In its continued rightward march, the Thomas Court’s rulings on affirmative action have made the dream of college harder for students of color, especially at the elite universities the justices themselves attended. With each new decision, it becomes increasingly clear that this court is a long way from the day of Griswold and Brown v. Board of Education, and it may actually be slipping back to the days of Dredd Scott and Plessy v. Furgeson. This, along with the judicial misconduct allegations of the Court’s most senior members (who both happen to be Yale-educated and chiefly responsible for the court’s most controversial opinions), make it a uniquely difficult time to be a student of color on this campus. 

The feelings of imposter syndrome, which are to be expected for many of our incoming first-years, are only intensified by our current discourse. But through all the noise and chaos wrought by this conservative court, I offer a simple message to the members of the class of 2027 who may be dealing with those feelings: You belong here, and you have earned your place at this school. 

It is easy to believe, at a college that educates Olympians and Nobel Prize laureates, that you are an anomaly. That you should not be here because your parents are not wealthy, you did not attend a fancy prep school or do not come from a long line of Yalies. We begin to convince ourselves that being different means that we are unequal and that somehow we are taking the place of a better, more qualified student. But believe me when I say those feelings fade. They fade because they’re based on a lie. A lie told throughout history by those born to privilege to those of us fighting to claim our piece of pie while they fight to keep the size of theirs. 

I’m sure many of you wonder, as I have, if this decision had come a few years sooner whether or not we would still be here. I wrote proudly about my identity and story as the son of immigrant parents who left all they knew to flee poverty in their country and come to the United States in the hopes of giving their children a chance at a better life. I carry those sacrifices with me everywhere I go at Yale, and hope to make their struggle worthwhile with my being here. Can I ever be certain that if my admissions officer didn’t know my identity that I would be here today? No. Do I know that if I had chosen to write about an exaggerated mission trip instead of sharing my authentic life’s story, that my application would have made it past a first read? No. Do I know that after the court’s affirmative action decision, my sister’s college admissions journey will look anything like mine? No. But I do know this: there are things we can all do to relieve the anxieties that come with being so lucky and feel more secure in our place here. 

Find and join campus communities. They will be your home away from home filling you with the comfort and sense of belonging that we all crave. 

Become part of Yale’s vibrant advocacy scene. We all have causes and issues we care about deeply, and these groups will provide you with a sense of purpose and remind you that there are things more important than ourselves. 

Check your admissions file. You may or may not like what you read but whatever the outcome, you will come out of the reading with a greater sense of understanding of why, out of the 52,000 students who applied from around the world, the admissions office chose you. I promise that knowledge will be liberating. 

Utilize new resources like the new Office of Educational Equity. While Yale was not founded for many of us who attend today, it is trying to build a more equitable and accessible campus. Those efforts must be utilized but us today and expanded for future Yalies. That is how we build a better campus and world society.

Here, everyone is equal in merit and more importantly in potential. You would not be here if that weren’t the case. But the truth is we are living in an interesting time in the history of our country. As we stray further away from the ideals that truly make America great, the task that lies before us is to hold our institutions’ feet to the fire and shape them into the forces for good we know they can be. That is how we can remain true to our individual identities while also proudly wearing the titles of Yalie and American. 

Legacy and first-generation, low-income students alike are all a little more unsure of our place here and uneasy about how we might be perceived by our peers. But if we can remember that we are peers and in this together, then together we’ll all be okay. With that faith, let us hold our heads up a little higher, walk a little taller, breathe a little more easily and take up space here during these, our bright college years.

Welcome to Yale, class of 2027! We cannot wait to see all you do here in this wonderful, magical place.