Life at Yale
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut — Do you love what you do or do you only do what you love?
If there is one thing in my life that I have accomplished recently that I simply embrace with a passion, it is the opportunity to have experienced life at Yale.
Walking into the historic Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut, founded in the year 1701, elicited from me an exhilarating adrenalin-rush that is unforgettable. Being the second oldest and an illustrious member of the prestigious Ivy League colleges in the US, Yale commands a reverence and respect that is brought about by the remarkable achievements of its graduates and professors. An interesting fact I learned is that the term “Ivy League” simply alludes to the creeping ivy that grows on the walls because of the old age of the learning institutions.
Among the best-known alumni of Yale University are US Presidents William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Add to this list Academy and Tony Award-winning actors and director Liev Schreiber, Sigourney Weaver, Vincent Price, Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster.
From Logan Airport in Massachusetts, my childhood friends Reesa Guerrero-Silliman and Edwin Santos drove me to New Haven, the cultural capital of Connecticut strategically located between New York City and Boston. Popularly known as the College Town? with Yale at its center, the university’s Old Campus is situated in the heart of the Elm City and is surrounded by tree-lined streets where many eclectic boutiques and restaurants abound.
The Yale Publishing Course that I took together with 57 other dynamic media practitioners from 21 countries may have been a brief one, but the insights and lessons learned have left an indelible imprint for life. I recalled my parents’ advice as I strolled around the historic campus. Papa Ting advocated that if we pursue our interests zealously, all would fall into place. Mama Mila always said, “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day.”
During our orientation, we toured the charming old campus featuring Gothic-style buildings surrounded by an exquisitely landscaped residential quadrangle. It was summertime and many students were reading under the shade of centuries-old trees or preparing for evening concerts or performance arts activities. We stopped before the statue of Nathan Hale, the first spy of the US, who graduated from Yale. 
Just a stone’s throw from the Old Campus is the Commons or the University Dining Hall that reminded me so much of the one in Hogwarts of Harry Potter fame. As a Yale student, you can read and work in the Sterling Memorial Library and access over 10 million volumes housed in more than 20 libraries around campus.
We also toured the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library where we learned the value of the printed material, feeling the page, knowing and understanding how people at that time were reading. Vintage movies, scripts, memorabilia, even the oldest Gutenberg Bible, essays and manuscripts of how people traveled in the past are priceless treasures that lie at the core of this distinguished and illustrious university.
Time to converge at the Maurice R. Greenburg Conference Center where our classes were held.
Several of the distinguished speakers and advisors from the Yale Publishing Course (YPC), led by the gracious Tina Weiner, YPC director, and Dorothy Kalins, YPC speaker and adviser, introduced themselves and shared amazing principles and lessons from their successful industry practices. Listening to the remarkable speakers and classmates, I could hardly believe that I was in the same room with the most brilliant, creative, thoughtful, multi-talented and accomplished batch of media celebrities in their own right. Their creative energy and indomitable spirit were simply infectious and inspiring.
The publishing course attracted perhaps the most intelligent and diverse industry leaders and practitioners, said Peter Kreisky, who owns his own media consultancy. I was thrilled to be a part of this group with participants from 21 countries such as the US, Croatia, Ukraine, Greece, the Netherlands, Russia, China, UAE and more. It was amazing to share stories about different cultures and media practices.
Life at Yale involves not just learning within the confines of the classroom but getting to know about cultures and delightful personalities of the classmates and speakers/practitioners from all over the world. Over hearty meals, we sat alongside each other and listened to heartwarming exchanges and narratives. The next few days were precious moments as we had learning sessions with industry leaders and decision-makers from Condé Nast, Glamour, Hearst Magazines International, Time Inc., Newsweek, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Wired and Yale Global.
I was awed when Bob Sauerberg, president of Condé Nast, one of the world’s most prestigious magazine publishing companies, presented an overview of the industry today and the adaption to an ever-changing publishing landscape. It was amazing listening to Cynthia Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour, as she narrated how Glamour became the magazine that outsells 98 percent of other magazines. From Tracey Ryder, president and CEO of Edible magazines, we were privy as to how she transformed the magazine where particular local communities can share stories of real people, including how they can market their crafts and produce.
From Kim Kelleher, former worldwide publisher of Time and president of Say Media, we learned that competing philosophies need to be balanced. We were also told that the print media will be around for a very long time and the evolution of digital platforms can actually be complementary with previous media. I was glad to learn that the print media will continue to be strong since it is the preferred platform of advertisers.
I held back my tears as we viewed in class footage of the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, 1963. Imagine being in the same room with Richard Stolley, who was responsible for this journalistic coup nearly half a decade ago! He obtained for Life magazine, from businessman Abraham Zapruder, the exclusive rights for the 8mm, six-second film and narrated how the events unfolded step by step; his voice cracked and tears welled in his eyes as he recounted the experience. Way back then, Life purchased worldwide rights to the film for $150,000. Stories of real people are significant events that changed the world, tasks that made that much-coveted difference.
After class, we would converge at Miya’s Sushi, Barcelona or the restaurant called Heirloom to try the diverse cuisine in this city. Most of us were billeted at the well-appointed New Haven Hotel and some nights, we would order spicy food from Kudeta that offered Asian specialties upon the advice of our winsome classmate Imesh Sugiri from Indonesia.
We also had quality time after class at the Yale Golf Course where we enjoyed a delicious barbecue. Another time, we had a novelty themed dinner; a mobile pizza truck was parked right in front of our class premises where a delicious variety of pizza and gelato ice cream was served. Each participant in our class was a gem and I wish we could all have a grand reunion in our respective countries. I will never forget the countless kindnesses of my classmates at YPC like Maria Daza (dean, School of Journalism in Santiago, Chile), Feifei Sun (associate editor, Time, NYC), Sarah Spagnolo (digital projects editor, Travel & Leisure, NYC), Dodo Yeung (publisher, Hearst Magazines, Hong Kong) and Shu Yi Hu, (brand managing director, Hearst Magazines, China).
Life at Yale is about interacting with the decision makers, the practitioners out there who affect our lives in so many wonderful ways. Now, when I read Time, Newsweek, New Yorker, Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated and O, The Oprah Magazine, I will remember the creative geniuses who are responsible for these magazines and the multi-platforms in which they offer their content. All these realities render me introspective and challenge me to be someone in sync with these remarkable people.
One of the best decisions I have ever made is experiencing life at Yale. Here, I can honestly reply a resounding affirmation to the query: I do what I love because I simply love what I do.
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Learn more about the Yale Publishing Course at http://publishing-course.yale.edu or visit Yale University’s homepage at http:/ www.yale.edu. E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.
