Over 20 Years of Welcoming Yalies

Over 20 years ago, AAAYA hosted a small get-together welcoming incoming Yalies in North California. 

This year, every single AAAYA chapter across the country hosted a send-off event. From California to New York, Boston to D.C., more than 300 alumni showed up to create a sense of community and bring a warm welcome to the students. 

Many students tell us that this was their first real introduction to Yale—where they met their first friends, asked questions, and found alumni like you who walked similar paths as them.

But these events don’t just help students adjust to moving into college– they help parents. Parents—many of whom never attended college in the U.S.—leave our event feeling relieved and reassured, knowing their kids were entering a community that would look out for them.

In a time when diversity on campus is under pressure, these spaces matter more than ever. They are a promise that every student, regardless of background, is seen, valued, and supported.

But they don’t happen on their own.

Every meal, every conversation, every connection—it’s all fueled by alumni. And if you were ever that nervous first-year, or the parent waving goodbye, you know how much it means.

Thank you for helping keep this tradition going—and ensuring the Class of 2029, and every class after, feels the same sense of welcome you once did.