Connecting for Change: Dwight Hall’s Alumni Mentorship & Career Development Task Force Engages Students, Alumni, and Community Partners

In spring 2025, Dwight Hall’s Alumni Mentorship & Career Development (AM&CD) Task Force continued its commitment to building bridges between students, alumni, and community leaders passionate about public service and social justice. Through a young alumni panel, networking event, urban policy conference, and biweekly office hours, the task force reinforced Dwight Hall’s role as a hub for information-sharing, mentorship, and professional networking, helping students explore meaningful career pathways in social impact fields.

The events were organized by Kristen Meola ’26 (Chair of the AM&CD Task Force), Emily Nguyen ’27 (Alumni and Development Coordinator on the 2025 Dwight Hall Student Executive Committee [ExComm]), and Barbara Mola ’22 (Dwight Hall Communications and Alumni Engagement Associate).

Young Alumni in Social Impact Careers Panel

The spring 2025 event series kicked off with a “Young Alumni in Social Impact Careers Panel,” on April 8th which featured recent Yale graduates who are driving change through careers in law, advocacy, and public policy. Panelists Kynzie Clark ’22 and Kaley Pillinger ’21, ’27 J.D. shared their personal career journeys, reflections on navigating early professional experiences, and practical advice for students aspiring to create positive social change in their future careers. 

Kynzie, who studied Political Science at Yale, first worked at an international law firm supporting anti-corruption litigation. She later transitioned to the Columbia School of Social Work and currently works as a Program Associate at the Center for Intimacy Justice, alongside her role as a social worker at The Bronx Defenders.

Kaley, who majored in History and Economics, built a career in affordable housing development at Blackstone and Fairstead, working closely with the NYC Housing Authority. She is now pursuing a joint JD/MBA at Yale and Stanford with plans to return to the affordable housing sector. Kaley shared how her work as a Dwight Hall Urban Fellow as an undergraduate was critical to developing her professional skill set and honing her public service interests.

Their insights offered the 16 students in attendance a glimpse into dynamic social impact careers and practical guidance on leveraging college experiences to forge meaningful paths after graduation.

Connecting for Change: Student, Alumni, and Community Partner Networking Event

Building on the energy of the panel, the task force organized a networking reception on April 15th that engaged more than 45 students, alumni, and community partners. Designed to foster connection and career exploration, the event offered students a chance to learn about internships, fellowships, and full-time roles in public service and social justice fields directly from Yale alumni and community leaders. Students expanded their networks through informal conversations and left with tangible advice and opportunities for future engagement.

Careers in Urban Policy and Design Conference

Rounding out spring 2025 programming, Emily and the Alumni and Development Subcommittee of ExComm organized a “Careers in Urban Policy and Design,” conference on April 25th that provided undergraduate students with a series of discussions on how urban policy, design, and research can translate into meaningful and interdisciplinary careers. 

Conference programming kicked off with a keynote by Anika Singh Lemar ’01, Clinical Professor of Law at the Yale Law School and a former Dwight Hall Board member, who focused her remarks on public service, land use, and housing. This was followed by a career panel featuring Maria Ortiz, Manasvi Menon, and Nicholas McGowan, who discussed topics such as climate action, public sector consulting, and real estate innovation. Finally, closing speaker Andrei Harwell shared insights into urban design, planning, and architecture. 

Ask OCS at Dwight Hall Office Hours

To further support students navigating career decisions in common good and creative fields, Dwight Hall partnered with Yale’s Office of Career Strategy (OCS) to host “Ask OCS at Dwight Hall” office hours—a series of four drop-in events on Fridays throughout the semester. These office hours were a continuation of a series that launched in fall 2024.

Led by Jorimel Zaldivar, Senior Associate Director for Common Good Careers at OCS, these sessions created space for students to inquire about job and internship timelines, learn effective strategies for networking with alumni, and connect with peers exploring similar interests. The recurring events provided an approachable environment for students seeking individualized guidance and practical support on their professional journeys.

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The Alumni Mentorship & Career Development Task Force is part of the Grow pillar of Dwight Hall’s Engage, Grow, and Advance program delivery model, developing students’ intellectual, moral, civic, and creative capacities to the fullest with interactive panels, workshops, and networking opportunities.

You may learn more about the task force here. The next round of AM&CD programming will launch in the fall 2025 semester.