The Yale-Jefferson Awards are presented annually, recognizing sustained public service that is individual, innovative, impactful, and inspiring. The recipients are three Yalies – a Yale College student, a graduate or professional school student, and a member of the alumni body – all of whom have demonstrated service that draws on the Yale community and benefits the world beyond Yale.
Once again in 2021, Yale will honor three deserving candidates, Yalies who have given back and paid it forward, whether it’s for those experiencing housing instability in New Haven, increasing access to educational resources, or their role providing healthcare to those in need.
Here are your 2021 Yale-Jefferson Award recipients – Nicky Brussel Faria ’21, Paola V. Figueroa-Delgado ’24 PhD, and Margaret Flinter ’80 MSN – all of whom will be honored during the October 4 Yale-Jefferson Awards ceremony and fireside chat, part of Celebrate Service Week 2021, which will be hosted October 4-11.
Nicky Brussel Faria ’21
Yale is honoring Brussel Faria for her commitment to improving the lives of people experiencing housing instability in the Greater New Haven area. While Brussel Faria has served this community in a myriad of ways, such as working as a legislative intern for the City of New Haven and participating in local housing justice advocacy, Y2Y New Haven lies at the heart of her service work.
Y2Y New Haven is a joint initiative between Y2Y Network, Youth Continuum, and Dwight Hall to open the nation’s second student-run youth overnight program. As a student leader of the project, who has contributed to nearly every facet of its work, Brussel Faria cannot wait to stand alongside other project stakeholders and team members and see Y2Y New Haven open its doors soon.
“At its core, Y2Y New Haven is a community effort,” said Brussel Faria. “I could not be more proud to be part of a project that centers youth voice, empowers individuals with lived experience of homelessness, and connects people from across the community. I feel lucky that this vibrant community and meaningful project were and are such a defining part of my college experience.”
Brussel Faria graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health. This year she is continuing her studies at the Yale School of Public Health, where she is pursuing a master’s in health policy (’22) as part of a five-year dual-degree program. Brussel Faria is passionate about health equity and policy-mediated harm and hopes to work in related fields in the future.
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