CO-PRESIDENT | she/ella

Yakeleen (YC ‘25 Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and Education Studies) began her involvement with the Yale Interpretation Network during her first year at Yale as a long-term Spanish interpreter with New Haven Legal Aid and Yale Law School Clinics. From a predominantly migrant community in South Tucson, AZ, she hopes to eventually bridge language barriers as a public interest lawyer in the Crimmigration Field upon graduating. As the previous Spanish Placement Coordinator, Yakeleen connected organizations with Spanish interpreters. Now, as the Co-President of YIN, Yakeleen is excited to forge deeper connections with local and national organizations to reach more clients, as she believes language equity to be a human right. Yakeleen speaks Spanish and American Sign Language.

CO-PRESIDENT | he/him/his

Andrik (BK '25, PLSC) first became involved with YIN as a Spanish interpreter for NHLAA and the Connecticut Bar Association. He then became the group’s Financial Director and Membership Coordinator and now serves as Co-President with Yakeleen. In his free time, he enjoys cooking for my friends, discovering restaurants, and watching theater productions. Andrik speaks Spanish, French, and arguably Portuguese.

FOUNDER

Luisa (YC ‘20, Political Science & Psychology) founded YIN in 2018 after working with local immigrants who were routinely turned away from social services due to language barriers. Having grown up in a bilingual household, she is passionate about building language-accessible communities. Currently, Luisa is serving as an Investigator in the Public Defender’s Office for the District of Columbia. Luisa speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and French.

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR | she/her

Sofia Prieto Black (YC ‘27, pursuing a major in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Film and Media Studies). Her involvement with YIN began during her first year at Yale as the Membership Coordinator for the organization. Her role predominately entails leading membership events (e.g., study breaks, dining hall meals, events with other student organizations, etc.) throughout the semester to promote volunteer engagement and retention. Having been born and raised in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, she grew up speaking both English and Spanish and today still speaks both fluently.

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR | she/her

Dinara (Grace Hopper '25 Neuroscience) became a Russian interpreter for YIN during her first semester at Yale. She is from Almaty, Kazakhstan, and is passionate about helping overcome communication barriers thanks to her international background. In the future, she hopes to become a physician, and continue to help underserved communities in that respect. As the Media and Communication Coordinator, Dinara creates external-facing materials for YIN in order to interact with both members and partner organizations.

SPANISH PLACEMENT COORDINATOR | he/him/his

Michaell (YC '26 Ethnicity, Race, and Migration & Spanish Certificate) began his involvement with YIN during his first year. Throughout that year, he was a consistent interpreter for the network, achieving interpreter of the month. Michaell hopes to use his language skills to ensure that the Spanish-speaking community in the US has access to information. As the Spanish Placement Coordinator, Michaell connects organizations with Spanish interprets.

TECH & DATA COORDINATOR | she/her

Katherine (YC ‘26) is majoring in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Human-Centered AI. She joined YIN to create and maintain the tech we use to enable language access for local organizations. Growing up in a largely Asian-American, immigrant community in California, she worked closely with local disability rights organizations in English and Chinese. In the future, she hopes to work on technologies and policies that have a positive, meaningful impact on underserved communities.

RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR | she/her

Hannah (YC '25) is double majoring in Comparative Literature and Computing & Linguistics, with an Advanced Language Certificate in Spanish. Raised in New Haven, Hannah is deeply invested in supporting local nonprofits, and is passionate about the power of translation to connect across cultures and ensure equity. As the Recruitment Coordinator at YIN, Hannah helps to to find Yale affiliates with requested linguistic abilities and works to expand the YIN network. She speaks Spanish and Hungarian, and is learning Catalan.