Well before she arrived at Yale, Sabrina Guo ES ’27 was working to, in her words, “protect individuals and uplift marginalized communities.” While in high school, she founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Girl Pride International, which empowers girls through emotional, financial, and educational support. She also founded another nonprofit during the pandemic, Long Island Laboring Against COVID-19, to provide personal protective equipment and other support to essential workers and disproportionately impacted communities while also combating all forms of hate.
At Yale, Guo has continued her mission to help those most in need; she aspires to be a public interest and corporate lawyer. Among other endeavors, she’s a Yale Women in Government Fellow, Lux et Veritas Fellow, president of Scholars of Finance, pre-professional development coordinator for the Yale College Council, and a head of the Public Health Policy Center at the Yale Policy Institute, a student-run policy think tank.
A political science major, Guo says that her favorite classes so far were taught by Christina Kinane and Daniel Mattingly, professors of political science. “They were really phenomenal courses that taught me about how all the different branches of government work together to create change and influence the lives of people on the domestic and international front,” Guo says.
She also finds time for creative undertakings, publishing an award-winning chapbook of her poetry and serving as managing editor of The Beacon and a judge for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
“Yale has given me countless opportunities,” Guo says. “The scholarships I’ve received have taken away financial pressures so I can focus on my studies.” She also received a Yale Summer Experience Award, which helped fund an internship in the Senate. She notes, “That invaluable experience wouldn’t have been possible without support from Yale.”
As part of her work as an ambassador for Yale Admissions, Guo returns to her native Long Island and home state of New York to talk to first-generation, low-income high school students. She says, “I want to spread the word about Yale and its affordability.”
Guo isn’t waiting until graduation to start driving change in the world. As part of her work with the Yale Policy Institute, she has worked directly with the Connecticut Legislature’s Reproductive Rights Caucus, presenting policy recommendations to State Representatives Matt Blumenthal and Jillian Gilchrest.
“We hope our policy proposals can have a real impact on the legislation and bills put forward in the Connecticut Legislature,” says Guo. “Especially in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we want to make sure our voices matter.”