December 10. 2024
Fellows,
Four months ago, I welcomed you to Yale. It seems like a lifetime ago. The days were long and warm. The flowers were in full bloom.
When the leaves began to Fall, I saw you hit your stride.
And now as winter sets in, as the days grow increasingly short, and the New England cold chills your bones, it is time for you to depart.
Over these past four months, I would pause, every time I entered the International Leadership Center, to look at the posters plastered on the doors – a snapshot of what you were up to each week.
You’ve been giving talks all over Yale.
Social Entrepreneurship, Tech, and Digital Rights in Iran
Incubating, piloting and scaling projects in Latin America
Financial Inclusion and Equity in Africa
Navigating Africa’s Challenging Journey to Democratic Elections
The Human Toll of Conflict in the Middle East
Creating Iraq’s first long-distance hiking trail – and navigating the length of the Tigris
Preserving cultural heritage; and Connecting Communities through Taste and Trade
Championing disability rights in Cambodia
Post-Conflict Reconciliation and Development in Timor Leste
Pursuing Justice for Mass Atrocities via Universal Jurisdiction
Independent and clean politics in Panama
Finding common ground in polarized times
Alexei Navalny – and the courage to defy a dictatorship
Why Taiwan matters
AI for energy
The successful experience of Uruguay in combatting COVID
I’ve observed you with students, mentoring them, sharing your leadership journey, and advising them on career paths.
Thank you for everything you have brought to Yale – and for making so much time for our students. You are amazing role models.
And you’ve not just been sharing your knowledge and experience with Yalies. You’ve been out inspiring students in public schools in New Haven, as well.
You’ve been speaking at climate week in New York.
You’ve been running seminars for UN officials.
You’ve been giving lectures at other universities in the US.
I’ve also enjoyed watching you unleash your creativity.
You’ve been meeting regularly to write, encouraging each other, and being accountable to one another. In fact, your writing circle has initiated a number of articles and even books! And will continue running, only virtually.
You’ve been crafting in the evenings, sitting together mending, patching, darning.
And you’ve been exercising together: You’ve been out walking up East Rock, West Rock, and Sleeping Giant. You’ve been running. You’ve been playing tennis. You’ve been early morning spinning – and cycling.
And during your time here at Yale, ideas for new initiatives have emerged:
A video game to encourage climate action
A Good Society Fund to further the impact of World Fellows
A peace and reconciliation node in Ireland
A potential cure for cancer
And so many more ideas.
You are great people – and you are going on to do even greater things.
It has been so inspiring watching how you bounce ideas off each other in seminar and salon – how you solicit and provide advice; how you motivate and support; how your perspectives are constantly challenged.
And when I look at your faces, I note that each one of you is changed. I see the glint in the eye, the smile on the face, the unspoken connection between you.
While we’ve been in this time capsule that is Yale, the outside world around us has changed.
We sat together in the Old Heidelberg that fateful evening watching the US election results come in – and speculating what this means for the rest of the world.
We’ve been closely following the wars in the Middle East, concerned for family and friends. We’ve been watching Ukraine’s struggle to retain its sovereignty in the face of Russian aggression. We’ve been worrying about China and Taiwan – and what the future holds.
These are fragmented times.
But never underestimate the power of ideas to change the world, the power of talented individuals to make an impact, the power of the narrative to inspire action, the power of people coming together as partners, in coalitions, to cooperate and collaborate.
Individuals have the power to shape the arc of history.
It takes leaders with the courage and vision to pursue the path of peace.
It takes negotiators, lawyers, humanitarians with the skills to mediate agreements.
It takes entrepreneurs to find new ways of doing things – and at scale.
It takes development professionals with empathy and humility to help people emerge from poverty.
It takes writers and poets to imagine a future worthy of compromise, worthy of our humanity.
It takes journalists to shine the light, to hold leaders to account, to keep them honest.
It takes cultural initiatives to build trust and cooperation.
It takes peace makers and peace builders to mobilize in support of coexistence.
It takes Yale World Fellows.
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Allow me to thank all those who supported you during your time here and have been part of your journey.
To the liaisons, thank you for organizing events for the World Fellows in your colleges, across campus, and for introducing them to university life.
To my team: Tim, Yuval, Anne, Kelly, – David, Daryn, William…thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the Fellows.
To the Jackson School, thank you for all your support.
To the Starr Foundation, thank you for your belief in the value of the program.
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2024 World Fellows
The time has come for you to depart.
“As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.”
Head off with your heads held high
“…keep your thoughts raised high”
Head off revitalized, rejuvenated, refreshed to improve our world
Head off more confident of your purpose
Head off sustained by new friendships, the support of your fellow Fellows and the global network of World Fellows.
Go forth with our love
World Fellows for life.