizes providing more generous support to students in the Class of 2027 compared to those in the Classes of 2026, 2025, and 2024. Additionally, we acknowledge the importance of fostering student trust in the YCC. To this end, we aim to revitalize YCC outreach efforts, fostering greater collaboration with student organizations on campus issues. Advocacy is a collective, and we hope to collaborate with the student body to achieve this. Broadly speaking, our mission is centered on connecting people, whether they are students or residents of New Haven, to the vast array of resources Yale has to offer.
Describe a project or idea that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. What was your role, and what was the outcome?
Celene: A project that was primarily implemented due to my efforts was the development of the Airport Transportation Grant during my tenure as a YCC Delegate. In this initiative, I played a central role in securing funding and organizing the logistics for the program. With an allocation of $25,000, we provided Uber vouchers and CT Transit tickets to students facing financial difficulties, allowing them to ease the financial burden of traveling home. Personally, I took charge of distributing the resources, overseeing the allocation of 500 Uber vouchers and 425 MTA train tickets over a span of three days. As a result of our efforts, many students were able to access affordable transportation options, reducing the financial strain associated with travel.
Juan: During my time as a Senator, I served as a YCC liaison to various mental health advocacy groups, including the Yale Mental Health Coalition, championing policy changes to better support students. Through collaborative efforts, we successfully advocated for an amendment to the existing Dean’s Extensions policy. This revision explicitly included mental health challenges as valid reasons for students to request an extension. By addressing this crucial aspect, we ensured that students facing mental health difficulties were recognized and accommodated appropriately within the university’s policies.
Tell us about why you are running alongside Juan. How did you meet? What makes you a good team?
Celene: We met as incoming first-years at a Yale Club of Georgia reception before Bulldog Days. At that point, we had never even stepped foot on campus, and when we arrived in the fall we knew each other mostly as a friendly face and mutual friends in a GA Yalies groupchat. When he joined YCC in the fall, he reached out to me for guidance on his healthcare transportation policy because he knew I had passed an Airport transportation policy the previous spring to financially support student travel home for summer break. From that initial connection and from being members of the Health & Accessibility policy team together, collaboration came naturally, and soon we were writing policies together, bouncing ideas off of each other, and becoming closer friends in the process. We are an incredible team because Juan is very level-headed and organized, and I am full of energy and determination. We are equally passionate about the issues that are important to us.
What is your strategy leading up to election day?
Celene: We just want to have fun in the process and focus on connecting with other students around campus. Our strategy is to make ourselves available and approachable so that students can feel comfortable asking us anything. By speaking to people in the buttery, or sharing our platform through our NYT-inspired “Connections” activity, we have met so many new people and are excited to continue to prioritize creating these relationships.
Do you have any parting messages for the Yale community in advance of election day?
Celene: I’m so proud of how far I’ve come from the moment I arrived on Yale’s campus, and I truly never could have imagined I would have the opportunity to meet so many incredible people in one city—let alone represent them in YCC. I am grateful for everyone who has inspired me and led me to this point. Thank you!
Juan: Celene and I have had a blast not only in these past few days on the campaign trail, but during our entire two-year YCC journey. We hope for the opportunity to continue working alongside amazing people and supporting amazing causes.