On May 20, 2024, Yale College observed its 323rd Commencement ceremony, bringing graduation festivities right to Dwight Hall’s doorstep on Old Campus. Seventy-four percent of the members of the Yale College Class of 2024 held affiliations with Dwight Hall, demonstrating students’ ongoing commitment to advancing public service and social justice in New Haven and communities nationwide. One-third of the graduating class served as Dwight Hall fellows or member group leaders, developing their leadership skills while engaging in service on campus, in New Haven, and beyond.
Yale College held its annual Class Day celebration the day before commencement, featuring Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, ’03 M.D., ’03 M.B.A., the U.S. surgeon general, as the 2024 Class Day Speaker. Murthy’s speech centered on the significance of the lifelong relationships he forged with classmates and mentors at Yale, encouraging graduates to continue to show up for one another after leaving the university.
The Class Day celebration also honored 11 undergraduates who “distinguished themselves in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in their communities” (YaleNews 2024). Five of the recognized students held affiliations with Dwight Hall.
Below, learn more about these students and the member groups or programs they supported through the Hall.
Resty Fufunan ’24 was awarded the Nakanishi Prize, presented to “two graduating seniors who, while maintaining high academic achievement, have provided exemplary leadership in enhancing race and/or ethnic relations at Yale College.” Resty served as a 2023 Dwight Hall Summer Fellow, working as a Data Policy Fellow at the Organization of Chinese Americans National Center. Resty was also Co-Moderator of Asian American Students Alliance, a Dwight Hall member group, from 2022 to 2023.
Jasselene Paz ’24 was also awarded the Nakanishi Prize. At Yale, she participated in the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, a Dwight Hall member group, working on the Women Against Mass Incarceration team. Jasselene was also involved in the member group RISE: Refugee and Immigrant Student Education, tutoring at Wexler-Grant Community School in New Haven.
Eliza Kravitz ’24 was presented the Warren Memorial Prize, awarded to “the senior majoring in the humanities who ranks highest in scholarship.” At Dwight Hall, she was a part of the member groups Yale Undergraduate Prison Project (YUPP), Yale Interpretation Network (YIN), Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project (YHHAP), and Yale Education Tutoring Initiative. Through YUPP, Eliza tutored students at Manson Youth Institution studying for their GED and created and led the organization’s Mourning Our Losses project; served as a Spanish interpreter for immigration cases at The New Haven Legal Assistance Association for two years through YIN; and volunteered as a bilingual tax preparer for YHHAP’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for three years.
Ariana Reichler ’24 was awarded the Arthur Twining Hadley Prize, presented to “the senior in Yale College majoring in the social sciences who ranks highest in scholarship.” Ariana served as a Co-Coordinator of the Dwight Hall Community Mental Health Fellows program, working at the Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation. She was also a leader of Migration Alliance at Yale, a Dwight Hall student-led member group that aids migrants by organizing youth groups, advising young people through college applications and job searches, providing legal assistance, and participating in translation services through partner organizations.
Xavier Blackwell-Lipkind ’24 was presented the Alpheus Henry Snow Prize, awarded to “the senior who through the combination of intellectual achievement, character, and personality, shall be adjudged by the faculty to have done most for Yale by inspiring in his or her classmates an admiration for the traditions of high scholarship.” Xavier participated in the Dwight Hall member groups Migration Alliance at Yale and Yale Interpretation Network, focusing on translation and interpretation for immigration nonprofits and asylum attorneys.
Students involved in member groups are emblematic of the Engage pillar of Dwight Hall’s Engage, Grow, and Advance program delivery model, forging trusted partnerships with New Haven neighborhoods, organizations, and agencies through community-engaged service. Similarly, students who served as Dwight Hall fellows epitomize the Grow pillar, which develops students’ intellectual, moral, civic, and creative capacities to the fullest with experiential learning.
Dwight Hall congratulates all graduates of the Class of 2024 as they embark on the next chapter of their careers and hopes the spirit of service will continue to motivate their personal and professional journeys.
If you are a Yale alum who would like to stay involved with Dwight Hall’s alumni network, you may complete the Hall’s alumni engagement survey here!
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