Meet the 2025 Tsai CITY Student Fellows: 18 Builders, Dreamers, and Doers

Fellows at Trek

On Friday, October 10, the Tsai CITY second floor was buzzing with energy. Not from startup pitches or projects demos, but from new student fellows ready to help shape Yale’s innovation community. 

 

This year’s Student Fellows cohort is the biggest yet, growing from 15 to 18 students across seven Yale schools. From the Law School to the School of the Environment, they represent the full spectrum of what innovation looks like at Yale: interdisciplinary, collaborative, and full of curiosity. 

 

“Tsai CITY is one of the few spaces at Yale where ideas are meant to be messy, where it’s okay not to have everything figured out yet.” – Keith Pemberton (YC ’27)

Who They Are

By design, half of the cohort comes from Yale College, while the rest represent graduate and professional programs such as the School of Management, Law School, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, School of the Environment, and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. 

 

They bring perspectives from across disciplines including policy, storytelling, design, and health. Together, they embody what it means to build at the intersection of fields. 

 

Class years span 2026 to 2028, with the majority graduating in 2026. That means this group will help shape the student voices at Tsai CITY for years to come. 

What They Do 

Each fellow joins a task force that powers Tsai CITY’s student-facing work and keeps programming connected to real student experiences: 

  • Cultural Center Liaisons – bridge builders between Tsai CITY and Yale’s Cultural Centers

  • Innovator’s Toolkit (ITK) – curating and hosting free workshops on key skills for innovation, from pitching to prototyping

  • Startup Yale – fueling the biggest entrepreneurship celebration on campus

  • Community Events – creating spaces where innovation feels inclusive and fun

  • Norms 2.0 – reimagining how the Tsai CITY community collaborates and connects

  • Student Experience – connecting with partner clubs and attending affiliated events to capture fellow perspectives, share insights, and identify what makes student experiences meaningful 

  • Student Demand – ensuring Tsai CITY evolves based on what students actually want

 

“As a Tsai CITY Fellow, I will help build bridges between students and foster a community that encourages experimentation and creativity.”— Andrea Loza Vargas (YC ’26)

Why It Matters 

The Student Fellows program is not just about event support or outreach. It gives students a real voice in shaping Yale’s innovation ecosystem in ways that reflect their ideas, identities, and ambitions. 

 

Through their focus on outreach, advisory, and personal development, fellows gain hands-on leadership experience, build community connections, and learn what it means to lead from within. 

 

“As someone passionate about social entrepreneurship, I want to learn how to make ideas sustainable and impactful.”— Ericka Kamanou-Tenta (YC ’27)

 

From rethinking what innovation means to championing student-driven change, this year’s fellows are here to spark ideas, amplify voices, and make Tsai CITY an even more vibrant space for builders all kinds.