Episode 01, Season 01 - Yale College Voices Transcription Daisy Abreu
Cultivating Diversity and Mentorship: A Conversation with Daisy Abreu and Podcast Host Darice Corey
00:00:01:23 - 00:00:32:16
Darice
So today is our first-very first episode of College Voices, and I am so happy to welcome Daisy Abreu here as my first guest. And so I'm going to tell you a little bit about Daisy and then we'll just jump right in. So welcome, Daisy. So Daisy is an administrator, educator, editor and writer, born in Hoboken, New Jersey, from-of Cuban descent Cuban heritage.
00:00:32:19 - 00:01:08:20
Darice
Daisy lived and worked in New Haven since 1994. From 2002 to 2014, she held several positions at the town Green Special Services District, the Business Improvement District in downtown New Haven. She created and managed the calendar of local events and biweekly newsletter, which put her in contact with many schools, programs and departments of Yale University. Also, while at the Town Green, she worked with several of Yale's presidential public service fellows, affording her the opportunity to get to know many Yale students.
00:01:08:22 - 00:01:39:18
Darice
Among her many arts activities, Daisy has taught creative writing at the Shubert Theater and Arts Summer Camp and at Co-op Arts and Humanities High School. She also has held positions on the board of Directors of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven and the Institute Library. A published author and editor, Daisy holds a B.A. in English from the University of Hartford and MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University.
00:01:39:19 - 00:02:07:14
Darice
Go Stags! I am an alumna as well, and Daisy is also a fellow in Saybrook College. Also, to tell you a little bit more about Daisy. So Daisy is an author. Again, originally from New Jersey and a poet of Cuban heritage. The literal and figurative proximity of her immediate family, along with the death of her-your father at a very young age.
00:02:07:16 - 00:02:37:08
Darice
These have influenced Daisy greatly in her style of writing, occupational choice and her love and passion that she incorporates into all of her work. Daisy derives her inspiration from people who excel and are successful at what they do. And other than writing, Daisy enjoys reading, watching black and white classic movies-I'd love to hear what your favorite movie is-going to a trivia night at the local pub and practicing yoga.
00:02:37:11 - 00:03:03:18
Darice
So again, I just want to thank you, Daisy, so much for agreeing to do this with me today. Of course, as you know, this is a whole new podcast that we're doing to recognize our staff here at Yale College and get to know people and hear about special projects. And, you know, your background, just all the things that that make you special and make you a special part of Yale college.
00:03:03:18 - 00:03:04:15
Darice
So thank you.
00:03:04:22 - 00:03:09:14
Daisy
Thank you, Darice, for having me. I'm excited to be the first.
00:03:09:15 - 00:03:31:02
Darice
Yeah. This is awesome. So, yes, I'd love to hear. And so Daisy, Daisy and I are also both on the Yale College DEIB Advisory Committee. So I've gotten to know you-It's so funny because we've been at Yale College for, I don't know, I've been in Yale College for 12 years and you-
00:03:31:02 - 00:03:32:28
Daisy
I've been here for eight.
00:03:33:00 - 00:04:11:02
Darice
For eight years. So it's so funny that it took us this long to get to know each- But, you know, I have been enjoying it because just being involved with the committee and, you know, our work on the committee and all of those things, you know, just having that opportunity to get to know you a little better. Um, so I'm wondering if you could just tell me about your background, what got you into creative writing and, you know, maybe tell me a little bit about your journey from creative writing and, and then here, you know, here at Yale.
00:04:11:04 - 00:04:47:27
Daisy
Yeah, I have been writing in some capacity since I was maybe ten or eleven years old. So I think I wrote my first poem when I was in the fourth grade and it was just something that I enjoyed doing, it was sort of a little bit of an escape. And then I had in high school and in college I had teachers and professors who saw me, you know, for lack of a better term, who said, oh, you know, you've you're passionate about this, you're good at it, you can get better at it.
00:04:47:29 - 00:05:16:28
Daisy
Let me support you. Let me offer you some guidance. So that was really what what led to me ending up being an English major, the most-the most profitable of majors. And then I waited a long time to go back to school and get my master's because my advisor in college had said to me when I asked, you know, should I go right to graduate school after college?
00:05:16:28 - 00:05:52:28
Daisy
He said, unless you really know what you want to pursue and it's something that you're really passionate about, do not go do that if you're not ready and you're not ready to spend that kind of money. And I found my way to Fairfield University's Low Residency Master's program, which was great for a lot of reasons. One, you are immersed for ten days with 100 other writers literally on an island off the coast of Connecticut.
00:05:53:00 - 00:06:05:11
Daisy
Fairfield works with Ender's Island, which is in Stonington, so near Mystic, and they sort of rent the whole place out for us for ten days.
00:06:05:18 - 00:06:06:27
Darice
Wow, I didn't realize that.
00:06:07:03 - 00:06:48:15
Daisy
Yeah. So you're living on the island. Your classes, your meals, it is very immersive and it was very intense, and then you'd come back and sort of be in your world going, why isn't anyone talking about craft? Why isn't this meeting about workshopping your work? But it was a great experience. I made a lot of wonderful friends and colleagues and learned a lot and learned how to not just read other people's work, but how to think about it and how to critique it in a in a way that wasn't
00:06:48:22 - 00:07:13:02
Daisy
I don't like that. I didn't like what you did here. It's it's a more in-depth, more polished, more thoughtful way of looking at someone's work and being able to say what you did here was interesting to me because of this and what you did here, I think can be better because of that. And that's a skill that that I've been able to carry into all my work,
00:07:13:02 - 00:07:47:05
Daisy
it's important to be able to say to people, to give people constructive feedback in a way that isn't short. And I didn't like that and not have any real-where a person can't gain anything from from hearing that. So that's been really great. And then I just kept sort of finding myself in jobs where I was facing a community in some capacity and supporting a community in some capacity and, you know, administrating things that were arts related.
00:07:47:07 - 00:08:13:07
Daisy
So I'm always kind of arts adjacent in my work and to also have the opportunity to serve on local arts boards has been a really great experience and I recommend it to people because I think it's it's a way to support an organization whether you have a ton of money or not. You know, you can you can donate your time, you can donate your expertise.
00:08:13:10 - 00:08:46:13
Daisy
It's a great way to meet other people in the community and it really forces you to get over your fear of public speaking in a lot of cases, even if it's just public speaking in in a board meeting, even if it's just speaking up in a board meeting and feeling like I have something to say and I'm in a room of people who may be or may not be like minded, but it's a safe space in a way.
00:08:46:15 - 00:09:06:24
Darice
Interesting. So I'm wondering if you could tell us a little more about maybe one of the, I don't want to say your favorite board, a favorite board that you served on, but what's the most memorable experience you had about working on a board?
00:09:06:27 - 00:09:37:06
Daisy
So I just completed 12 years on the Arts Council of Greater New Haven's Board of Directors, and that was particularly special because when I first came to work with the Arts Council, it was in my professional capacity. So I was going to committee meetings and I was sort of helping to facilitate events and I was partnering-the office I worked at at the time was partnering with the Arts Council to promote events and provide support and that kind of thing.
00:09:37:09 - 00:10:16:01
Daisy
And then I was invited to join the board and everything I knew about serving on a board I'd learned from my job at the time because I was the staff person supporting the board. So I understood how things worked from that perspective as someone who sat in the room and observed, and then this board has been through, the Arts Council Board has been through a lot as far as staff turnover, board turnover, funding, not having funding.
00:10:16:03 - 00:10:42:08
Daisy
And so by the end of my term, so when I went into my 10th year, I had served on the executive committee and the Finance Committee, I served on every committee they had and eventually became the chair of the board. And what I didn't know when I passed on my chairpersonship to the next chair was that I was the first woman of color to ever be the chair of that board.
00:10:42:11 - 00:10:43:01
Darice
That's amazing.
00:10:43:01 - 00:11:07:29
Daisy
And I really didn't know that and I didn't think about it, even though I'd, you know, I'd been there for some-But the Arts Council is is almost 60 years old. So, you know, the 12 years I was there, it didn't seem odd, but now I passed on the chairperson ship to another woman of color. And it was really satisfying.
00:11:07:29 - 00:11:40:25
Daisy
I helped participate in the most recent search for their new executive director, and that process was incredible, just in how thorough we tried to be, how thoughtful we tried to be. So I felt very much like I left that board service. I'd left the organization as a board member better than I'd found it. I'd helped them in some way, even if it was just like, you know, every week the the operations manager would come and have me sign checks.
00:11:41:02 - 00:11:46:24
Daisy
Okay, I can do that. But also to help find their new executive director.
00:11:47:01 - 00:11:58:21
Darice
That's awesome. And so I'm curious, when you mentioned that you were, you know, the first woman of color to serve in that capacity.
00:11:58:24 - 00:12:00:02
Daisy
Mm hmm.
00:12:00:04 - 00:12:14:00
Darice
Over the years, did that affect your experience over the years? Like whether it was experience with the community or, you know, other board members or-
00:12:14:02 - 00:12:49:18
Daisy
No, I think-I remember when I was first asked about my interest in serving on the board as just a standard level board member. I remember having a conversation with the executive director at the time where I said, Are you asking me because you think I would be a good contributor to this board, or are you asking me because you need to check a box, which was not something that I'd ever felt comfortable asking someone, but I had a relationship with this person where I felt like, if I'm going to ask somebody this question, this is the person I'm going to ask.
00:12:49:20 - 00:13:18:23
Daisy
And they were very frank with me and said, You've been a part of this organization in some capacity unofficially for a long time, and we just want you to be a part of it. And I knew that there were other people of color on the board. So I felt like, okay. And I knew those people. And a couple of them, or one of them I was very close with,
00:13:18:23 - 00:13:44:16
Daisy
So I was kind of like, okay, well, let me talk to this person and they assured me that it wasn't one of those situations that I think a lot of us have have experienced. So I just didn't think about it anymore, you know? And it wasn't-when I became the chair, it was you know, you're sort of-there's a succession plan.
00:13:44:16 - 00:14:10:15
Daisy
So whoever is the chair, the vice chair eventually would become the chair, if they want to, you know. But it was always this sort of the same four people kind of moving around in positions. And I knew eventually I would I would be the chair. And I certainly didn't know exactly how to do it. But I'd been around enough folks and I'd watched folks, and I knew exactly how not to do it.
00:14:10:18 - 00:14:35:22
Daisy
And I learned, you know, I made mistakes, but I really in my chairpersonship, I really in meetings especially, I wanted to make sure that everyone who wanted to say something had an opportunity to say something. It wasn't a matter of let's just kind of hang out on this call until the timer stops. Like if we're done, we're done.
00:14:35:24 - 00:15:02:08
Daisy
And really letting the staff, you know, the executive director reports to the board, but the board isn't running the organization, right? They hire the executive director to do that. So it was it's a fine line to walk. And that was something important that I learned as well, because I think there are people who want the board to kind of have the final say on all the things like on the day to day things.
00:15:02:08 - 00:15:21:11
Daisy
And that's-we've hired these professionals to manage this organization the day to day. We can be a working board, but we could also be a board that meets once a month and gets updates and talks about our strategic plan and bigger picture things. We should not be in the weeds unless it is a serious emergency.
00:15:21:13 - 00:15:22:25
Daisy
Right. Right.
00:15:22:28 - 00:15:37:09
Darice
Interesting. So when-how do you find your experience working on the board tying into your work now here at Yale?
00:15:37:12 - 00:16:06:23
Daisy
Well, there's a lot of committees at Yale. Yes. So there's a lot to sort of apply that work. And also working in the Office of the Arts and being on the board of an arts organization gives me more resources, I think allows me to to be a better resource for my colleagues and for the students that we serve.
00:16:06:25 - 00:16:40:16
Daisy
So the other thing I know has been of interest, at least in the college and, you know, even more so in in my work, is to let the students that we serve know that as much art access and services and interest and things that are on campus, there are these amazing arts organizations that are in some cases unique to New Haven.
00:16:40:16 - 00:17:14:19
Daisy
So like super specific, like the New Haven Museum is specific to New Haven, but it's not it's not just like and here's the Eli Whitney. You know, it's it's deeper than that. And so to give the students access to that and to give those organizations access to students and I found you know, I've lived in New Haven almost 30 years, and I've found that there are more and more students who come to campus and want to engage with people, places and things off campus and not-
00:17:14:19 - 00:17:47:09
Daisy
I'm never going to go and be part of Yale's art scene. But to know that Yale's art scene, which is incredibly vibrant, feeds into New Haven's arts scene and vice versa, right? So we just did during the opening days of the college when all the first years and returning students were arriving, we did an event in the Schwarzman Center Rotunda where I invited a group of New Haven arts organizations to set up tables during lunch time.
00:17:47:11 - 00:18:07:14
Daisy
So as students were walking through, we were sort of we were giving out Yale College art stickers and saying, oh, and these are from New Haven arts organizations that are here to welcome you, and you can learn more about them. And it was it was wonderful to see the students kind of engage with those things and say, oh, I'm going to go to the Institute library
00:18:07:17 - 00:18:36:15
Daisy
and check that out because that sounds like a cool place or, oh, downtown New Haven is doing a night market the the last weekend of September. And it's going to be, you know, right outside of campus like literally on Chapel Street. And I'm going to check that out and to give them an opportunity to discover how wonderful this city is, especially as far as arts is concerned.
00:18:36:15 - 00:18:59:04
Daisy
Because, yes, we have the Yale Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art and the Beineke and all of those wonderful places that are free and open to the public. And that's the other thing, is that people don't know the public of New Haven. A lot of people don't know that they can just walk into the Yale Art Gallery and see, you know, an Edward Hopper painting.
00:18:59:06 - 00:19:41:08
Daisy
So that is very much my interest is to build that bridge between the students who are already interested in the arts, they're an easy sell, but also students who maybe are not as comfortable pursuing the arts in in a traditional way to know that they can, you know, go to the New Haven free Public Library and and see a movie there or rent the movie if they still do that and and and engage with the librarians there to do research on New Haven and that librarian will refer them to the New Haven Museum.
00:19:41:08 - 00:20:18:18
Daisy
And maybe there's a book at the institute library and maybe, you know, they want to go to Firehouse 12 and listen to jazz and things like that so that there is-and I know that they all are already very booked and very busy with every- You know, everything I just said, there is a parallel on campus right? So they could go to Firehouse 12 to listen to jazz or they can attend a concert, the Ellington series that Tom Duffy and his team put together.
00:20:18:25 - 00:20:42:05
Daisy
Like there is-there's never a time where you can say, well, there's nothing to do tonight. So that's really my-I want people to engage with the campus offerings and the city's offerings because it's not everywhere has this much.
00:20:42:10 - 00:21:14:05
Darice
Yes, exactly. I agree. That's awesome and you know, as as you were speaking, I you know, my brain went off in so many different directions because I started thinking about, you know, just our on the committee and how, you know, how can we dive into Daisy's brain and, you know, start pulling out all of these resources because there's-number one, we have so many new staff, staff who are not from New Haven and don't know about all of these things.
00:21:14:05 - 00:21:33:00
Darice
And in fact, like some of the things you just mentioned, I didn't know that, you know, So, you know, I, you know, separate conversation. But really, like, how do how do we get all of this stuff? I mean, I know we have the arts calendar, but are there other resources that-?
00:21:33:04 - 00:22:12:00
Daisy
Yeah there's-so the arts calendar is a great resource the Yale College Arts page, ideally all of the student productions so theater, dance, music, comedy is all listed there and automatically pushed to the arts calendar. And then there's the weekly arts email that amazingly is now, almost every week, is booked to have a guest curator. And the guest curator is usually I've had a couple of staff folks do it, but usually it's a student who is involved in some kind of arts event that's happening that week.
00:22:12:00 - 00:22:36:20
Daisy
And so we put up their photograph and do a little intro and talk about their work. So last week we had a student who is-I believe he's now the president of the Yale Symphony Orchestra. Oh, wow. So we had a bio and we you know, what college they're in, what year they are, what their major is, their involvement in whatever arts organization that they're involved in.
00:22:36:20 - 00:22:57:16
Daisy
And then they select the events that they think, you know, folks might be interested in. So, you know, of course, it's always like and by the way, the Yale Symphony is having a concert this weekend, which is wonderful. But then they also pull other things from the arts calendar. And I'm always surprised by what-so one student might just do all music things because that's their thing.
00:22:57:18 - 00:23:40:20
Daisy
And another student might, you know, I'm in this play, but also there's this-The Yale Film Archive is screening this movie that, you know, they have a new print of this movie from 1935 and there's an exhibition and there's a great talk about Shakespeare at the Beineke. And so it's a great opportunity for them to promote themselves, but also give their peers and the faculty and the staff and all the folks that are on the list, which I think the list is now up to 12,000 people that subscribe to give them sort of, give the students a voice in that way, allow them to promote things in a different way, give them the opportunity to
00:23:40:20 - 00:24:11:20
Daisy
sort of write something and give their perspective. And, you know, we hear from folks who have been given a shout out in that email like, oh, like someone will write to me from Yale Rep and say, Oh, thank you so much for including the play that we have coming up. And we just it that's, that's the student thing that so that that shows me that they're engaged and it gets the word out to a lot of people and then people you know after the first one of the year goes out in September, then I start getting requests from the students.
00:24:11:20 - 00:24:33:02
Daisy
So I already have all of the fall booked through the holiday break. And then I had a student over the summer wrote to me and said, Can I have this date in April? I was like, it is never too early, right? So yeah, so that's really-and we love having faculty and staff do it if they're interested as well.
00:24:33:02 - 00:24:56:04
Daisy
So we did. I think the first one we did this year was Aaron Carney, who is the new theater and arts librarian. And I apologize if I've gotten her title wrong because she's a great resource for especially students who are making theater. And she's new to Yale, so I was able to offer them the opportunity to do that.
00:24:56:06 - 00:25:20:24
Darice
Oh, that's amazing. So I'm curious. Like I said, my brain went in 20 directions as you shared that. And so a couple of things I wanted to kind of take a step back and and if you don't mind and talk a little bit more about your Cuban heritage, which I did not know about until we had a chance to really have a conversation.
00:25:20:24 - 00:26:10:02
Darice
And, you know, you had you shared some really interesting things about how you grew up and how how those experiences affect you today. And so I was curious if you could tell me a little bit more about, you know, whatever you'd like to share about about your childhood and how those experiences shaped you, you know, as you grew into an adult, but also how does your heritage tie into your love for the arts and your experience, your experiences with students and what, you know, how those experiences shape, how you sort of mentor students and and help them along the way?
00:26:10:02 - 00:26:12:16
Daisy
Yeah, that's a great it's a big question.
00:26:12:18 - 00:26:15:12
Darice
It is a big question. I should've chopped it up a little but-
00:26:15:14 - 00:26:46:16
Daisy
So the quick is that my parents were both born in Cuba and married in the spring of 1958, and then the Cuban revolution was, I believe, New Year's Eve into New Year's Day in 1959. So they were married in 58. The revolution happened. My brother was born that summer of '59. My sister was born the following fall of 1960.
00:26:46:16 - 00:27:10:15
Daisy
My father has a son from his first marriage. And so the revolution happened in '59 and it took my family nine years to get out. And in that period they were-my father was considered an enemy of the state, for lack of a better term. So he was taken in as a-he was sent to the work camps.
00:27:10:20 - 00:27:32:19
Daisy
And depending on who you ask, I'm not sure how much time he spent there. That's-that's part of the trauma is that someone will say, oh, no, he was only there for a couple of weeks and like my siblings would be like, I'm pretty sure he was there for six months. So they left-my great aunt and godmother had left for the United States in the forties
00:27:32:23 - 00:27:58:15
Daisy
because she was-she was a seamstress and interested in fashion, so she moved here and married and moved to California. And so she sponsored my family and my parents and siblings were very lucky to come on a flight all together because in the late sixties or in the early part of that first wave of exiles, a lot of children were put on planes by themselves and a lot of them never saw their parents again.
00:27:58:17 - 00:28:49:09
Daisy
So we were very lucky that my father was able to keep them together. And I was born in the States. I was the first one born in the States with all of the baggage that comes with being that little American dreamer. But we grew up-my family lived in California for a few months, and then my father came east and had a lot of friends from my mother's hometown who had actually settled in this part of New Jersey that is sometimes referred to as Havana on the Hudson, because it's the largest at the time in the sixties, seventies and eighties, it was the largest concentration of Cuban exiles outside of Florida.
00:28:49:15 - 00:29:18:13
Daisy
So I grew up with my immediate family and then this sort of ad hoc extended family, this community of people who looked out for each other's kids, who celebrated every holiday together, who supported each other in a myriad of ways that you kind of absorb. Right. You kind of were like, oh, that, but that's just how you do it.
00:29:18:13 - 00:29:44:07
Daisy
And so in the second wave of immigrants, exiles came in the early eighties and the Mariel boatlift. My parents knew a lot of those guys and it was all guys and took them in so they would stay with us for a little bit. And then my father would help them find an apartment. So there was a group of them that all like shared an apartment and helped find them jobs.
00:29:44:09 - 00:30:07:01
Daisy
And then they spent every holiday with us. You know, they would come for Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is the big holiday in the Cuban culture. And, you know, we're at our birthday parties and we're just part of our lives for the remainder of their lives, because my mother was put down as next of kin on all of their paperwork.
00:30:07:01 - 00:30:44:29
Daisy
So my mother had to she had to bury a lot of guys. So she was responsible for sort of taking care of. And a lot of them left their families and all the work that they did and all the money that they made, they sent back home. But what I learned from being around that and growing up in that environment was how to support other people and how to be for people that family and that support and that kind of intangible thing that people need sometimes just to get them through.
00:30:44:29 - 00:31:16:21
Daisy
So it was everything from sponsoring them to come here to having them at every holiday. And my parents are very generous people and not in-not in the financial sense, but in like helping take care of people when they got sick. And, you know, my father would be like, oh, you know, don't worry about paying me for this work that I've done for you, like-
00:31:16:21 - 00:31:43:10
Daisy
And then he'd come home with, like, lobsters or something. Like they would, you know, it was that kind of-It was yeah, it was a barter. And, and I think that that really hit home for me, like I sort of knew it. But when I at my Father's wake-to see that many people standing room only we only did you know my mother was like we're having one-
00:31:43:12 - 00:32:19:27
Daisy
You know the viewing and then-and not just their friends. And, you know, my father was part of the Masons and different lodges. Not just that, but, you know, my siblings friends and excuse me, the people that I worked with at the time and people I'd gone to high school with who remembered him fondly. That was sort of when we felt like, oh, you know what a difference this person made, you know, And still that people will still say, Oh, your father was always, you know, so kind to me.
00:32:19:27 - 00:33:14:01
Daisy
And that is what I learned from growing up in that way. And I think that there are ways to to support people and especially the students. And I get emotional when I think about, excuse me, I get emotional when I think about the students who are first gen, low income because I was that kid. And so to be for them if they want it, if they need it, to be that person to say, I totally get it right, I totally understand what a different planet this place is and, and how important it is to have somebody who says-who isn't like their family member, but to say, I get it and I see you and I, I
00:33:14:01 - 00:33:46:08
Daisy
understand the specific difficulty that you're having right? Because I didn't have that. You know, I didn't go to Yale, I went to the University of Hartford, as you said, and I didn't have an affinity group. I didn't have other students who were of my background. If they were there, I couldn't find them. But the people that became my closest friends are all artists.
00:33:46:10 - 00:34:17:17
Daisy
So I found my people at the art school and I wasn't in the art school, but I found my people in the art school. But that's that's really how it how my childhood in my growing up affects that. And, you know, my parents were big readers, my sister was a big reader, my brothers were musicians. So my my brother played in a band when he was in high school that the band was called Salsa 76.
00:34:17:17 - 00:34:19:03
Darice
Oh, nice.
00:34:19:06 - 00:34:39:15
Daisy
My father sang in Cuba. He was a singer. I think my maternal grandfather was a musician. So. So that part of it is-there was always, you know, from the moment my dad woke up in the morning until he went to bed, there was music playing. He always had the radio on. If there wasn't a baseball game on, it was just the radio and listening to music.
00:34:39:15 - 00:34:57:28
Daisy
And I mean, I still I'll sit at my desk, I'll go back to my desk today and I'll put my headphones in and I'll listen to music. And there's, you know, my husband will say, how can you work with that stuff? I'm like, it's just my whole life there's always been music in the background. Yeah.
00:34:58:00 - 00:35:35:28
Darice
That's great. Wow, That's amazing experience. I so, you know, even for myself, I connected to what you shared in different ways. Like, so when you mentioned not having someone, you know, during your college years, not having an affinity group, not having someone who just understands what it's like to feel like a fish out of water and, you know, even just relating to my own experience in the same thing, you know, I was a shy kid.
00:35:35:29 - 00:36:07:27
Darice
You know, I if people can't tell, I was very-I was very introverted and I never you know, I never reached out for help, really. I just kind of figured it out quietly. And then, you know, in my later years, I realized what I missed out on because I just didn't know who to talk to. Right. And even if I might known who to talk to, I was too shy to do that.
00:36:08:00 - 00:36:47:18
Darice
And I wasn't the first first gen college student, but, you know, having that representation makes such a difference for, you know, even just one person having having a-feeling like you can approach someone, it just makes all the difference in the world. So I can't imagine how a student may feel coming to this, you know, coming to this campus and if you don't know what the resources are, how do you find them and how do you find these people to connect with and same thing-
00:36:47:19 - 00:36:53:09
Darice
I get emotional, too, because I remember these days where I would just kind of like, I'll just hang out in the campus center, I don't know where to go
00:36:53:13 - 00:37:28:17
Daisy
Yeah, yeah, I'll just go to the pottery studio. What I do appreciate about working in the college and seeing the work that my colleagues do, especially with first Gen and low income and students of color, is, you know, now they have the tools to reach out to the students before they even get here. So our colleague Eileen Galvez and the folks at La Casa do a great job.
00:37:28:19 - 00:37:54:10
Daisy
And I wish that I'd had something like that, that I was aware of something like that. And there's La Casa and then there's Causa, which is the Cuban American student group, and it's that they create that community for the students. So, yes, the students have the community in their-in the residential college, you know, and the residential colleges are like so hardcore about making community.
00:37:54:10 - 00:38:35:03
Daisy
And I love, like there's that sort of-you don't want to say Hogwarts, but that's what kind of what it is. But, you know, I've been to events at La Casa, I've been to events at the Native American Cultural Center, at the House, at the Asian American Cultural Center. And the way these students connect with each other and lift each other up and are able to be in this environment and have their culture and be their culture and share their culture because, right, La Casa Latino isn't a monolith, right?
00:38:35:03 - 00:39:08:01
Daisy
There are Cubans, there are Guatemalans, there are Ecuadorians. There's you know, there's a whole gorgeous rainbow of that. And the same with with the Asian-American center and Native American Center and the African-all of it. And I just admire the work that our colleagues in those centers do, because they're not just building and supporting a community of students. Those students are dealing with a lot of negative stuff that comes their way.
00:39:08:07 - 00:39:45:17
Daisy
Racism, you know, anti... everything. And sometimes it's scary. You know, you-there's there's attacks, there's racially motivated-It's and I do not know, but I commend our colleagues in those centers for the work that they do, because they're also dealing with that stuff. And that's also weighing on on their hearts to sort of say, okay, well, this terrible thing has happened.
00:39:45:20 - 00:40:12:08
Daisy
And I feel it because I'm part of that community. But I also need to support these students and and be a resource for them and be a safe place for them. So that is really again, I'll say it again, I something that I wished that I'd had and I was I was lucky to find the group of friends that I found and to have the professors that I had.
00:40:12:10 - 00:40:39:16
Daisy
But I will be very frank and tell you none of those people look like me. And have not had my experience. So that that sort of would be what was missing was that I didn't have someone else say, well yeah, you know, now it's, it's funny whenever I meet someone who, who is Cuban, you sort of just fall into it in a lot of ways.
00:40:39:16 - 00:41:12:15
Daisy
And even if it's a different what I've learned in recent years is that depending on when the person came over or what their relationship is to their Cuban-ness, it's different conversations, right? So everyone I went to high school with was in most cases, not everyone, but in most cases were the first born in this country to parents who came over and usually had siblings who were much older, as my siblings are 12, 13 and 15 years older than I am.
00:41:12:17 - 00:41:33:21
Daisy
But I've met people who who came to this country in the nineties and that was a whole different, you know, that's a different expect a different experience because they're leaving a very different Cuba than my parents left and even that I've visited. So. Wow. So that was a good ramble.
00:41:33:24 - 00:41:59:14
Darice
That was great. You know, and again, it's it's like, you know, my brain goes in so many different directions, just imagining, you know, I-uh-you know, again, the student experience and some-I'm curious, have many students connected with you, whether it's because of your Cuban heritage or just in general with your arts experiences?
00:41:59:14 - 00:42:25:10
Daisy
Yeah, I found that one of the things that I'm doing now as part of my work is so every fall and spring there's the Creative and Performing Arts Awards. Also known as the CPAs and students apply for those for funding and for for spaces to do their performances. And there is a group of students who are working on writing projects and publications.
00:42:25:13 - 00:42:59:15
Daisy
So I have some experience with that. So I'm available to them and I actually this morning got an email from a student who wants to meet to discuss those things. And I have student workers that I hire that are working as undergraduate photographers for the productions and ticketing coordinators. And, you know, I connect with them on some level and sometimes I just happen to come across a student just in my other capacities on campus and connect with them.
00:42:59:15 - 00:43:30:18
Daisy
And, you know, it definitely happened more when I was when I worked at town Green because I was in charge of the Presidential Public Service Fellow, which is a wonderful program. And every summer we got, you know, absolutely the best and the brightest. And I mean, that was over 20 years ago. And I just got a message from a student who was my my presidential public service fellow in 2011.
00:43:30:21 - 00:43:51:25
Daisy
Oh, wow. He just wrote to me to say, you know, hey, I was thinking of you. Actually, I think he wrote to me because you'd posted that reel. And so we just had a nice catch up over over text. And I'm still very close to many of those students because I think it was their first-
00:43:51:25 - 00:44:21:11
Daisy
For a lot of them, it was their first internship of that nature. Very immersive, and a lot of them had never if it was their-going into their sophomore year and it was the first summer that they'd been in New Haven. But for others that were going into like their junior their senior year, it was their first summer staying in New Haven and realizing there's a lot of stuff that happens here when we're not here.
00:44:21:11 - 00:44:53:15
Daisy
I'm like, There's a lot of stuff that happens when you're not here. And I do still. I mean, I've been invited to their weddings. There's one in particular that I talk to every day. You know, she's like, they're like my younger siblings or or my husband calls them my kids. And that is, you know, part of that is is having a relationship with them in a professional capacity and keeping it professional and then leaving the door open when they're done, when you're done having that professional relationship.
00:44:53:15 - 00:45:14:12
Daisy
Right. To say, if you ever need anything, I am here. And some of them kind of-Okay, thanks. Thanks for that letter of recommendation I got into Dartmouth bye, and other ones are like, I'm coming through town and I'd love to have dinner with you. And other ones are like, every day we're messaging.
00:45:14:12 - 00:45:15:27
Darice
Yeah. Yeah.
00:45:16:00 - 00:45:41:23
Daisy
I think it's important to to have that boundary with the students, especially with the students, to say, you know, we're working together, I'm going to treat you as a professional because this is a job, but your schoolwork and your personal and mental health come first. If you need something, then you let me know. But that's sort of in the profession.
00:45:41:23 - 00:46:01:06
Daisy
Like if you need, if you can't work this week, just let me know and let me know how I can support you. And, and like I said, some of them stay close and and continue to engage with me and other ones are, you know, I might run into them on the street and they say hello and they're happy to see me.
00:46:01:06 - 00:46:25:28
Daisy
It's, you know, it's never my expectation that they owe me anything or that I owe them anything. But I am always available. I'll, you know, I have students that I haven't seen in years and they'll write to me and say, oh, I saw this thing and I thought of you. So, yeah, I think it's it's important to be that person.
00:46:26:00 - 00:46:30:29
Daisy
What I always say is I want to be for someone what someone was for me once.
00:46:31:05 - 00:46:55:20
Darice
That's awesome. That's great. And I think that's what makes it so important, right? It's, you know, tying all of these things together, like you said, the way that you were raised and how you were brought up. And, you know, the you know, really it was extended family. You know, I wanted to say community, but as an extended family took care of each other.
00:46:55:23 - 00:47:29:06
Darice
You know, you looked out for each other and then carrying that into the way that you approach your interactions with students is interesting, right? Because it's something that not-many people didn't have that no matter what background. They didn't come up in a you know, some folks did not have a family community like that or feeling like someone is looking out for them.
00:47:29:12 - 00:47:58:25
Darice
And like you said, your experience on campus, same thing, finding your people and figuring out what meant. But then also someone who looks like you and, you know, having that connection, it's so important because it really can be life changing for for people. So now I want to kind of tie this in to our work on the DEIB Committee.
00:47:58:27 - 00:48:31:16
Darice
So I'm curious in, you know, we've met recently to talk about our future plans on the committee and, you know, how we can make a difference here for the college, but also for the Yale college staff. How do you see all of this? You know, everything that you shared tying into some of the areas, you know, we talked about during the presentation, during the staff meeting, we gave a presentation of our DEIB survey results.
00:48:31:16 - 00:48:55:01
Darice
And we had a live poll where folks rated some of the areas that they would like to see the committee work on for the next year. So I was curious, how do you see all of these things tying into what, you know, what are we going to do this year and how we'll accomplish it?
00:48:55:03 - 00:49:16:11
Daisy
Yeah, it is exciting and it is daunting because while we want to do everything, we all have jobs. So we can't do everything, but we're all excited to to sort of map it out. And so the other exciting part is that we've already had, I want to say four people join us.
00:49:16:11 - 00:49:17:06
Darice
Yes. Which is awesome
00:49:17:06 - 00:49:50:08
Daisy
As a result of of the presentation that you and Maya, Dr. Maya Fisher, did so brilliantly. So that's exciting that we have more hands on deck. I think it's exciting that people felt seen, that we shared that information and they were like, oh, we have the information. I think people, we're still building trust. I think there's still some skepticism about maybe what we're doing and how we're doing it.
00:49:50:11 - 00:50:26:16
Daisy
So I want to to keep that transparency. And I think that our plans are manageable, especially because we have so many folks involved and they're, to me they're realistic. So we're not going to try to reinvent any wheels. We're going to find out first what wheels are out there that we can make visible to the folks who have taken this survey, who are in Yale college, who have asked us to to find out about these things.
00:50:26:16 - 00:50:36:21
Daisy
So first, we're going to find out what are the resources that are already out there. And let's make those available in a central place.
00:50:36:24 - 00:51:16:10
Daisy
I think that's not super easy, but we can do it. We can do it. And then to continue the conversations with everyone who is interested in continuing the conversation with us right. And I think I've mentioned this to you before, where our-the Yale College Arts team has a monthly meeting that isn't the staff, and it's just to talk about anti-racism and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and everything from issues of like, how can we make X, Y, and Z more accessible for the students that we work with too?
00:51:16:10 - 00:51:56:23
Daisy
You know, some some of our own personal encounters, experiences in this work, in moving through the world as we all move through the world, what we see sharing resources and and those meetings are-there's always something to learn. There's always something to think about. When we leave those meetings. I find those meetings very satisfying, and feel very comfortable sharing in a way that, you know, maybe I wouldn't have before, because I know that the expectation of me is that there's no expectation of me, right?
00:51:56:23 - 00:52:22:27
Daisy
I'm not expected to show up and be like, this is what it's like to be in this body. I, I show up and other people say, oh, you know, we had this issue and how do we make this particular thing more accessible for students who are dealing with this? And we brainstorm and we suggest things to each other and support each other and I would love to see more of that.
00:52:22:27 - 00:52:49:13
Daisy
And I know that-I think even on the survey, a lot of people are like, the last thing I need is another meeting.
Darice
Another meeting, right.
Daisy
But to have an opportunity and I think that we have an opportunity to create those opportunities for people. So like having sort of an open house or a drop in where people can come and just sort of get to know us as the committee.
00:52:49:16 - 00:53:22:01
Daisy
And maybe there are people on the committee that, oh, I know Darice, I'll go to that meeting and I'll just talk to her about this thing that I didn't feel comfortable sharing in whatever space. I think that we as individuals and as a committee could could be a really amazing resource for folks who are familiar with this work and have been doing this work on their own and want a way to enlarge, expand their work.
00:53:22:03 - 00:53:43:28
Daisy
I think we could be a resource and a way for people who have not done this work to engage with in a way that feels okay for them. Because I know that it's, for some people it's really scary to have these conversations. It can be scary for me to have these conversations, to feel safe in a room.
00:53:44:00 - 00:53:50:22
Daisy
So I hope that people will take us up on the opportunities that we are about to research and provide for them.
00:53:50:24 - 00:54:22:07
Darice
Yeah, I agree. I'm excited about it and that's part of the reason for this podcast is to just, you know, give the-let people know that we, you know, we want to talk to other people. We want to, you know, welcome the questions. We welcome-Just the fact that you're asking questions means that some part of it, you know, something, must have clicked, something resonated.
00:54:22:09 - 00:54:45:22
Darice
And you know, I welcome that, you know welcome the discussion. Even if you feel unsure or, you know, I think some folks may feel just uncomfortable to broach the subject. And I think the more that we talk about it, the more that we present at staff meetings, you know, the more that we can invite folks to come to our committee meetings,
00:54:45:23 - 00:55:06:07
Darice
I, you know, I'm excited to see more participation and hear, you know, hear other perspectives, ideas, you know, things I haven't thought of-or, you know, that we haven't thought of in terms of our approach or-so yeah, I feel like it's an exciting time. And then it's like, okay, what do I do with it now?
00:55:06:07 - 00:55:26:08
Daisy
Yeah, and we certainly have not and will not claim to have all of the answers. But we are a space and a group where you can come and ask the questions and we can work together to help find the answers. If there are answers and implement things if we can with what we have.
00:55:26:08 - 00:55:57:27
Darice
Yeah. Which I, you know, it's, it's like I know it's there, you know, just like you you mentioned all of these different resources in the arts community just the same same thing with with what we're trying to accomplish with, with our efforts. It's there. It's just finding, you know, finding all of these resources. And I'm sure there are tons of things out there that we didn't even know existed or, you know, programs that are going on that we didn't know about.
00:55:57:27 - 00:56:17:19
Darice
And, you know, I'm just looking forward to, you know, spreading the word more with a lot of folks because, you know, like I said, that I think our staff, we have the highest number of Yale college staff than we've ever had in the last, at least since I've been here. And I've been in the dean's office for 12 years.
00:56:17:22 - 00:56:42:27
Darice
Um, so it's an exciting time because there's so many people, so many new people, you know, it's like a new energy and it's just exciting. And like you said, just, you know, trying to welcome more and more folks into, you know, just like we were talking about with your community coming to the community and get involved and don't be scared, you know?
00:56:43:00 - 00:57:09:05
Daisy
Yeah, yeah. And it's an opportunity. And it's it's a great opportunity. And I'm excited for the work that we've already done and that we are able to continue it. I don't think it's-it's certainly not a one and done, like there's a lot to explore. There's a lot to to find out there's a lot of there's a lot of people to talk to you.
00:57:09:07 - 00:57:13:12
Darice
Right right. Yeah. This is a lot to do.
00:57:13:14 - 00:57:23:00
Daisy
So if you have questions, yes, please email. Yes. DEIB.ycdo@yale.edu
00:57:23:03 - 00:57:47:06
Darice
Yes, please do. Please do. We welcome, you know, I would love to see a giant group, you know, by the end of this academic year, I'd love to see a giant group of folks, um, which leads me to my last question, I see that we're almost wrapping up our our hour together. What-You know, if you could envision where we will be by this time next year.
00:57:47:06 - 00:57:58:27
Darice
What are some ideas? If you could list maybe one or two things that you would love to be able to say we did it. It's, you know, we accomplished it and yeah, on to our next year.
00:57:58:28 - 00:58:42:06
Daisy
Yeah, well, I'd love to. I mean, it's we're building this, right? So I would love to know that there is a place where, online, where all the resources are, you know, sort of a clearing house. I would love to have that. Um, I would love to have the opportunity to have us present, you know, maybe at the start of the year, in the beginning, at the end of the year, to say, you know, here's here's what we've learned, here's what we're going to do, you know, sort of that kind of reporting to the all staff, because I think that that really captured people's attention and interest.
00:58:42:08 - 00:59:10:14
Daisy
So those things and for the committee to grow and for people to feel comfortable and safe, you know, we've talked about having our, once we've got a set schedule for the committee meetings, to let people know that they're they're open, people can come, they can come to one, they can come to every single one. I would love for people to feel comfortable dropping in, even if they drop in once and say, here's an issue I'm having,
00:59:10:14 - 00:59:33:21
Daisy
Can you help? And we can say we can help, we don't know how yet, but let's talk it out. So those are the three things, the resources I'm taking and resources where everyone can find them, because you're the one that's going to have to build the page, probably. To be able to sort of present key things at, you know, one or two at the start
00:59:33:21 - 00:59:49:13
Daisy
and the end of the year of our all staff meetings and and to get to a point where where our meetings are open. And I know once we figure out what our schedule is, they will be and to to have people feel comfortable approaching us and engaging in those meetings.
00:59:49:18 - 01:00:15:02
Darice
Awesome. Well, Daisy, thank you so much for being, you know, so flexible schedule-wise. But thank you so much for being my my very first, inaugural Yale College Voices guest And you know, thank you for your openness. You know, one thing I've really enjoyed about this, as I said, I'm coming out of my comfort zone.
01:00:15:02 - 01:00:49:23
Darice
I'm sort of a behind the scenes IT girl and you know, it's just been awesome getting to know you more and and hearing about your background, you know, even as you're talking, it's like I could hear music, you know what I mean, like I could hear it happening and, you know, it's just been a pleasure and that's been my goal is just bringing all of, you know, these wonderful things about staff like you to light because I, you know, working in Yale college and having now that we have so many folks remote or hybrid.
01:00:49:23 - 01:01:15:15
Darice
we don't get to connect as often. So, you know, if we get to connect in an elevator or, you know, at a meeting, then we're lucky because now it's all Zoom. And, you know, you kind of lose a little bit when it's just Zoom all the time. And, you know, I'm hoping-that's my hope is just to kind of bring that back, that community sense and just getting to know people.
01:01:15:16 - 01:01:16:08
Daisy
Yeah.
01:01:16:10 - 01:01:35:15
Darice
And, you know, appreciating all of our different backgrounds and experiences and all of those things, plus all of the other initiatives that we'd like to accomplish with the committee. But again, I just want to thank you and it's just been a pleasure chatting with you.
01:01:35:15 - 01:01:37:15
Daisy
Thank you, Darice.
01:01:37:22 - 01:02:00:20
Darice
So I'm going to end here. Of course, I'm going to plug our our our Instagram page. @YaleCollegeVoices where you'll see snippets of Daisy and probably the full recording of our podcast. We're also going to be available on Spotify and SoundCloud. So we're going to post on those as well.
01:02:00:23 - 01:02:02:20
Daisy
And you have some wonderful guests coming up.
01:02:02:20 - 01:02:20:01
Darice
Yes, I do. I have Anita Sharif-Hyder. I have Susan Yusef coming on board. Brian Robinson, Julia Bakes. Oh, my gosh. I actually have a nice a nice list going on. I'm booked into October, so-
01:02:20:04 - 01:02:20:27
Daisy
Fantastic.
01:02:20:27 - 01:02:39:15
Darice
So this is good. So, yes, again, I appreciate your time and thank you for for letting me get to know you, because I it's given me a new appreciation of, you know, our friendship, our, you know, our working relationship. And it's just been wonderful. So thank you, Daisy.
01:02:39:15 - 01:02:41:02
Daisy
Thank you, Darice.
01:02:41:04 - 01:02:42:15
Darice
All right. So we're going to end there.