About Us

With all of the opportunities available and people to meet over the next four years, coming to Yale is exciting - but the unknown may create a little anxiety for new students. Everyone looks forward to successfully adjusting to the Yale environment and culture so that they can call this place their second home. To aid in this process, the Cultural Connections program (CC) was designed to introduce first-years to Yale's cultural resources as well as to explore the diversity of student experiences on the Yale campus, with emphasis on the experiences of traditionally underrepresented students and issues related to racial identity. For over 40 years, first-year students have participated in an exciting week of engaging activities intended to facilitate their transition to Yale alongside their peers, CC counselors, and many members of the Yale staff. Activities include discussions with faculty experts about ethnicity, nationality, and race; panels on academic expectations by faculty; presentations on campus life by students; and group visits to local points of interest such as the Yale College cultural centers, local and University museums and parks. "Without CC, I wouldn't know the Yale that I know. The CC community was my first home, and it will be always be the one I come back to." - Esul Burton, YC 2020