Matthew Judd, a lifelong New Haven resident, attended Citizens Thinkers Writers at Yale University in the summer of 2022. He graduated from Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in 2023 and will be attending the University of Washington, Seattle, where he plans to major in gender sexuality studies. Outside of

Joshua Kim lives in Valdosta, Georgia and graduated from Lowndes High School in 2023. He participated in Valdosta State University’s Knowledge for Freedom program in the summer of 2022. Joshua currently attends Johns Hopkins University and plans to major in International Studies.

Lydia Kim is Korean American and resides in Placentia, California. She participated in Biola University’s Read Well, Live Well program in 2022 and graduated from Valencia High School in 2023 with a ValTech diploma. The reading that most influenced her in RWLW was The House on Mango Street by Sandra

Wilson Mach was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and currently resides in New York City. He participated in NYU’s Democracy Scholars program in the summer of 2022 and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 2023. In the fall or 2023, he began his first semester at the University

Jubaida Miami is a proud Bangladeshi who grew up in Queens, New York. She participated in Columbia University’s Freedom and Citizenship program in 2022 and graduated from Thomas Edison Career and Technical High School in 2023. She grew an interest in philosophy and thanks to F&C she enjoyed deciphering Socrates

Lillian Palluzzi is from New Haven, Connecticut. She participated in Yale’s Citizens, Thinkers, Writers program in 2022 and graduated from Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in 2023. Her favorite reading in CTW was the text “Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design” by Charles Montgomery. Lillian now attends

Shanthal Ramos Bueno was born in the Dominican Republic and migrated to The Bronx, New York at the age of 5. She participated in Columbia University’s Freedom & Citizenship program from 2022-2023 and graduated from University Heights High School in 2023. Shanthal currently attends The University of Chicago where she

Eli has lived in New Haven, Connecticut since he was three years old. He participated in Yale’s Citizens Thinkers Writers program in 2022 and graduated from New Haven Academy in 2023. He now attends Yale University and plans to major in Mathematics. In his free time, he enjoys practicing the

Jake Sokolofsky is a resident of Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. He participated in Dickinson College’s Knowledge for Freedom Seminar in 2022 and graduated from Boiling Springs High School in 2023. His favorite readings from the seminar were Phillis Wheatley’s poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” and Frederick Douglass’s speech

Zifei Zhao was born in Guangdong, China and now resides in Brooklyn, New York. She participated in New York University’s Democracy Scholars program in the summer of 2022 and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 2023. She started attending Georgetown University in the fall of 2023 with an interest in