Hi everyone! If you’re just finding this blog, please let me be the first to welcome you to Before The Fall Orientation (BTFO) 2018 and tell you that we are excitedly planning all kinds of fun stuff for your BTFO experience in August.
In the meantime, we’ll be using this blog to give you lots of information and hopefully help answer your many questions about moving here, living here, studying here and - most importantly - thriving here at YDS.
To get the ball rolling, we are introducing your BTFO Leadership team over the next few days and then will dive into all sorts of topics, so keep reading!
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My name is Emily Bruce and I am delighted to be your Coordinator for the 2018 Before the Fall Orientation at YDS. I am excited to meet you all in person and hope that the BTFO we are planning for you will be exciting and engaging and FUN!
As Coordinator of BTFO, I will be working closely with my Chief of Staff Cate Anthony and my Hospitality Coordinator Claire Repsholdt. You’ll meet them on the blog later this week. We are planning all of the activities and information sessions that you will be attending and hope to publish the full schedule in early August. If you ever have questions about BTFO, if you need information from us that you’re not getting, or if you just want a sympathetic ear about how stressful this entire process can be, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at emily.bruce@yale.edu. We’ve all been through what you’re going through – you WILL make it and it WILL be awesome!
A little about me: I’m a native of New Orleans, LA and came to Yale after years working in the theatre industry in New York. (If you didn’t already know, NYC is 2 hours away by train. You should visit it. Often.) I’m now entering my third year of the M.Div. program and am seeking ordination in the Unitarian-Universalist faith tradition. Post-graduation, I plan to pursue interfaith chaplaincy work, both in the higher education and environmental justice fields. My dream is to run a spiritual retreat center one day that includes a working farm and animal sanctuary. My ethos has always been: care for the earth, care for your soul.
At YDS, I’ve gotten very involved in many different student groups and committees (yes, I’m the geeky joiner type) and I’ve really embraced the loving and supportive community that I’ve found here. Yale is hard work - don’t let anyone convince you that it’s not - but there are so many opportunities to learn and stretch yourself in ways that you might never have considered. I’ve gladly worked hard to make the most of my time here and I hope you will too!
Outside of Yale, I love to be in nature as much as possible (frequent East Rock hikes are a must!). I also spend time snuggling my two cats, Peg and Oyster, and enjoying dinner out or plays with friends. Tip: Yale Rep sells $10 tickets to students!
Tomorrow you will get to meet Cate Anthony, your Chief of Staff. Stay tuned!