Yale Alumni Association

Congratulations, Class of 2026, and welcome to the Yale Alumni family!

We’re excited to celebrate you as you embark on your next chapters, and we’re delighted to introduce one of our newest BOLD alumni: Hiroko Kawase ’26.
Hiroko studied Cognitive Science and wrote her thesis on belonging, informed by a childhood shaped by frequent moves.

“Growing up moving around a lot (between Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong, and London), I have found finding, growing, and fostering belonging to be a natural part of my upbringing. It was only at Yale though that I realized belonging wasn't just this intangible feeling but something I could academically explore through Cognitive Science,” Hiroko said.

“I wrote my cognitive science thesis on belonging — specifically how regulatory focus and social malleability impact a person's need to belong and achieved belonging! It delved into how someone's level of achieved belonging is affected by whether they employ promotion-focused social malleability (e.g., being socially malleable to gain inclusion) compared to prevention-focused social malleability (e.g., being socially malleable to avoid exclusion) … it was meaningful in that it introduced me to the beauty of research and academia: asking big questions, researching, realizing there are bigger questions left to answer, and getting to do it all over again.”

Are you a BOLD alum too? A Yale degree is just the beginning—head to our profile or check out the link below to find ways to connect with fellow Yalies and expand your network, both online and through events around the globe. https://bit.ly/45cXM7w

📸: Gavin S. |

Ready to learn something new?

Registration for Yale Alumni College (YACOL) Fall 2026 courses is now open! Explore online and in-person offerings spanning film noir, landscape photography, ancient geometry, and more.

Browse the full course listing: https://bit.ly/4xgHtCz

Blue skies, Yale architecture, and a much bigger crowd than expected: this spring, Yale Alumni Magazine editor Mark Branch ’86 led an architecture tour as part of his class's 40th reunion that drew a large crowd. His fellow YAM editor Peggy Kalb ’86 was a co-chair for their class reunion.

👀 Peep page 4 of the magazine for the full story: https://bit.ly/4aX7r5i

Join us in congratulating the 2026 Yale Medal recipients!

Since its inception, the Yale Medal—the highest honor presented by the Yale Alumni Association—has been awarded to more than 350 individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary devotion to Yale’s ideals and support through extensive, exemplary service to the university and its schools, institutes, and programs.

We’re excited to honor Fredric K. Cantor ’58, ’62 MD; Marla Grossman ’90; Anthony M. Lavely ’64; Rachel J. Littman ’91; and Wendy Maldonado ’93 as Yale Medal recipients.

Read more about the 2026 Yale Medal recipients: https://bit.ly/4wBdpl3

Louise Langheier ’03 reframes service as reciprocal—built on mutual learning, growth, and respect, not a one-way act of giving. It’s a lesson rooted in her Dwight Hall experience and carried through her work in health education and mental health.

Read: https://bit.ly/3QB5FjA
Dwight Hall at Yale | Center for Public Service and Social Justice

We’re excited to partner with Badge, a mobile wallet platform co-founded by a Yale alum, to offer a digital card to alumni in the Yale College Classes of 2026 through 1980!

Once downloaded, the digital card lives in your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet (like a boarding pass or concert tickets) and makes it easy to stay engaged with the alumni community, with links to the alumni directory, custom push notifications for YAA news and events, Cross Campus, and more.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4q9lY4x

In April, the Yale Club of the Mid-Hudson Valley welcomed Yale Divinity School Dean Gregory Sterling to Rhinebeck, New York, to discuss the Living Village—a regenerative living-learning community at YDS that engages students with the natural world.

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4bOUhaV

happens year-round! This group of Yalies, led by Xiran Du ’12 MBA, volunteered at the Bowers Museum’s Family Day in Santa Ana, CA on July 12 where they helped with event set up, face painting, art crafting, and more!

The Yale School of the Environment’s alumni magazine, Canopy, has a new issue out now full of stories you don’t want to miss!

From research testing how food crops can thrive alongside trees in forested regions to nature-based carbon credits and rethinking zoning to reduce transportation emissions, there's plenty to dive into: https://bit.ly/4hjmhHl

Congratulations to Maj. Nicholas Dockery ’23 MPP, who was awarded the Medal of Honor—the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. government—for valor during a 2012 ambush in Afghanistan.

Read the full story from the Jackson School: https://bit.ly/4aQC2lh