The 2025 Dwight Hall Fall Service Bazaar Connects 400 Students with Community Service Opportunities

On September 13, 2025, Dwight Hall hosted its annual Fall Service Bazaar on Old Campus. More than 30 of Dwight Hall’s student-led groups were present, giving attendees a glimpse into the diverse work that Dwight Hall students champion.

According to Student Executive Committee Co-Coordinators Carrie Lange ’27 and Allie Lopez ’27, there were about 400 attendees throughout the two-hour event. “The goal of the Bazaar was to give our Dwight Hall member groups another opportunity to connect with Yale students interested in community service and social justice,” said Carrie. While at the Bazaar, attendees had the opportunity to hear from and ask questions to the student leaders who run the groups they may want to join.

“This was a more localized version of the Extracurricular Bazaar, where students can take more time to speak to a variety of service-oriented groups and learn about their work on a deeper level, as well as learn more about Dwight Hall’s mission and individual work,” said Allie. For first-year students, exposure through these kinds of events is crucial to involving them in Yale’s community service initiatives.

“Service is a big aspect of my life, and I wanted to see ways that I could give back to the community,” said Kamari Carter ’29. “There are so many opportunities, and I wanted to see which ones to join.”

This enthusiasm for service comes at a crucial time for Dwight Hall’s 80+ member groups, many of which face overwhelming demand that exceeds their current capacity. Recruiting new students is crucial.

Elliot Lichtman ’27 represented YaYMath Tutoring at the Bazaar, a tutoring initiative that brings promising elementary, middle, and high school students from New Haven public schools to Yale and hosts weekly, one-on-one math tutoring sessions with Yalies. “We get emails from parents asking to join the program, and we unfortunately had to turn down a few last year because we didn’t have enough capacity,” Elliot explained. The Bazaar is an opportunity for groups like YaYMath Tutoring to connect with service-oriented Yalies and expand their reach into the community.

Other organizations, like First Years in Support of New Haven, enable first-year students to delve into the city of New Haven, bridging a divide between Yale and its surroundings. First-years in this program have the opportunity to hear from residents and community leaders, visit different parts of the city, and work with local nonprofit organizations. Evelyn Alonso ’27 explained, “[The Bazaar allows] students to get to know more about New Haven and the people that live here.”

Over the next year, Co-Coordinators Carrie and Allie look forward to continuing to involve students in the diverse work Dwight Hall’s member groups accomplish. “We’re expanding existing initiatives that engage directly with the New Haven community and serve as a more effective liaison between Yale students and community organizations,” explained Allie.

Dwight Hall is also eager to find new ways to support member groups. “We’re looking to build closer relationships with our member groups, offering member group-specific workshops structured to support their specific community work and coordinating Dwight Hall’s initiatives with our member groups,” said Carrie.

A primary part of Yale’s mission statement is the commitment to improve the world through education. A quality education, however, goes far beyond teaching students to memorize facts; it also includes teaching students how to serve others. Yalies are eager to embrace this aspect of a full education, and Dwight Hall is proud to support and connect talented, service-oriented students to worthy causes.

Dwight Hall student member groups and the Student Executive Committee are part 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. For those who were unable to attend the bazaar and want to get involved with Dwight Hall-affiliated student organizations, more information may be found at this link.