For this week’s #humansofoiss, meet Shreya (@shreyasinghal00), a master student in Health Informatics. Nobody can make “J-walk” sound as interesting as she does.
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Q: What is your story and how did you decide to come to Yale?
A: “I hail from a small city in India, called Indore. One day I wanted to be a pharmacist, another, a doctor, then a biotechnologist, and now a Health Informatician. I don’t know how things worked out the way they did but somehow, I got into Yale. In reality, I chose Yale because of the flexibility it provides in terms of electives and the number of courses you can take, but that’s the boring stuff. It’s my story and I wanna believe that our stars were aligned. So, let’s just go with that, shall we?”
Q: Where is your favorite spot at Yale?
A: “Well, that’s… a secret. But I can tell you my second favorite spot! I love every edifice, every bench, every tree, every note of the carillon, and every glass of free alcohol that you get at the Yale-sponsored events! I always think that the founders of Yale gathered a bunch of architects one day, commissioned them all to design a building each, and asked them to go crazy with their imaginations. But, buildings aside, my second favorite spot at Yale would still be atop Science Hill, overlooking ‘the most beautiful street in America’, as quoted by Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and me of course; where you can just sit in silence and take in the life around you, or maybe do an assignment!”
Q: What are some of the interesting things you find that are different from home for you?
A: “I was prepared to experience the infamous ‘culture shock’, but what actually shocked me was how not-shocked I was! I really love the fact that here people are more open to each other than back home. They’d greet you, hold doors for you, and offer help without hesitation! But the personal things, the internal struggle, the self-doubts, and the experiences they’ve had are all very similar. And the one thing that really stands out for me, that makes me feel at home, is how everyone J-walks all the time! I mean you can call it a lack of respect for the traffic rules if you want, but to me, it’s beautiful! :)”
