Getting to know your future president: Diksha Brahmbhatt

We’ll just say what everyone else is thinking: no one really cares about the YCC candidates’ campaigns. Sure, those empty promises might convince a handful of voters, but the rest of us choose our president based off of them as actual people, not as PC robots.

You might know her from her killer dance moves, as an organizer of the Yale Civic Leadership conference, or from her enthusiastic support of Berkeley, but do really know Diksha? In the third part of our presidential candidate series, this is The Tab Talk with Diksha Brahmbhatt:

What’s your major?

I came into Yale as a chemistry major. So I’m interested in medicine and global health, but what I realized is that a lot of times in medicine and global health people tend to lose the end goal of interacting with people and making their lives better. Often times, global health uses western perceptions of medicine and intervention and they don’t go well in countries where they’re implemented. Then people are like “Oh geez I wonder why that happened?” Well it’s because people have different perception of health and well being, and that’s something we need to better understand. We need to be active in those communities and have active community leaders to bring those socio-economic factors to light in clinics themselves.

So what’s your dream job then?

That’s simple. I’m actually interning this summer with the man who has my dream job, which I’m very excited about. His name is Dr. Vikram Patel, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He’s been called the Nelson Mandela of Global Mental Health. So basically he founded this NGO that is a beacon for research in mental health so that all these research centers aren’t just in the West but actually in these communities where they matter and where they can train community health workers who aren’t necessarily psychiatrists in order to have them more accessible. So that’s the thing that I’m very stoked about. I really see myself as someone who not only has the expertise but also has the global reach to do work like that. So that’s very exciting.

What would you say is your favorite part of Yale?

I think my favorite part of Yale is actually just how much I’ve grown and learned as a person in two years by interacting with people in daily conversations. I think conversations have been by far my favorite part. Just talking to someone at dinner or as they walk by, asking them what they’re passionate about, just learning things from international students about their home countries. And it literally has been such a big learning experience, because before college for example, I wasn’t really aware of the sexuality and gender spectrum. So when I came to college, and someone asked me for my gender pronoun, I was taken aback. I think things like that really and having little conversations with people have helped change the way I fundamentally think.

And your least favorite?

My least favorite part is when people get too busy for other people. What’s scary sometimes is actually seeing people’s schedules and how much things people dedicate themselves too, and slowly realizing that we have all these commitments and not enough flexibility to keep growing as people in this environment that is so wonderful for that if only we could find what was holding us back. I think also that Yalies lose sight of the picture, like choosing to spend an extra half hour on that pset instead of going to like a really cool talk or event that could potentially show them something completely different. And I think that’s something that’s very easy to do.

What’s your most important relationship at Yale?

My most important relationship is to my residential college, Berkeley, and everything that’s within it. For me, I’ve moved around a lot—up and down the East Coast, and I’ve never been to a school for more than three years. So for me, attachment has never been to a place. I don’t necessarily think of a single place as my hometown because I’ve never lived anywhere long enough. So really what makes community and home for me is people. And I think the people in Berkeley College and the commitment that they have to fostering a sense of family within the college is so wonderful. I’m very involved with Berkeley, I represented it on FCC, YCC, I’m on the Berkeley College Council, I’m a master’s aide. I refer to my dorm room as home, I’ll text people saying “I’m going home right now” and they’re confused. But it’s so real. Walking into the dining hall and seeing so many familiar faces and so many people, especially my suitemates who are always there. Sometimes we just have to cry, and let it all out, and they’re always there to give each other big hugs. It feels like home. That’s something I’ve valued so much. To see Yale not only as an institution, but a place where I feel at home.

Why did you move around a lot as a kid?

It’s mostly been for economic things. My parents didn’t go to college, they moved from India about 20 years ago. My dad has never really had a stable job, and once we had to move because my mom was in a car crash and we needed to move closer to a hospital in a city. So we’ve mostly been kind of forced to move around, it hasn’t really been that much of a choice. That’s definitely something that has helped define my Yale experience—being a low-income student and having to do with those issues. I honestly am still struggling to finish my financial aid application right now and work 13 hours a week. And having to think about what I’m going to do this summer and if I have funding. But I’m also really grateful that I even have financial aid to come here, because otherwise I would have literally not been able to come to Yale.

If you had to be in another college that wasn’t Berkeley, which one would you be in?

It’s split between Davenport and Silliman. Maybe because a lot of my friends are there but also because they have the same vibe, sense of community and strength that Berkeley does. BK Fam is real—that’s the real thing, and I think Silliman and Dport also have that. I really can’t pick between those two.

Where’s your favorite place to cry on campus?

One of my favorite places to cry that’s actually very calming is the koi pond at the School of Forestry. It’s so awesome, I love it. I was just sitting there and just felt overwhelmed like the whole week was crashing down on me and I was frustrated. No one was there, so I felt so comfortable crying and being vulnerable outside in a public space.

Box or Toad’s?

Toad’s. I am a Woadser. I love it so, so much. A lot of it has to do with dancing. It’s a given that you’re going to dance since it’s a dance party. I’m a HUGE dancer. I’ll get a dance party started literally anywhere. Woads has been a wonderful outlet to just go and dance my heart out.

Blue State or Starbucks?

Blue State. It’s kind of obvious. The people there are so nice. They know I’m incompetent with caffeine and that I have no idea what I’m ordering any time I go this. They look out for me, it’s great.

Tomatillo or Salsa Fresca?

Tomatillo, definitely. I can’t do Salsa Fresca.

Describe your ideal night at Yale.

Around 9 o’clockish, I’d be getting ready with my friends. This could be any day of the week. I’d probably arrive at 10:30. You know how events start at 10, but no one really gets there until 11? My ideal night would be getting there at 10:30 because I need my space to dance before all these bodies get all up in my personal business. I would be an early arrival, so then I could actually go talk to the DJ and make sure he plays “Hips Don’t Lie” because I will not end a night without that song. I have to make sure I get that played. Then probably dance for an hour and a half to get my cardio in for the week. And then after that, obviously food, preferably Junzi or Mamoun’s. It’s a bit of a walk, but I’ll do anything for falafel. Then come home around one or two o’clock, and sit with my suitemates and whoever is visiting our suite, and get on the floor and do a huge cuddle puddle. And that’s the end of a perfect night.

What’s your favorite frat or sports house?

I honestly have not been to many sports houses, just like hockey, basketball, lightweight crew. And I don’t really have a particular liking for any of them because the floors are just so ratchet.

I honestly am not particularly impressed with any of the frat houses themselves, but the places I’ve had fun are SigEp, especially during Spring Fling, and then Sig Chi. Their guys are super nice, as well as the Chi Psi guys. I’ve felt comfortable being in places where they are.

What’s your craziest Yale memory?

There have been a lot of crazy things that have happened. Oh my gosh, Berkeley Screw. This is my favorite. I decided not to go with a date at all because I was done with going out with different people and trying to make sure they’re having a good time. I just want to have fun myself. So I went without a date, and rolled into Elevate. You know how they have that little stage or platform? I was literally on there for three hours, just having the best time of my life. They had apple juice boxes at the event, and I had three while dancing and waved them around. It was the most liberating night ever. I love it, such a good memory.

Tell me your deepest, darkest secret.

I’m pretty open, so I don’t really have secrets. Wait, yes! OK, this isn’t my deepest, darkest secret, but it’s something that other people might not know. I have only kissed one person before, and that’s it. That’s the extent of my experience, which is kind of surprising to some people because I do go out a lot. I’ve just chosen not to. I recently realized that I get attached to people very quickly, and I form very strong emotional attachments. So for my own mental well-being, hook-up culture is not the best place for me to engage. I honestly haven’t put in actual effort to find a relationship or ask someone on a date. I guess that’s something, maybe I would say I have very little experience, but I also would say maybe not because I am definitely very educated, but just haven’t chosen to engage.

Is that lucky person you’ve kissed at Yale?

LOL. Yeah.

Who?

I don’t know if he would necessarily be comfortable with me saying his name, so I’m just not going to say anything out of respect.

OK, OK. What’s your current phone background? 

It’s a picture of my sister and me. She’s a year younger than me, a freshman at Brown. Also, she’s a pretty badass woman. It’s a picture of the two of us, and I was five or six years old in kindergarten. We’re on this little playground horse-thing, and we’re wearing our traditional Indian attire. It’s the cutest thing. I love her.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

This is slightly embarrassing. Someone caught me on this just today. It was “call me, beep me, if you want to reach me”.

Kim Possible!

Yeah, I just wanted to hear it again!

Sometimes we just have nostalgia for our youth.

You’re right, but I don’t have nostalgia. I’m still a five-year-old.

So even though you’re a five year old, why should you be our next YCC president?

In a nutshell, there’s a couple reasons I think I should be. One: I am not only promising to advocate for issues, I’ve been listening to them, and I’ve lived through many of them as a low-income student, as a strong woman of color, as someone who has a counselor at Yale Mental Health and needs that supports. In all these ways I’ve engaged and I lived these experiences. I care so deeply about them, and will be sure to convey that conviction and priority to administrators and Yale students and help them rally around it. Two: I have the experience to do this. I have the leadership experience. I’ve organized a huge conference, Yale Civic Leadership Initiative with Dean Holloway’s office. I worked closely with those administrators to get funding for this and organizing all this. I’ve held seats in student government. I’ve been involved deeply in all these communities at Yale. I feel I have the necessary experience, conviction, and energy to run for this. In the end, I could care less about a title that doesn’t afford any sort of role or power within a community in which I want to do something. The last reason I want to be president is that I’m going to try and uphold all of these things that I think should be done regardless of if I am president, and I’ll still be on the Yale College Council.

Why she’s convinced The Tab:

With Diksha, what you see is what you get. She has no secrets, and she holds nothing back. She dances like no one is watching and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Her experience in student government and as a woman of color at Yale show she can take charge and represent her constituents well.

Check out Diksha’s campaign website here.