The Yale Historical Review
As the Editor-in-Chief of The Yale Historical Review from 2019 to 2021, I expanded the staff from 20 to over 100, quadrupled the budget, and created a variety of initiatives.
In June 2020, my peers and I responded to the political moment by launching an ongoing initiative at The Yale Historical Review to confront Yale and our country’s racist histories. Drawing inspiration from Nikole Hannah-Jones and her colleagues’ examination of slavery’s legacies in The 1619 Project, I developed The 1701 Project, a nod to the year of Yale’s founding. This venture incorporates repressed voices within the university and beyond.
Artwork:
Chibuike Uzoma, Also A Unicorn (after Things Fall Apart) | 45cm x 91cm x 122cm | oil, oil stick on canvas | 2017
Voting Edition
In anticipation of the 2020 Presidential Election, I decided to create a special pamphlet on voting.
This issue includes an interview with activist DeRay Mckesson, artwork from Justin Voiss, and statements from 45 students, faculty, and university leaders on why they cast their ballot.
Cover Artwork: Justin Voiss, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave
The Stacks
I planned to spend this summer of 2020 researching alone in archives across the Americas. Due to the pandemic, I remained in my home rather than in the reading room. But physical confinement inspired me to seek further virtual spaces for scholarly and human connection. For this reason, I created The Stacks, a series of interviews with librarians about the problems COVID poses for research and the importance of addressing them together.
Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash
The Senior Thesis Edition
In April 2020, Yale’s History and History of Science and Medicine (HSHM) Departments cancelled senior essay prizes due to the constraints posed by COVID-19. To respond to this crisis, I partnered with faculty from the History and HSHM Departments to celebrate exceptional theses from graduating students.
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash
Humanities Now
Eager to connect with young New Haven students (grades 6-12), I founded Humanities Now, a program that offers participants a chance to listen to a faculty lecture, engage in a guided activity, and meet other, like-minded peers.
Cover Design: Kelly Zhou
Rally Point
I founded and served as the Co-Editor in Chief of Rally Point, a collaboration of West Point and Yale students.
Intersections
Extending The 1701 Project, I collaborated with peers at the Northwestern Undergraduate Research Journal to create a joint issue on systemic racism, titled Intersections. Together, we showcase a series of articles, artwork, and interviews.
Cover Artwork: Ashley Teamer, Soft and Beautiful Collection
Publish and Prosper
In November, 2020, I realized the need for an organization that would not only showcase young students’ work, but also help them build new publications. A few months later, Publish and Prosper was born. Our staff of 25 editors from across the world helps launch new journals at institutions without one. We aim to create thriving publishing ecosystems now and prepare the next generation of critical thinkers, global citizens, and leaders.
In 2018, I founded SUHP – the Society of Undergraduate Humanities Publications – now a consortium of over 60 student journals in five continents. SUHP provides a platform for members to hone their editing and writing skills, plan conferences, and establish lasting relationships with future colleagues
Under the aegis of the Toynbee Prize Foundation, I created the Sixty Second Scholar Showcase, a project that aims to bring greater international recognition to the cutting-edge work done by our colleagues in the Global South and by early-career scholars. As its title implies, all participants describe their research under a minute.
Logo credit: Kelly Zhou
R.A.search (in pilot stage)
In 2021, I noticed the necessity for a simpler way to connect Researchers and Research Assistants.
For this reason, I founded R.A.search, a platform-in-progress that enables professors to find the best Research Assistants and students to find the best research opportunities. In expanding the applicant pool, going beyond word-of-mouth networks, and looking past institutional affiliations, we aim to increase opportunities for young researchers, especially those from underserved backgrounds.