NEW HAVEN, Conn. – “I decided to rest usefully. I wanted a break from the way I have been for the last 15 years, like a squirrel on a wheel.” Svyatoslav Vakarchuk , the famed headliner of Ukraine’s most popular rock band, Okean Elzy, thus described his arrival in New Haven in August 2015 to spend a semester at Yale University as one of 16 World Fellows at the university.
The Yale World Fellows program seeks to cultivate and empower a network of globally engaged leaders committed to positive change through dialogue and action. Created in 2002 as part of Yale’s efforts to become a more globally focused university, the program engages mid-career thinkers and doers who are on a clear trajectory of success. These creative practitioners are invited to come to Yale to explore critical global issues, participate in cross-disciplinary studies, sharpen leadership skills and build relationships with other emerging leaders throughout the world.
Currently there is an active network of some 250 World Fellows in 81 countries. Besides Mr. Vakarchuk, this year’s class includes 15 leaders, among whom are an anti-corruption activist from Ethiopia, a journalist from India, a Reuters photographer, a television producer from Kenya, a trade policy expert from China, an interdenominational faith leader from the United Kingdom and a development economist from South Africa.
