For five months in 2022, COVID-19 lockdown restrictions kept Daniel Shen ’14 confined to his apartment in Shanghai. This solitary period proved to be an occasion for taking stock of what was most important to him in life. At the top of the list were his connections with other people. Though he had already been living in China for several years, the pandemic made Shen feel even farther apart from his Yale friends back in the United States. He was happily reunited with some of them at his wedding in 2023. But for those who didn’t attend—and for new friends still to be made—his role as a fundraising volunteer is helping to close the distance.

Bright College Years

Shen’s fondest memories of his student years include taking Econ 450, taught by David Swensen ’80 PhD and Dean Takahashi ’80, ’83 MPPM, helping to manage the Dwight Hall Socially Responsible Investment Fund, and working as a peer tutor in math under the guidance of Miki Havlíčková. But the biggest highlights for him were his classmates. “There were about 1,300 members of the Class of 2014, and I only knew about 200 of them while we were on campus,” he says. “All 200 were incredible people. It would be a loss on my part if I didn’t continue to try to meet the rest, especially those who are also interested in giving back.”

Shen’s own interest in giving back took root when he was a high school senior in Ohio. “I received an extremely generous financial aid package from Yale that was going to allow me to attend college without taking on student debt. That is a level of support I want other students to be able to benefit from too. I decided that in my lifetime I would donate at least the real value of the tuition that I received so that it can be paid forward to someone else,” he says. As a first step in fulfilling this goal, Shen joined the senior class gift committee during his final year on campus and has stayed involved with the Alumni Fund ever since.  “Volunteering serves as a great reminder for me to continue to give each year,” he says.

There are other rewards as well. “I feel like I am part of a large team working toward a mission that carries personal significance for me and everyone involved,” he notes. “It’s an honor to join forces with other Yalies and to have a great reason to reconnect with my friends and classmates.”

Back on Campus, From Afar

This past spring, the Class of 2014 celebrated their tenth reunion on campus. Shen, who served on the reunion gift committee, marked the occasion by posing a fundraising challenge to his classmates to raise money for ten Nathan Hale Associates scholarships. He wrote a heartfelt message to his peers, which inspired a groundswell of support in the week leading up to the reunion. Although Shen wasn’t able to travel to campus from Shanghai, he still felt very much present, thanks to the connections he has made as a volunteer. “I felt directly plugged into all of the reunion activities,” he recalls. “My classmates shared so many photos and videos with me throughout the weekend and reached out to reconnect and catch up. Shanghai and New Haven have never felt closer.”